God is God
Jeremy McCool / Groups and Next Steps Director
Does God Do Bad Things?
This is a heavy question, but an important one: Does God ever do — or allow — "bad" things?
The Bible’s indelicate answer is yes — all the time — and God is still perfectly good.
In Job 2:10, after losing everything he had, including all of his children, through circumstances that could only be ascribed to God, Job says, “Shall we accept good from God, and not evil also?” Job wasn’t accusing God of doing evil; he was recognizing God’s sovereignty. God allowed Job’s suffering — but God was not wrong. Our problem isn’t God’s goodness; it’s our definitions of good and bad.
We often confuse “good” with “comfortable” and “bad” with “painful.” This comes out in how we pray, and even in some of the worship songs we sing. We are devastated when God doesn't give us what we think is best for us, and we let it affect our faith and our perception of God. Scripture never confuses these concepts. God is holy, truthful, and purposeful — and in almost every case His best work in us comes through things we would never choose for ourselves.
The Bible is full of examples of God doing "bad" things (if looked at from the perspective of human suffering): the flood of Noah, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the sudden deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, David’s loss of his first baby with Bathsheba, and even the brutal execution of the innocent man Jesus on a Roman cross. None of these were evil acts by God. They were severe, painful, and purposeful — and in every case, God brought about something far better in the end. For example: Job was restored to double his former wealth and given a new family just like the one he lost. Jesus rose from the dead and brought Salvation back with Him. Redemption often comes through suffering.
When we are the standard of truth and goodness, we are playing God and will always be dissatisfied. When we judge the goodness in life by our comfort level, we miss most of the blessings God intends for us. When we send up requests to God in prayer, His answers will always be one of these three:
Yes.
Not yet.
I have something better.
Do we believe that? Here’s the takeaway: God is God, and we are not. His way is always the best way for us, even when it hurts for a time. Let’s stop calling discomfort “bad” and start trusting the God who promises that the end will be better than the pain.