Christine’s coronary heart was stuffed with gratitude to God the day her daughter Debbie married Pete. From the time Debbie was born, Christine had prayed each day that Debbie would marry a godly husband who would even be a sort and loving father to her grandchildren. So when Debbie met Pete and married him, Christine rejoiced in God’s faithfulness. He was true to His guarantees.
After about six months, she noticed that Debbie was altering; she wasn’t like her little lady anymore. Christine grew involved. About 5 years later, Debbie lastly poured her coronary heart out to Christine about what was happening inside the house: Pete was an ogre, not the godly man she thought he was. Christine was distraught and confused. How might God let her daughter undergo this? How might He reply her prayers on this method? How on earth can God be good?
In search of to Belief God
In her upset and grief upon discovering that her daughter Debbie’s husband was abusive, Christine prayed and mirrored on who God is. It was God’s holiness that was particularly putting. God’s character is separate from that of people as He’s utterly pure. Christine understood that how Pete handled Debbie was the other of who God is.
What About Evil?
Christine sensed a change in her coronary heart since she had begun to higher perceive the holiness of God by meditating on related Scriptures. But the questions she had about evil continued to hassle her. Why do individuals deal with one another in such horrible methods? Is evil extra highly effective than God? She puzzled at occasions how this could possibly be as she witnessed the devastating results of Pete’s abuse of her daughter, Debbie. What would occur to all of the evil—will the culprits get away with it?
Impact of the Fall
The evil intentions and struggling concerned in abuse are a results of dwelling in a fallen world. After Adam and Eve rebelled towards God’s instructions in Genesis 3, sin and struggling entered creation. Folks skilled struggling, dying, relational issues, sin, worry, and disgrace. We stay in a world that’s fallen, cursed, stuffed with struggling, and the place individuals commit evil towards others.
Evil Conquered
However evil doesn’t reign and doesn’t have the ultimate say. By His dying on the cross, Jesus defeated Devil and evil. It was on the cross that Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities, placing them to open disgrace and triumphing over them. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to disgrace by triumphing over them in Him (Col. 2:15).
Jesus has fulfilled Psalm 110:1 by sitting on the proper hand of the Father in heaven, having defeated God’s enemies.
The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my proper hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.”
That energy is identical because the mighty energy He labored in Christ when He raised Him from the useless and seated Him at His proper hand within the heavenly locations, far above all rule and authority and energy and dominion and above each title that’s named, not solely on this age but in addition within the one to return (Eph. 1:19-21).
We learn elsewhere that He destroyed the satan and that the Son of God appeared to destroy Devil’s works:
Since subsequently the youngsters share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the identical issues, that by means of dying he may destroy the one who has the facility of dying, that’s, the satan (Heb. 2:14).
Whoever makes a follow of sinning is of the satan, for the satan has been sinning from the start. The explanation the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the satan (1 John 3:8).
Devil and Loss of life Conquered
Even on the worst second in historical past, when Adam and Eve selected to insurgent towards God, He graciously promised that evil can be conquered. He introduced that the seed of the lady would bruise the serpent’s head—that the seed of the lady would bruise the satan.
I’ll put enmity between you and the lady, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and also you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15).
The Son of God later turned human. He destroyed the satan who had the facility of dying and delivered those that, by means of worry of dying, have been topic to lifelong slavery.
…that by means of dying he may destroy the one who has the facility of dying, that’s, the satan, and ship all those that by means of worry of dying have been topic to lifelong slavery (Heb. 2:14b-15).
Folks like Christine know that evil is actual. The struggling and ache concerned break their hearts. It’s doable that, at occasions, they might have puzzled if evil is extra highly effective than God. Fortunately, evil has been defeated by Jesus on the cross, as have the satan and his works. The Lord has paid for the evil of abuse. It won’t have the ultimate say. Jesus’ work on the cross is extra intensive than His wonderful conquering of sin: He additionally defeated evil, Devil and his works, and dying. We are able to belief God that He’s simply, and that evil will probably be punished.
Questions for Reflection
- Learn the verses about Jesus’ victory over evil. The place is Jesus now?
- In your struggling, it’s simple to be overwhelmed by the evil round you. What did you study right here about who can have the ultimate say?
- How does this offer you hope and perspective as you persist in trusting the Lord within the midst of struggling?
Editor’s Word: At this time’s weblog is an excerpt from Overcoming Emotional Abuse: 40 Days within the Phrase of God by Anne Dryburgh.
