As illness follows illness, as death follows death, as new virus mutations appear, it can be hard to see any good in all of the bad.
And it may be impossible to even imagine good coming from bad.
A Quick Look
Lesson 1)
God does not cause bad things to happen; however, He allows bad things to happen.
Lesson 2)
We can question and complain to God. We can ask “Why God?”
Lesson 3)
We can express our negative feelings toward God.
Our feelings are real, even though our perceptions may be incorrect.
Lesson 4)
The Biblical interpretations of others may be unhelpful, even incorrect.
Lesson 5)
Lesson 6)
God can make good things come from something bad.
A List of the Sufferings of Job
- The Sabeans rustled Job’s oxen and donkeys after killing the herders.
- The “fire of God fell from heaven” and destroyed Job’s sheep and the shepherds.
- The Chaldeans stole his camels and killed the servants tending them.
- His sons and daughters were all visiting in one place and a strong wind blew the house down and killed them.
- Then Job’s health was destroyed. He became covered with oozing boils from head to toe.
7 Lessons We Can Learn From Job About Good Coming Out of Bad Circumstances, Like in a Pandemic – Part 6
In the Bible book of Job, Job suffers great personal losses of family (his sons and daughters) and servants; wealth (his herds of oxen, donkeys, sheep, and camels); and his health (he gets the open, oozing, sores of boils).
In his time of suffering, in his rants and pleas to his God, how does he keep hope for something good to come from his pain?
15 “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him. Job 13:15 NASB
Can Good Come From Bad?
Can any good come from this time of job loss, business closings, and economic disruption?
Can any good come from the fear, suffering, distress, anguish, and death due to COVID-19?
Can any good come from bad?
First, let us consider …
What Is “Good”?
Dictionary.com defines “good” as:
- morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious: – a good man.
- satisfactory in quality, quantity, or degree: – a good teacher; good health.
- of high quality; excellent.
God is all that.
And more.
The post 7 Lessons From Job – Part 5: In Times of Trials and Suffering Like the COVID-19 Pandemic, Who Are We Compared to God? discussed four “Omni” attributes of God:
- Omniscient – Creator
- Omniscient – All-Knowing
- Omnipotent – All-Powerful
- Omnipresent – Present Everywhere
Another “Omni” attribute of YeHoVaH is Omnibenevolent – All Goodness.
God is Omnibenevolent
The Bible teaches that God’s goodness extends from His nature to everything that He does
68 You are good and do good Psalm 119:68a NASB
At courageouschristianfather.com, Omnibenevolence is described as:
All goodness, unlimited or infinite goodness. It can also mean perfect goodness too. So it’s the all infinite goodness of God!
Omnibenevolent
As God’s love is not merely a character trait, but, rather, a part of the Essence of His Being, so too, God’s goodness is not merely a behavioral trait, but it is also part of the Essence of His Being.
Therefore …
God IS Goodness.
God IS the defining example of what Goodness IS.
God IS Good
The goodness of God is one of His Attributes.
The goodness of God is part of His fundamental nature.
All that God IS is good.
Wayne Grudem, in Systematic Theology, (Kindle Locations 7760, 7776) defines the goodness of God:
What is “good?” “Good” is what God approves. We may ask then, why is what God approves good? We must answer, “Because He approves it.”
That is to say, there is no higher standard of goodness than God’s own character and His approval of whatever is consistent with that character.
That is, by his definition:
The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and all that God is and does is worthy of approval.
In His reply to the rich ruler, Yeshua declared that only YHVH is good.
18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. Luke 18:19 NASB
Likewise, Paul asserted God’s unique goodness when he declared the depravity of humanity:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Romans 3:23 NASB
God Is the SOURCE of All Good
All that God DOES is good.
From the “beginning,” goodness is from God.
31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Genesis 1:31 NASB
Even after Job was covered in boils …
Even after his wife said …
9b“Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”
… Job regarded God as good.
10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Job 2:9-10 NASB
James, the brother of Jesus, asserted
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17 NASB
Paul wrote to Timothy:
4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:4-5 NASB
We Can Only Be Good Because He Is Good
Because God IS good, we can do good.
God’s goodness is the root of all goodness; and our goodness, if we have any, springs out of His goodness.
William Tyndale, The Works of the English Reformers: William Tyndale and John Frith (ed. 1831)
As Christians …
- we are to seek to follow Him in goodness.
- we are to act in goodness.
- we are to do good.
17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. Isaiah 1:17 NASB
16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16 NASB
Why Do Bad Things Happen?
In Is God to Blame For the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Suffering? I discussed the source(s) of suffering.
Nevertheless, so often we join Jeremiah in his lament:
1 Righteous are You, O LORD, that I would plead my case with You; Indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease? Jeremiah 12:1 NASB
While acknowledging God as pure, without sin or darkness, the prophet Habakkuk yet questions God on his silence in the face/ fact of evil in the world.
13 Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they? Habakkuk 1:13 NASB
In Can We Question and Complain to God About the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Suffering? we learn that we, too, can question God.
So, Can Good Come Out of Bad?
Yes.
But it’s “good” according to YeHoVaH, not “good” according to us humans.
Lesson 6)
God can make good things come from something bad.
The biblical narrative relates a number of times God brought good out of bad.
Job
In the story of Job, YHVH did bring good out of bad.
In the end,
10 The LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had twofold.
12 The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning … Job 42:10,12 NASB
Joseph
Another instance that comes to mind of when God brings something good out of bad is the story of Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob (Israel).
