stoofaniealayna:

Can a Christian please explain to me why “God” would include molestation, rape, etc in “His plan,” specifically in the lives of children? Thanks.

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There’s no short answer. Sorry.

I don’t know if you’re asking for yourself, about somebody else, or just being philosophical. I’m going to say “you” because Tumblr is Tumblr, and you never know who you’re talking to.

I’m a Christian, but I’m a broken and fallible human living in a fallen world. That said, I can’t explain this to you, but using the Bible, I can show you how God explains it.

All child abuse — all of it, no exceptions — starts with a lie of some kind. If God is completely good, he can’t lie, right?

But the devil can.

Here’s what Jesus says about Satan in John 8:44, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

So, are crimes against children part of Satan’s plan? Absolutely.

But child molestation (Thanks for not watering it down by calling it “pedophilia”, BTW) still happens, right? Why does God allow it? Why does God allow any suffering, for that matter?

God can prevent anything He chooses, but why would He? So that we can sin without consequences? So that evil people no longer live on earth — in which case it would be entirely unpopulated? What if He used force to make us do what He wanted us to do — where would we find trust and intimacy with Him in a relationship that plays out as domestic violence?

That may give you some food for thought, but it doesn’t change the fact that kids are the victims here, and they bear the consequences. A lot of people believe that kids bear the consequences of abuse for life.

Here’s what God says in Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

When you’re in pain, when you know someone who’s in pain stemming from child abuse, that sounds like a legal point and pretty cold comfort. What God is saying is this: “The abuse you suffered is not your fault.”

Please understand that: It’s not your fault, because your Creator says it’s not. It’s the fault of the person who did it, and that person is gonna die.

What about that feeling that you’re dirty? What about the feeling that you wanted to choose your first sexual partner instead of having him or her or them choose for you? What about the feeling that you’ll never get your innocence and your purity back?

In Titus 3:4-7, the apostle Paul writes, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

In Hebrews 10:22, Paul writes, “… let us draw near [to God] with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

IOW, when we believe and confess that Jesus can save us — that He is the Savior of the whole world, that He died a horrible death on the Cross because He loved us so much that He wanted to save us — we are washed clean.

We are washed clean by the blood Jesus shed on the Cross, not only for our own sins, but for the feeling that we’ll never be clean because of what someone else has done to us, because of the lies that someone else has told to us and about us.

“… our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience,” Paul says. Doesn’t that mean a conscience that holds onto evil, whether it’s the evil we’ve done or the evil that someone has done to us? Does it mean we have to forgive our abuser(s)?

Yes.

So, you have to give the abuser a big, tear-stained hug and another shot at you?

No. Absolutely not. In Matthew 18:7, Jesus says, “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!”

So, if some “righteous” adult is forcing you or any other child to spend time with your abuser, that adult is just wrong, and you are well within your rights as a citizen and as a child of God to call 1-800-4ACHILD to report all the adults involved.

After all, as Jesus says in Matthew 18:6, “… whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

And when Jesus says “sin,” He includes thinking violent thoughts about your abuser, temptations to self-harm because of the abuse, and an inability to forgive the abuser.

So, we’re back at forgiveness again. There’s a huge passage that I won’t quote, but you can read on your own if you’re so inclined. It’s a story that Jesus tells in Matthew 18:21-35. In it, He says that sins against you are like debts that you cancel. Essentially, you say to the person who has sinned against you, “You don’t owe me for this sin any more.” That’s forgiveness.

But why? Why? Why? Why, when it hurts so bad? I mean, sure, you’ve hurt people, but you’ve never done anything that bad, right?

We’ve all done evil at one time or another. Romans 3:10 says, “None is righteous, no, not one.” Romans 3:23 says, “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23a says, “For the wages of sin is death.”

God doesn’t use a system of misdemeanors vs. felonies, of first, second, and third degree offenses. The wages of sin — all sin — is death, full stop, whether you’re Mother Teresa or Casey Anthony.

Except for one thing: “… but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That’s the second half of Romans 6:23. It means that, even though we’ve all sinned, we all have a chance to live forever just because Jesus died for us. Just as He died and rose again from the dead, every one of us can die to sin and rise to new life in Christ Jesus. All of us — even child molesters, homicidal maniacs, and genocidal dictators.

Which means, God says, we have to forgive them. They’re no better or worse than we are, because we’re all sinners and Christ died for all of us.

If God created the universe and everything in it, didn’t He see this coming?

Sure, He did. The Bible is filled with prophecy, and prophecy makes this all sound suspiciously like a plan. So, which is it? Satan’s plan or God’s plan?

It’s both. Satan plots evil, and God uses what Satan does to bring us closer to Him.

How does that work?

Romans 3:5-8 may raise more questions than it answers. If it does, you can read the whole book of Romans, which has been called “the Christian Constitution”.

For now, here’s Romans 3:5-8, “But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.”

So, what do you do if someone does something so horrible to you?

Remember, in Matthew 18:7, Jesus says, “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!”

What do you do with the temptation to hate them, the temptation to hate yourself?

In I Corinthians 10:13, Paul writes, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

That said, God does not leave you on your own. In Philippians 4:4-7, Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

We can rejoice because the God who saw the abuse happening eons ago is the God who will give us peace and guard our hearts and minds, no matter what.

Like I said before, I’m human and I’m fallible. I’m certainly no philosopher. So, are there holes in my logic? Probably. Have I answered all your questions? Probably not.

In fact, now that I think about it, I have to contradict myself: You asked why God would make child abuse — and, consequently, children’s suffering — part of His plan. There is a short answer:

God allows suffering to show us that His way is the best way we can possibly follow. Everything that’s gone before explains why.

That still may not be enough for you. God explains why not in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Meaning that, even though I’m familiar with some of the Bible, only God understands the way God thinks. The best part is that you can ask Him about it. You don’t need Bible knowledge, you don’t need to “know how to pray”. All you have to do is ask Him to show you the answers.

That doesn’t mean you can’t talk to me or anyone else. It just means that God has better answers than any of us.

(Source: followthedrinkingourd)