Where is God in heaven?

Since we learned that God is really everywhere (see our recent post "Where is God?"), we can say, “Yes, God is in heaven. 

The Bible teaches that heaven is the place where all the people who have accepted Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as their Lord and Savior will spend eternity. In your new Bible, please read John 3:16, John 1:12, John 14:6 and Romans 10:9! Though heaven is a place, it is a spiritual place, not a physical place. Just like God is spirit and we can’t see, smell, touch, taste or hear him, we also can’t use our senses to see, smell, touch, taste or hear heaven. Although our human minds cannot truly know exactly what heaven will be like, the Bible describes heaven as an unimaginably wonderful place, where we are always in the presence of God! You can read about this in Revelation 21:3-4!

Are Mormons Christians?

Wow! That’s a thought-provoking question! The truth is that I, along with many Christian scholars, do not believe that Mormons are Christians and here’s why:

First, Mormons do not follow or believe that Jesus is God. We believe that Jesus is both man and God (John 1:1, 14) and that He is God’s only son (John 3:16). The Mormons believe that Jesus was created by the father (a separate being) and is a spirit brother to Lucifer (the devil).

Next, we believe there is only one God. He exists as three distinct personalities; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit but He is still ONE God. The Mormons believe there are many gods and that humans, by doing good works, can eventually become a god.

Finally, and most importantly, the Mormons believe you have to earn your salvation through good works or good deeds and by meeting church requirements. We believe that it is by grace that we’ve been saved, through faith. We don’t have to do anything to earn God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:22-24). It is a gift given to us by God.

So, based on those three reasons, we believe that Mormons are not Christians.

Is it true that if you deny God or stop acting like a Christian, you're not one?

Wow, this is a deep question … The Bible is very specific regarding this topic. If you “profess” to be a Christian and claim you are saved, but knowingly fail to live by Jesus’ teachings, God does not take that lightly. Notice I emphasize “knowingly.” If someone isn’t saved and doesn’t know who Jesus is, that person is living life ignorantly. Basically, they don’t truly know what’s biblically right or wrong. In essence, they are denying God. Sadly, they are perishing without even realizing it. But, if you know Jesus and you know His teachings, you cannot claim ignorance. And, if you willfully violate His standards … look out. I’m going to give you a Scripture that literally changed my life and it’s Hebrews 10:26-27, which reads:

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”

When people profess to know Jesus but then willfully act against His teachings, they are considered enemies of God! I didn’t want to be the guy that claimed he was saved and then knowingly did bad things, believing that because I was “saved” I was somehow protected by God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. I think this verse makes it very clear that once you know something is wrong but you continually do it anyways, there is no sacrifice left. The Book of Romans, chapter 6, also addresses this and states very forcefully on two different occasions that being saved doesn’t allow a person to keep sinning (basically turning their back on God and not acting like a Christian). Romans 6:1 and 6:15 are firm in their positions.

Finally, another verse that literally scared me into acting right, not just outwardly but in my heart, is Matthew 7:21-23. In this verse Jesus separates people by true and false disciples when he says:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

I didn’t want to be seen as someone that just acted like he was a Christian … going to church, teaching in TRACK, or leading a small group … but not really loving Jesus with all my heart and submitting to His authority. I didn’t want Jesus to look at me and tell me He never knew me.

Now, having said all that, does that mean if you make a mistake and sin, God’s going to turn His back on you? NO! We are imperfect beings; we make mistakes. Sometimes we even willfully disobey God. But, if you don’t continually and habitually disobey God and you are truly sorrowful and repentant, you will be forgiven. God knows your heart. He knows if you’re truly repentant or just trying to get away with something. And that’s the key.

Are we truly sorry and repentant or are we just sorry we got caught? Do we truly want to change or are we just pretending we want to change because it’s the “Christian” thing to do? Well, God knows for sure where your heart is and what your motives are.

If you sin and you just don't know it's a sin, did you sin?

Wow, that is an awesome question! It is a little difficult to answer because the answer is very complicated and has been open to much debate and discussion. So, let me use an example that might help you to understand this.

Let’s say you go to another country (we’ll make one up). And let’s say in this country, Kidonia, it was illegal to drink soda on Sundays. So, you go to Kidonia and get thirsty and drink a Coke on Sunday, not knowing that it was against the law. All of a sudden the police come in and arrest you and tell you, “You’re under arrest for drinking a Coke on Sunday!” You would argue that you are a foreigner and didn’t know it was illegal to drink a Coke on Sunday. But, the police say to you, “We don’t care; it’s still illegal and you committed a crime!”

