Apologetic: Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Topic:

This question can be asked in a couple ways, as it is stated in the title is the most common way. This phrasing usually focuses on the the goodness of people and that those people deserve things in life to be better. Another way to to look at this question could be, “Why does God allow good things to happen to bad people?” This question looks at the badness of people and that those people don’t deserve good things. In light of both questions there is a reality that bad things happen to good and bad people and also that good things happen to bad and good people. What is God’s role in all of this?

Facts and Biblical Foundation:

-Every good thing is a gift not a right. James 1:17-18

-All people are broken and "bad" at their core. If people were truly good, we wouldn’t need a savior. Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:10-20; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8

-Trust God’s ways. He knows what we need better than we do. He is faithful and good. Prov. 3:5-6.

-Jesus was the good person and yet he gave himself up as a sacrifice for us. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21.

-Suffering may serve a purpose

-We can’t know what God is doing in everything Job 38-39

Note: Not all of these things are constructive to say to someone in counseling after finding out a bad situation they are in. These truths are still in play, but may hurt in a counseling setting. They are very applicable discussing the issue philosophically.

Where to Start:

Is a God who only has good thing happen really a God worth following? If this were the reality, God would be no more than a grandfather who spoiled his kids. There would be little need for a personal relationship, just the stuff. The real God is revealed to be more holy and loving in light of the evil in the world. He gives us hope, love, and redemption in dark places. Start with grieving the bad thing the student is experiencing, affirm the badness of it, and guide them to see that God is bigger than the bad things going on and extremely loving to all people even to the point of sending his son who was blameless to take on the sin of the world. Through Jesus, God understands that bad things happen to the good person, yet Christ considered it worth enduring the cross to demonstrate God’s love to people that don’t deserve it (all of us).

Where to Learn more:

http://carm.org/why-do-bad-things-happen-good-people

http://www.gotquestions.org/bad-things-good-people.html

http://412teens.org/qna/why-do-bad-things-happen-to-good-people.php - a question and answer format for students

http://www.everystudent.com/journeys/why.html - a resource designed for students

http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics/evil.htm

Apologetic: Did the Resurrection Really Happen?

Topic:

The resurrection of Jesus is the basis of our salvation. In dying and rising from the dead Jesus conquered death and defeated sin. Paul writes that if Christ didn’t rise from the dead or faith is worthless and we are to be pitied (1 Cor 15:14-19). Is there really reason to believe Jesus rose from the dead as the Bible said he did?

Facts of the Resurrection: (Adapted from an article by Sean McDowell)

Miracles happen. Even today countless people have stories of being healed without any medical explanation, getting checks or money to cover expenses that a person had no money to pay for, and countless little miracles that we often miss.

Jesus Died. All four gospels agree about this. Jesus was crucified by Romans. The Romans were professional killers and would not make a mistake. Crucifixions have not been practiced for hundreds of years because of the brutality of them. If Jesus were sentenced to be crucified it would happen. In John 19 water and blood come out of Jesus’ side. Biologically this can only happen when someone is dead. Jesus’ death by crucifixion is recorded by ancient historians (Josephus and Tacitus)

The Tomb was Empty. It was a new tomb. When the women and the disciples went to see Jesus’ grave it was empty. Women would be the least credible people in Jesus day to report about anything let alone Jesus coming back to life. The government trying to cover up what happened by saying the apostles moved the body suggests they were scrambling and needed to come up with another plausible story.

Jesus Appeared to People After His Death. The gospels tell us that Jesus appeared to the women in the garden, the apostles, and even 500 people at once. When the gospels were written, many of these people were still alive and would have been able to speak up if something was being misconstrued.

Biblical foundation:

Read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection in Matthew 27:33-28:20, Mark 15:22-16:20, Luke 23:33-24:53, Acts 1:1-11 (The end of Luke’s account), John 19:16-21:25.

Where to start: 

There is significant evidence for the reliability of the Bible including the Gospels. Many people try to discredit the Gospels because it means they don’t have to deal with what Jesus said and did. We can be confident in Christ and God’s work in us because of the resurrection.

Where to learn more:

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel is one of the strongest apologetics for Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Evidence for the Reliability of the Gospels

Evidence for the Resurrection

Apologetic: Is The Bible Reliable?

Topic:

Faith plays a major role in Christianity. Many people criticize this fact, but our faith is not blind. We have knowledge about God from general revelation (nature) and special revelation (those things about God revealed by the supernatural, especially Scripture). We can trust this and have our own experiences with God through our relationship with him. The Bible is foundational in what we know about God. It is often described as his love letter to us that reveals who he is and what he has done. People try to discredit the Bible as a way to disprove God or poke holes in our faith. The Bible is historical and reliable.

Facts:

1. The Bible has 66 books written by 40 authors over 1600 years. 

2. All the books agree with each other and fit in to the same grand story of God. 

3. The Bible was written in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.

4. There are over 4000 manuscripts or copies of books of the Bible. Other ancient texts such as Plato and Aristotle are based on a handful of manuscripts from more than a thousand years later.

5. The copies can be traced back to within 35-100 years of when the original would have been written. 

6. There are multiple copies of each book. The “errors” from one manuscript to another can be credited to copying mistakes and do not significantly alter the meaning of what is written.

7. Our modern translations are based on the best and oldest manuscripts of each book and are translated by committees to remain faithful to the original message. 

8. Archeology has continually affirmed the historical accuracy of the Bible. Some places archeologists have discovered were only known about from the Bible.

Biblical foundation:

The Bible is the inspired word of God spoken through people (2 Tim 3:16). The Holy Spirit worked in them (2 Peter 1:21). The Bible can be trusted for salvation through faith in Christ, right beliefs, and growing in God. The Bible is inerrant (without errors) and authoritative.

Where to start:

There is a lot of research and a lot written about the reliability of the Bible and the Gospels. Start with what someone is challenging about the Bible and look into it. You can find solid answers to these concerns and learn a lot more in the process.

Where to learn more:

Most of these cover several topics about the reliability of Scripture. Find one that fits you or your students to learn more:

Why You Can Believe the Bible By Every Student, a Christian organization focusing on answers to questions from teens

What To Say When Someone Says The Bible Has Errors By the Resurgence, the theology branch ministry of Mars Hill Church. A thorough and focused answer.

Is the Bible Reliable? - Seven Questions By Bible.org

Can We Trust The Bible? The Top 3 Reasons the Bible is Reliable (Video) Is the New Testament Reliable? Academic and apologetic articles from Stand to Reason a Christian philosophical organization.

Is the Bible Reliable? By Focus on the Family, a leading Christian based family organization