Is God Mad?

Dear Victorious,

Do you think God is mad at the world, or at any country or people group in particular? It seems that there are wars and disasters all over the world. And some point to the some of these events as "punishment from God" for whatever sins seem to be on their mind at the time. Is this really how God works? Should we view these bad things as punishment from God?

Elias T. - Rio Rancho, NM

Dear Elias,

No, I don't think God is mad at us. Because He is holy and righteous, He cannot tolerate sin. But think of that in the same context you might think of a human body not being able to tolerate a foreign substance. Don't think of it as God's choosing to be intolerant. If anything, He chooses more patience with our sin than most of us would!

Bad things happen, even to good people. But to blame them always on God really misstates who God is and misrepresents how God works. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, we fell under a new covenant with the Lord. Under this new covenant, there is forgiveness of sin. There is power to not sin.

If anything, we should view these disasters as opportunities for people to turn to God. More often than not, when the disasters are over, we have incredible testimonies of human kindness, recovery, and human perseverance. When disaster strikes, decent human beings come together to love on one another. People also tend to turn to God in their hour of greatest need.

God isn't mad. Don't mistake who He is.