So, did you commit a crime in Kidonia? Yup. Did you know you were committing a crime? No. Does it mean that because you didn’t know it was a crime, it’s okay to do? No. It is still against the law.

Let’s now compare that to sin. Just because you didn’t know something was a sin, doesn’t mean it’s not a sin. It is still a sin and, if you do it, you committed that sin. We call those unintentional sins. God says that stealing is a sin. But, if you didn’t know that stealing was sin and you did it, would you still be sinning? Of course!

But, God also looks at the heart. He looks at your motives. And you do have a foundation in Christ so you do know what is right and what is wrong. And because you do have Christ in your life, you are covered in His love for you.

Romans 8:1-2 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

If you believe in Jesus and because you know that He died on the cross for you, you don’t have to be anxious about things like worrying about whether you have sinned or not. Look at what it says in Philippians 4:4-7:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

God will guard your heart and your mind. If you have to question your actions or your thoughts, then pray for God to help you. He loves you and won’t let you unintentionally sin.

Now, if you know something is a sin and you still do it…well, that’s a different story. Habitual and intentional sin have different consequences. But, that’s a whole different topic!

If you know that what you’re about to do is wrong and you think that you will just ask for forgiveness later, will God forgive you?

Wow! Great question! And it’s also a very complicated question with an equally complex answer. The Apostle Paul talks about this very subject in the book of Romans, Chapter 6. The whole chapter is devoted to us being dead to sin but alive in Christ and that we are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness. The subject is so critical that Paul writes, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!” (Romans 6:1) And he later repeats himself when he says, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” (Romans 6:15)

What Paul is saying is that just because God will forgive you doesn’t give you the excuse to commit the sin, especially when you know it’s wrong. It all has to do with your heart. Are you truly sorry? Are you truly repentant? Or do you think because you know God forgives sins, you’ll be okay?

Let’s look at another very important scripture verse that deals specifically with this: it’s Hebrews 10:26-27. It says, “If we keep deliberately sinning after we have received the knowledge of truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”

God does not take this stuff lightly. If you know it’s wrong and you intentionally do it because you think by asking for forgiveness later you’ll be forgiven, God says there is no sacrifice for that. You must truly be sorry and never do it again. Only God knows your heart. But, when He knows you are truly sorry and that you won’t do it again and that you were silly for thinking you could do it and expecting forgiveness … believe it or not, then God will forgive you! He knows you are sincere in your apology.

Why is life so hard?

Let me ask you this: if life were easy, would you really need Jesus? Honestly, if you had everything you needed and wanted and there was no pain or suffering in this world, would you really need Him? I think God purposely make life hard so that you will realize that you can’t do it alone and that you need God to help you. Take a look at his passage from Romans 5:3-5:

“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Yes, sometimes life is easy and things are going well and then…BOOM!...something bad happens and you wonder, “Why is this happening?”

And when those hard times happen and things seem to be going bad, remember these great Biblical passages:

“TRUST in the Lord, your God, with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding but in all ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised those who love Him.” (James 1:12)

“Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

I hope that answers your question!

Why do people do evil things?

Quite simply, it’s because of sin. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and took a bite of that apple, it let sin and evil into this world. But, I need to be clear on this too … God gave us all free will to either choose sin or to choose righteousness. Some people are just truly evil for whatever reasons. They’ve turned their backs on God and decided to live lives that we can’t even understand. We look at truly bad people and say, “Wow, I’m glad I’m not him!” The sad part is we all sin to some degree. Even though we don’t mean to be evil, we sometimes do things that hurt the heart of God. For example, lying to your parents or friends, being angry at someone and hoping something bad will happen to them, cheating on a test, or maybe stealing some candy when no one is looking. The Bible tells us specifically:

“There is no one righteous; not even one.” (Romans 3:10)

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

It seems hopeless, doesn’t it? But, guess what? Here’s the Good News: Jesus Christ came to this earth and died on the cross for our sins. Our belief in that death and resurrection and the gift of grace that Jesus gives us through faith is what saves us from eternal punishment! Now, you have to ask yourself, do I really believe that? I am here to tell you without hesitation or shame that, yes, I believe that.

The reason that belief is so important is because if you don’t believe it or you question your faith, then that’s when fear creeps in. You begin to question things, especially when bad things happen! I have had many kids ask me, “How could God kill all those people in Haiti during that earthquake?” or, “Why does God let little children die?” Because we can’t make sense of it, we begin to falter in our faith, not trusting that God has a reason for it.

