Confused on sensitive subject...

I readily admit that this question may seem strange or ignorant, but the same may be said of me.

I heard today about a man whose family was recently murdered (God bless his wounded soul!) and was himself beaten and made to know of it.

I felt deep grief for him and prayed, "O God, help him, lead him to You and give him grace. Lord, help him, please, use this for Your kingdom."

And then I thought, if the man dies without repenting, God will send him to a worse experience than the death of his wife and kids. This is righteous and just of God; the man is a sinner.

But why should God...

Never mind, I believe I understand now. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He takes no pleasure in the actions of the wicked, though His wisdom makes use of them. The man may yet be a sinner, but he is not dead so the hour of grace is still open for him. God has commanded all men to repent and believe. If he repents, he will be saved.

God, be with the poor man whose life is ruined. Jesus, may this be the end of his worldly life and the gate into eternal life. Send him a preacher, open his eyes by your Spirit, for no reason than that You are good, especially to the broken hearted.

God, be with the poor man whose life is ruined

may this be the end of his worldly life and the gate into eternal life.

Michael, I understand what you are saying. Everyday we hear about horrific tragedies and I can't help ut pray 'Why?' Why do some people experience such horrific pain and suffering and then are punished to an eternal damnation after they die?

I heard a sermon today by Rolfe Barnard called Christ came to seek and Save in which he said, "Some things I can believe but cannot understand." To me, this falls in that category.

I amen your prayer:

God, be with the poor man whose life is ruined. Jesus, may this be the end of his worldly life and the gate into eternal life. Send him a preacher, open his eyes by your Spirit, for no reason than that You are good, especially to the broken hearted.

Everyday we hear about horrific tragedies and I can't help ut pray 'Why?' Why do some people experience such horrific pain and suffering and then are punished to an eternal damnation after they die?

I believe that if we were to catch even the most miniscule glimpse into the heinousness of sin [i]through the eyes of God,[/i] we would never again ask or pray "why". The worst dealings this life and hell could possibly offer would seem absolutely just.

Edward Payson wrote a sermon of trancendental proportion on this very subject: [url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=16527]Sin Estimated by the Light of Heaven[/url]

Brother Paul

The worst dealings this life and hell could possibly offer would seem absolutely just.

I believe that if we were to catch even the most miniscule glimpse into the heinousness of sin through the eyes of God, we would never again ask or pray "why". The worst dealings this life and hell could possibly offer would seem absolutely just.

You are right brother. No one will be in hell that does not deserve it.

I agree with all that was said, but the awkward question that was answered for me was more like this:

I am very sad for this situation, not only for God's sake but for the man as well. But why am I sad that he just went through such pain? Is he not deserving of hell? In one sense, why am I not glad that some bit of what he deserves has been given back to him? How come I don't feel good that he has just suffered, when ,after all, his sin put Christ on the cross?

The answer is, his sin DID NOT put Christ on the cross. Christ went willingly to save sinners. All sin is a horrific offense to God, yet He is willing to have compassion upon those who repent and believe. And for as long as this man lives, God is showing him abundant mercy.

The answer is, his sin DID NOT put Christ on the cross. Christ went willingly to save sinners. All sin is a horrific offense to God, yet He is willing to have compassion upon those who repent and believe.

Amen. I believe that when we grieve for a brokenhearted sinner who has no idea of the truth, God is grieving through us.

I can sympathize. My dad is unsaved and he has had a lot of pain in his limbs and has spent his life working and supporting me, my mom left us and got a boyfriend, and he drinks, and it makes me sad. It is because you know it doesn't have to be that way and that God Himself doesn't want it to be that way. We are to love them even though they are destroyed by sin- and that hurts.

Jesus said "Go and sin no more, lest a worse thing come to you." It is pretty applicable to the discussion here.

I'll be praying for your family, Ms. Hope.