Having faith in God is easy for some (it’s described as a spiritual gift in the Bible), but for many, it’s very difficult. People have a lot of hard questions about God, even the most devout of Christians.
Take a look at some hard questions about God in the sixth part of our series.
“Does God like men better than women?”
Historically, the church leadership has been dominated by men, and men have used the Bible to justify their roles and the subservient roles of women. Why? Because of some passages written by Paul that we take out of context. For example:
I don’t let women take over and tell the men what to do. They should study to be quiet and obedient along with everyone else. Adam was made first, then Eve; woman was deceived first — our pioneer in sin! — with Adam right on her heels. On the other hand, her childbearing brought about salvation, reversing Eve. But this salvation only comes to those who continue in faith, love, and holiness, gathering it all into maturity. You can depend on this.
- 1 Timothy 2:11-15 (MSG)
For years, people have read this passage and some others like it and took it to mean that women should not be allowed to teach. However, if you investigated the historical context of what was happening in the church at the time of Paul’s writing, you would know there were some certain women within this specific church who were spreading false teachings. In other words, Paul wasn’t saying no woman ever can teach. He just didn’t want these women to teach false teachings.
“Why does God let people die?”
How can a loving God who wants life let people die?
This is a very hard question because it concerns the one thing no one has any control over. The one thing we’ll all face. Death.
It is unsettling to think of life ending, but that is reality. So, people wonder how God can let this happen if He supposedly loves life.
Well, we cannot speak for God, but we can try to understand what is happening. One of the best guesses is that God never wanted death. Death is the result of sin, and we are all sinners, so none of us can escape death. Through this mortal death, though, you pass into the next existence, clean and renewed to live eternally thanks to Jesus.
When death happens, it’s OK to be sad, angry or confused. Just try to remember that God has a plan for His people and that what happens after death is a part of it.
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At Unfiltered Radio, we’re all about exploring what it means to authentically follow Jesus and wrestle with the hard questions in life. Check out our podcast to listen to daily episodes about personal growth, spiritual growth and talking about hard questions about God.