Recently we witnessed the terrible destruction in Haiti following a massive earthquake. Soon after, reports surfaced of pastors claiming that it was a judgment of God and a sinful and unrepentant people. Is this true? Does God punish countries that sin?
Stories like this have cropped up in the past. Remember New Orleans and the destruction from hurricane Katrina. Again, the destruction was believed to be connected to the sinfulness of the people. These also surfaced after the earthquakes in San Francisco and Los Angeles. And who could forget the destruction of the tsunami in 2005?
But how true is this? Should we help them if God is punishing them?
We do, after all see examples in the Bible. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah? How about the many times that God allowed His people to go into captivity because of their sin?
My answer would be this: The world groans under the strain of sin. (Romans 8:22) So yes, the destruction is a result of sin and its presence in the world. God is not, however smiting certain areas because of their individual sin.
Instead, this is an opportunity for Christians to show the manifest goodness of God through our willingness to reach out to them. With almost 40% of the population in America being un-churched, we can see it would be so much more in many of these areas.
Let’s leave the judgment to God and let us be the salt of the earth, reaching out and showing God’s love, mercy and grace, whenever and wherever we can.
Recently we witnessed the terrible destruction in Haiti following a massive earthquake. Soon after, reports surfaced of pastors claiming that it was a judgment of God and a sinful and unrepentant people. Is this true? Does God punish countries that sin?
Stories like this have cropped up in the past. Remember New Orleans and the destruction from hurricane Katrina. Again, the destruction was believed to be connected to the sinfulness of the people. These also surfaced after the earthquakes in San Francisco and Los Angeles. And who could forget the destruction of the tsunami in 2005?
But how true is this? Should we help them if God is punishing them?
We do, after all see examples in the Bible. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah? How about the many times that God allowed His people to go into captivity because of their sin?
My answer would be this: The world groans under the strain of sin. (Romans 8:22) So yes, the destruction is a result of sin and its presence in the world. God is not, however smiting certain areas because of their individual sin.
Instead, this is an opportunity for Christians to show the manifest goodness of God through our willingness to reach out to them. With almost 40% of the population in America being un-churched, we can see it would be so much more in many of these areas.
Let’s leave the judgment to God and let us be the salt of the earth, reaching out and showing God’s love, mercy and grace, whenever and wherever we can.