Three Essential Questions
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3 (ESV)
Over the last six years, All Things Faithful has posted over 300 weekly devotionals. Each week, we’ve commented on things near to our heart. And we often receive messages from many of you about questions on your hearts.
This week, we wanted to share three of the more common questions we’ve heard over the years. Questions of faith, questions as old as time itself, questions that gnaw at the very essence of our spiritual existence.
Let’s explore these questions together through the lens of scripture and reflection.
Why does God allow evil and suffering?
The presence of evil and suffering in a world created by a good and omnipotent God is one of the most challenging questions facing Believers, especially when confronted by doubters and scoffers. The Bible does not shy away from this reality. In fact, it gives us a framework for understanding it.
The apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:22, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” Creation has been frustrated since the fall of humanity (Genesis 3). However, the very existence of suffering is also a canvas on which God’s redemptive work is vividly painted.
Jesus Christ, the epitome of innocence, suffered on the cross, not as a defeat to evil, but as a means to overcome it (Colossians 2:15). His resurrection is the promise that, while suffering is not the end, in its midst we can find strength and renewal.
Just as Christ’s sufferings have a redemptive purpose, so can our own (2 Corinthians 1:5). Suffering can produce perseverance, character, and hope as the Paul also taught us in Romans 5:3-5. We can even rejoice in our suffering, knowing that “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” as our comforter.
It reminds us that this world is not as it should be and orients our hearts towards a longing for God’s new creation, where, as John proclaimed in Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.” God can use our suffering to bring us closer to Him and remove our pain through His grace.
How can Jesus be the only way to God?
This question is often asked in the context of today’s world where the idea of a single path to God seems exclusionary, or limited. However, Christianity teaches that the human condition is such that we are not just slightly imperfect beings who need a little guidance; we are spiritually dead in need of life (Ephesians 2:1).
Jesus proclaimed in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is not speaking here of exclusivity but of the unique and sufficient remedy for our spiritual ailments only he can offer all humans who come to him.
In Acts 4:12, Peter boldly states, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Jesus as the only way to God is not about limiting access, but about the profound depth of what was required to bridge the chasm sin created between humanity and God. The cross is where justice and mercy met, where God’s love was demonstrated so that anyone who believes may have eternal life (John 3:16). No other path to enlightenment can delivery this.
I’m a good person, isn’t that enough?
This common question assumes that the core of Christianity is living a moral life, but this is a misunderstanding. While moral goodness is something to strive for, the heart of Christianity is a relationship with God through belief in Jesus Christ.
The Bible acknowledges the universal sin problem, as Paul indicated in Romans 3:23, saying “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It is not the degree of goodness we can achieve that reconciles us to God but the perfect goodness of Christ, who lived the life we could not and died in our place (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14), Jesus contrasts self-righteousness with humble dependence on God’s mercy. It is a vivid illustration that being a “good person” is not equivalent to righteousness in God’s eyes.
Trust in Jesus is an acknowledgment of our inability to achieve salvation through our own efforts or our good moral character, and a willingness to accept the gift by God of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). It’s when we embrace this trust that we find true transformation, not just of our moral behavior, but of our very hearts and desires as God renews us to see the world as He see it (Psalm 51:10).
Trusting in Jesus and in God
These questions and others drive us to the heart of what it means to be human and to seek God. They compel us to look beyond superficial answers and dive deep into the truths of God’s Word.
Through Jesus, we find the answers to these questions – a God who enters into our suffering, a Savior who is the unique bridge to eternal life, and a trust that transforms us from the inside out. Let us then, with faith and humility, seek the One who is the answer to all our deepest questions.
Are there questions on your heart? Answers to events in your life you are seeking? Share them with us and help us make this devotional even more meaningful each week so that we may, in Paul’s words, “encourage one another” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Reach out to us at rene@allthingsfaithgful.com or things@allthingsfaithful.com.
May God continuously lead your path