God does not start modern wars. We cannot blame God for what mankind freely chooses to do. In fact, war would neither exist, nor would it ever have existed if all of mankind was obedient to the will of God. There is one thing that every war has in common. At least one of the parties involved has not followed the will of God. War does not exist because of God. War exists in spite of God. God is love. If mankind does not practice love, that is not God’s fault.
If God is love, why do innocent children die?
If God is love, why do innocent children die? As we attempt to answer this question, we must first answer another question. Why does anyone die? The answer to that question is painfully simple. People die because of sin. God answered that question in Genesis 3:17-19.
“Then to Adam He said, Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, you shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
It was humanity who, through sin, brought death into the world and it is humanity who continues in sin by defying the Creator. But, so great is the love of God that in spite of our sinful nature, “He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). So great is the love of God that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Death is a result of mankind’s sin, but the offer of eternal life is a result of God’s love.
As we look at the specific question, “If God is love why do innocent children die?” we must recall the passage in Isaiah 55:8-9. God simply does not think like we think, nor are we able to completely understand his divine ways. We must, however, understand that God does not view physical death in the same way that we often do. In spite of our belief in eternal life, we wrestle with our view of death. Perhaps we yet perceive finality in death that we should strive to overcome. As we mature in faith, we should try to develop an eternal view.
In the game of baseball, a base runner has one desire. His desire is to get home. He knows that there are obstacles in his path. He knows that things can go wrong, but his focus is on getting home. His teammates share his desire. They want to see him get home and they wish to get home as well. Life is a lot more serious than baseball. Yet, if we could think in terms of getting home and seeing others get safely home, perhaps our view of physical death would alter in the light of eternal life. When an innocent child dies, he unquestionably goes home to spend eternity in the glorious presence of God. (This would include the children of Amalek who died at God’s direction.) Mankind brought death into the world, but the innocent child goes to glory because of God’s love. Does this mean we should not mourn the loss of a child? Of course not. It means that even in pain and while shedding tears, we can see God’s love at work. God’s love does not stop there. Parents who have lost innocent children to physical death can be reunited with their child forever in the presence of God, if they are obedient to God’s will. They may lose some years with their child here in this world, but can gain a greater relationship with them, which will last forever in the presence of God.
If God is love, why are there so many heartaches in life?
All the heartaches that exist in the world are a result of sin. Your heart may ache because of sin, which you have committed. Your heart may ache because the sin of someone else has effected your life. In either case, the blame for heartache rests squarely on the shoulders of humanity.