19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. 21 “So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:19-21 NASB
Paul
Paul, too, reported, to the Philippians, the good that came out of his circumstances – his imprisonment in Rome.
12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Philippians 1:12-14 NASB
To me, the essential Bible verse is Romans 8:28:
28And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.
However, note there is a caveat.
Observe, God does NOT make all things work together for the good of EVERYONE.
God’s actions to “cause everything to work together for the good” is only promised for “those who love God” and those who “are called according to His purpose for them.”
That is, those persons who have been called, through Yeshua, according to God’s own purpose for them.
9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 2 Timothy 1:9 NASB
As an example of God making good come from bad, through the actions of believers, in Acts 16, Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison.
Were Paul and Silas discouraged?
They may well have been; but that attitude was not shown by their actions.
Instead of being discouraged, they chose to praise God with prayer and hymns through the night of their imprisonment (and witnessing at the same time!).
25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them Acts 16:25 NASB
God did not cause them to be jailed.
The cause of their imprisonment was the greed of the owners’ of the prophesying slave girl.
However, God did cause “all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” by using their circumstances to lead to the salvation of the jailer and his household.
The writer of Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen? at the Institute in Basic Life Principles blog states
The truth is, you can’t know all the reasons why God lets bad things happen. We live in a world that is marred by sin, so difficulties and disappointments are bound to cross our path.
Nevertheless, if you ask God for discernment, you can begin to understand why He allowed something to occur. You can also discover how God can redeem the situation and bring benefits to your life as a result of suffering.
What Is the Christian Response to Suffering and Hardship?
The Christian Response to Suffering and Hardship is …
- Faith (Trust and Obedience)
- Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving
- Imitation of God (Christlikeness)
Faith = Trust + Obedience
In By Faith or by Works? That is the Question, I discussed “faith” as understood in English and in Greek.
By Faith or by Works? That is the Question
In English, faith is primarily understood as mental assent, agreement, especially in a ‘belief system,’ such as religion.
However,
In Greek, Faith is more than just intellectual agreement.
In Greek, Faith includes response, action.
In Greek, Faith includes Trust and Obedience.
Therefore, (as understood by the writers of the New Testament) Faith = Trust + Obedience:
We are to trust in God.
As David Qaoud, in God is Good, Yes. But What Does This Mean? writes
You should trust him. It’s easy to think that God is good when good things happen. … The Bible tells us that God is not the one to blame for evil. And yet, he somehow (for his glory) allows it. We don’t fully understand why. …
But when hard things happen, will you trust his goodness toward you?
Note, the psalmist tells us:
3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. 4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? Psalm 56:3-4 NASB
We are to obey God as the Son obeyed the Father.
8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. 9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, 10 being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:8-10 NASB
Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving
We are to pray, giving praise and thanksgiving to YeHoVaH in all circumstances.
16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NASB
15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15 NASB
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, 12 That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Psalm 30:11-12 NASB
In God is Good, Yes. But What Does This Mean? author David Qaoud says we should praise God. Qaoud declares
You should praise him. God is worthy of all our praise. A thankless Christian doesn’t glorify God. We should praise him in the good and in the bad, knowing that he is working all things out for good.
Imitate God and Jesus by Doing Good
We are to imitate the Father and the Son by doing good.
11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but [imitate] what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. 3 John 1:11 NASB
Wayne Gudem, in Systemic Theology (2020, p391), writes about the Moral Attribute of God that is Goodness.
…we should ourselves do good (that is, we should do what God approves), and thereby imitate the goodness of our heavenly father.
We are to listen to Paul, who says
9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. Galatians 6:9-10 NASB
“Doing Good” Is NOT Works-Based Salvation!
“Doing Good” is not works-based salvation!
As I wrote in What Does the Church Teach About Faith and Works? – Part 3, Lordship Salvation consists of Submissive Faith, Responsive Faith, and Evidential Faith.
- Submissive Faith includes submission to Christ as Lord (and not merely as Savior).
- Responsive Faith is believers who are saved by faith, and who respond with faith-in-action, i.e., good works.
- Evidential Faith is believers who show “fruit” of faith by their actions, i.e., good works.
YeHoVaH created us to join with Him in the works His creation.
YHVH, our Elohim, formed us, as well as, prepared the works He would have us do.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 NASB
Again, from David Qaoud, in God is Good, Yes. But What Does This Mean?:
We are saved by grace, not by works. But that doesn’t mean our good works don’t mean anything. In fact, God has created them before time began that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:10). Like our good God, we should do good and seek to glorify God and serve others
So,
Yes,
God Can Make Good Things Come From Something Bad
Something good can come from difficulties …
… if we keep our eyes on the Lord, and not on the storm.
… if we seek shelter IN YHVH.
9 The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble; 10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. 11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His deeds. Psalm 9:9-11 NASB
Blessings,
TLThomas
It’s ok to doubt, if you check it out!
Be a Berean!
10The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Acts 17:10, 11 ESV
Please join me in this journey of discovery.
- Leave a comment, or ask me a question.
- Share this blog with others, whether they are doubting, or not.
- Take what I say and CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF!
The 7 Lessons From Job will continue next time with the question:
“How Can Christians Respond to Suffering?”
See also:
Is God to Blame For the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Suffering? – Part 1
Can We Question and Complain to God About the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Suffering? – Part 2
Is It Wrong to Be Angry at God About the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Suffering? – Part 3
Biblical Truth During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Part 4
In Times of Trials and Suffering Like the COVID-19 Pandemic, Who Are We Compared to God – Part 5
© 2021 TLThomas