When God Is Mean

Dear Victorious,

I have a friend whom I've been witnessing to and she continually brings up incidents in the Bible where she says that God is mean. For example, she'll use the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, or the great flood, or turning Lot's wife into a pillar of salt. Even the death of Jesus on the cross is something she says was God's will and is proof that God is mean. She says she "can't believe in a God who would do such things to innocent people." What can I say to such a claim?

Gloria O. - Spokane, WA

Dear Gloria,

There probably isn't much that you can say. Perhaps the better thing for you to do is get on your knees and ask God how He would like you to respond to your friend. After all, your responsibility ends when you are obediently witnessing to your friend (or anyone else God puts in your life and calls you to witness to). Their response is definitely not your responsibility.

What you need to realize is that when someone says they can't believe in a God who would do this or not do that ... what they're really saying is that they refuse to believe in the God who is. Instead, they choose to believe in a God that they conceive of in their own minds. Another way of saying it is that they refuse to believe in a God who won't meet their expectations. And you may have to let them.

What you can do is continue to pray for your friend. Continue to look for opportunities to love on her. Ask God in prayer to soften her heart, to reveal Himself to her, and to open her eyes to the truth. And then you let God be God.