Here is a worrisome question that we all must have all thought about, for the injustices of life are all too common. Innocent people in various places in the world are persecuted daily simply because of their religious beliefs, some put to death in the most cruel ways. Others living under tyrannical rulers and dictatorial governments are denied inalienable rights, and forced to live their entire lives in squalid conditions. Little children are exploited for material gain or sensual gratification, left with lifelong physical or mental scars. Other children are born with mental or physical defects that make it impossible for them to live normal productive lives.

If God has genuine concern for His creation, why does He allow such things to happen to the innocent?

Comments that might be made about this issue may seem sterile and perhaps even impersonal to an individual who has experienced any of those above injustices and inequities in life. Indeed, their profound impact to a life would have to be experienced before their significance could be fully appreciated. Nevertheless, the Bible provides us with ways of looking at life's problems from the vantage point of God's perspective, so this editorial will endeavor to search out that unique view on this matter.

Consider the diverse opinions to which people have come concerning this intensely personal subject: Some who have suffered personal hardship or tragedy conclude that God really doesn't care that much, at least not for them or their loved ones. One book written on the subject concluded that God is simply not powerful enough to overcome all of the evils in the world. Annotated to this view might be an associated one that God is not all knowing, so is simply unable to keep track of everything going on in the world at all times. In times of past abominations like the Holocaust of World War II, it was suggested that God was not just, and on one occasion, He was actually put on mock "trial" for His supposed culpability in that affair.

As emotional beings, it is understandable how times of severe stress, pain, or confusion, can move us to think along the lines just expressed. However, let's see what the Bible has to say about each of the views just advanced.

(Deuteronomy 7:6-8)
6 "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.
7 The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples;
8 but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

(John 3:16)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

(Romans 5:6-8)
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(2 Corinthians 13:11)
11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

(1 John 4:10)
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
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(2 Chronicles 16:9)
9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

(Isaiah 55:8-9)
8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.
9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."

(Zechariah 4:10)
10 For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.

(Matthew 10:29-31)
29 "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."
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(Genesis 18:13-14)
13 And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?'
14 "Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."

(Isaiah 40:22-26)
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
23 He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.
24 Scarcely shall they be planted, scarcely shall they be sown, scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, when He will also blow on them, and they will wither, and the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.
25 "To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; not one is missing.

(Matthew 19:26)
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
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(Deuteronomy 32:4)
4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.

(Isaiah 30:18)
18 Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.

(Daniel 4:37)
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.
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If we are willing to accept the above statements prima facie, we must surely conclude that God does care, is aware, is powerful enough, and is just in all of His doings. Furthermore, although one of the verses suggests that His scrutiny over the details of life may be evident only to "those whose hearts are loyal to Him", the general thrust of the texts just quoted appears to be ecumenical in nature. Therefore, a direct reading of the Bible will lead us to conclude that God's love, attention to detail, control over His creation, and innate fairness, are more than sufficient to deal prudently and flawlessly with each and every situation confronting humankind.

Still, we have not answered the original question. If God really has all of these qualities attributed to Him in the Bible, why does He choose not to exercise them in dealing with the on-going evils of this world? Perhaps we should approach this perplexing question in another way, by considering the kinds of actions He might be required to take to safeguard the "innocent".

In other words, He could overtly or covertly intervene to punish or prevent free will actions that would be unjust to the "innocent", and likewise control bad genetics and circumstances to prevent their tragic consequences. Of course, since the Bible claims that His justice is perfect and beyond any possible recrimination, He would have to take these kinds of actions in all situations without exception where injustice or suffering of the "innocent" would otherwise occur.

We initially posed the question, thinking to plead our case for the "innocent", that God might selectively deal with the really serious injustices against them. However, we had not thought of the fact that we individually have on occasion been guilty of lesser infractions against the "innocent". Moreover, the question implied a charge against God relative to the manner in which He governs the world with regard to His handling of genetics and circumstances beyond the control of the "innocent". Unfortunately, we had not thought of the fact that some of those genetic defects, diseases, and circumstances should be charged against us, because they are directly or indirectly the results of our own actions, or those of our ancestors.

In fact, upon additional reflection, just who are these "innocent" people? Aside from very small children, or the unborn, or perhaps a few exceptional people who cannot be held accountable for their actions, no one is really "innocent", for we are all guilty to some extent for wrong deeds perpetrated against other people. For this reason, the Bible directs blame against all of us for our indifference toward God, and ill treatment of fellow human beings.

(Romans 3:10-18)
10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one."
13 "Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips";
14 "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."
15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known."
18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
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According to this perspective, if a perfect God should take action in behalf of the truly "innocent", His perfect justice would almost certainly require that it boomerang back on us, for nearly all of us would have to become the legitimate objects of God's retribution to a greater or lesser degree.

Based on this revised thinking, it now becomes a little easier to understand why God has taken the following alternative approach to deal with this issue.

(Psalms 1)
1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

(2 Peter 2:9)
9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.

(Romans 8:18-23)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;
21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

(Revelation 20:11-21:2)
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

(Revelation 21.1)
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
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According to these scriptures, it would appear that God simply plans to let things take their course in this present fallen world, then hold everyone and everything accountable at some future time when He sets His creation right for the rest of eternity. In other words, He plans to redress all the grievances and evils of this world at an appointed time of His own choosing. In this way, the Judge of creation will accomplish two purposes. Not only will He effect perfect final Judgement, but He will also use that occasion to determine just who will be permitted to live in the perfect universe He plans to create for all of eternity.

In concept, it seems hard to dispute the final result, for a perfect God will not only have a complete scope of understanding about everything done over the entire history of mankind (He is omniscient and omnipresent), but will also have the power to make amends for wrongs done, and to thereby bring about the proper resolution for all things (He is omnipotent). For us in the here and now, our only obligation is to trust Him with whatever degree of faith and understanding we can muster, for He knows our abilities and intentions, and has pledged to one day fulfill the joy of those who love Him.