It is commonly known that when some people go through a significant period of suffering they ask, “Why God?” Perhaps sometimes it’s in a more curious way, like, “I wish I understood what was behind this.” But other times it is more of an accusation: “How dare you allow this bad thing to happen to me, God? I deserve better.”
At a recent elder meeting, I heard someone mention that if you truly believe that you are a bad person, it’s a lot more difficult to accuse God of treating you unfairly.
TWO BIBLE PASSAGES
This brings to mind a couple of Bible passages that I believe speak to this topic. The first one is the verse where Jesus says:
This brings to mind a couple of Bible passages that I believe speak to this topic. The first one is the verse where Jesus says:
“No one is good but One – God.”
~ from Mark 10:18
This verse matches several others that convey the idea that humans are sinful and therefore unworthy of being treated as if they are “good.” It also shows that only our holy God is truly good in the objective sense.
The second passage is toward the end of the book of Jonah. Jonah chapter 4 is an often neglected portion of that book. (The famous part is the part about the huge fish.) But here’s the text I’m referring to:
“Then the Lord God appointed a plant, and it grew up to provide shade over Jonah’s head to ease his discomfort. Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant. When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered.
As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down so much on Jonah’s head that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than live.”
“Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“Yes,” he replied, “It is right. I’m angry enough to die!”
~ Jonah 4:6-9
Wow. That’s dramatic.
Now, here is the question. Why did Jonah think he had a right to be angry (at God)? Well, if you read the rest of the story, it seems that Jonah thought that the Ninevites were such bad people that they should not have received God’s grace (see 3:10-4:2) and yet he was greatly pleased with his plant and seems to think he had a right to it. I think that if Jonah had believed he was a bad person (like how he viewed the Ninevites) he wouldn’t have thought that God was dealing with him in an inappropriate way.
CONCLUSION
Often right doctrine leads to right feelings and right behaviors. When you believe you’re bad (as Scripture teaches) it becomes much harder to accuse God of acting unjustly towards you.
Often right doctrine leads to right feelings and right behaviors. When you believe you’re bad (as Scripture teaches) it becomes much harder to accuse God of acting unjustly towards you.
