Those who become atheists would say that God isn't good because both can't be true. What they're really saying is that they believe nothing happens outside of the will of God. Wait? Aren't they saying they don't believe in God? Yes and know. That's the conclusion they say they arrived at but then they say it's because they can't believe in a good God who would allow....
But what if instead of choosing to believe that nothing happens outside of God's will we choose to believe the other side? What are the implications then? Then, God is good but evil exists and is outside of His will. Still there is a problem. God is powerful, so why doesn't He do something about the problem of pain and evil?
Well, He did. Jesus came to destroy the works of evil. To demolish sin and the curse and the destruction that resulted when we chose to leave God's will and do our own thing. Sin is not God's will. Death is not God's will. Pain and suffering are not either. So Jesus took the results of these things and suffered the consequences of the curse so that we can choose not to. There will come a time when all will be restored and made right. Where justice will completely prevail and the broken and misused will be healed and restored. He set it in motion on the cross. He will complete the work.Why did He suffer when He didn't have to? Wouldn't it have been easier to just scrap it all and start over? He did it because He is good and because He loves us as we are, not as we should be, but He loves us enough not to leave us the broken mess that we are. He is safe to turn to, to run to, because He does care and He does have the power to heal and to restore.
And saying that things happen outside of His will is not denying the sovereignty of God. God is sovereign. He does have the ultimate authority and will bring everything to a just and right and good end. But sovereignty does not keep subjects of that authority from going outside of the will and law of the authority. It just means that it is then up to the sovereign to make it right and bring about justice. Luckily for us, we have a God who is as merciful as He is holy and just. So before He makes it right and punishes evil, He made a way of escape for those of us (all of us) who deserve condemnation. What we justly deserve was poured out on Christ so that justice could be satisfied but we could receive mercy. Once again, this is because He is good and loving towards us, even though we don't deserve that goodness and love and could never earn it. But no one is getting away with anything. Justice is served. Jesus paid the price.
So, yes, things happen that anger and sicken God. Things happen that are exactly the opposite of His will. And somebody will pay the just price for every single one of those things. It will be made right. The only question is are we going to turn to Him and let Him pay our price and let Him heal and restore us where we have been wronged and broken or are we going to demand our right to stand on our own and remain broken until our bill comes due?
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