And when we doubt God, we allow fear to override our faith. I truly believe that it’s Satan trying to deceive us and to discourage us from trusting God completely. Satan knows that if he can create doubt in your mind, that’s when the fear can creep in. Satan is a master liar. He will do everything he can to make you doubt God’s abilities or love for you; he will even twist God’s word! Remember what he said to Eve in the Garden of Eden? Satan came as a serpent and convinced Eve to take a bite of the apple by saying to her, “Did God really say not to eat from any tree in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) Then that darn serpent said, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good from evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5)

He tricked Eve and sin came into the world. Once sin entered the world, it allowed doubt to also enter our minds. When we doubt God’s abilities or love for us, we get scared. It’s not because we don’t believe in God, it’s because Satan makes us doubt that God is who He says He is and that God couldn’t possibly do all those things.

But, remember this…it’s all about faith. Know in your heart that God is who He says He is. Know that God is good all the time and that He cannot sin. Know that God loves you and that He has plans for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

What if you are in Hell and you pray about your sins? Will God take you to heaven from hell?

Wow, dude, that is an awesome question! Sadly, though, the Bible is quite clear on that and the truth is, no. Once you are in Hell, it is for all eternity.

Jesus actually talks more about Hell than He does about Heaven and the reason is because He does not want any of us to ever go there. Hell was not created by God for you and me. It is a place that was created for Satan and his demons. In Matthew 25:41, Jesus tells those who never came to Him, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

It is a terrible place…the Holy Bible can’t even adequately describe it. We do know that it is a place where even Satan is tormented day and night forever (Revelation 20:10). It is a place of total darkness, where you are completely alone and where you are in constant anguish from the searing flame with a thirst that cannot be quenched and where there will be a constant weeping and gnashing of teeth (Revelation 14:11, Mark 9:4, Jude 7, Matthew 22:13). If that scares you, that’s okay…it scares me too.

There are people, who are non-believers, who will say, “How can a loving God send people to a place like Hell?” The truth is God doesn’t send us to Hell. The non-belief in Him and sin, choosing the devil’s way, put people in Hell. Remember, God is holy and will not allow sin in His kingdom.

But, know this: God does not want anyone to perish! He wants all of us to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) More importantly, God sent His one and only Son to die for us so that we would not go to Hell. But, it’s not enough just to know that Jesus died for us. You must truly believe that He died for us and then confess Him that He is your Savior. Remember our A-B-C’s in the Bridge Illustration? You must Admit your sins, Believe that Jesus is who He says He is and Confess that He is your Savior.

Never forget how much God loves you!!! He loves you so much that while we were still sinners he sent His son to die for us! (Romans 5:8) And the reward is so great, too, because the Bible says that, “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him” (John 3:16-17)

How can God be 3 people at once?

He’s not. God is NOT 3 people at once. What He is, though, is 3 persons in one. Stick with me & let me explain - - - it’s really not that complicated.

The idea that God is 3 persons in one is called the trinity. The word trinity means three together. A trinity is three persons together in one. (A tricycle is three wheels on one cycle; a triangle is a shape with three angles.)

The Bible doesn’t actually use the word trinity. (BTW, the Bible also doesn’t use the word Bible, so don’t let that bug you!) So where does the idea come from? Check this out --- The Bible is the Word of God. God inspired certain men (Moses, Joshua, King David, Paul, John and others) and their words were recorded and became our Bible. One of the big deals about the Word of God is that it does not contradict itself. This means it does not say one thing in one place, and then the opposite in another.

So check out this verse --- James 2:19 NIV. What does it say? It says that there is only one God.

Now check out this one --- 1 Peter 1:2 Msg. God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus. May everything good from God be yours! Who has His eye on everyone? God the Father.

And this verse --- Romans 1:1-4 NIV. Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. What did the Spirit declare? That Jesus is God. Jesus is the second person of the trinity.

And this verse --- Acts 5:3-4 Msg. Peter said, "Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was all yours, and after you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like this? You didn't lie to men but to God." To whom did Ananias lie? To the Holy Spirit who not a man but is God. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity.

Three persons in one God is a little bit (not exactly though) like five fingers on 1 hand! Or 3 wheels on one cycle. Or three angles in one shape. Each is separate but makes up the whole.

Extra evidence! Read Matthew 28:19; Matthew 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 13:14. Do it, OK?

And here’s the deal for those who want to know ---

There is only one God.
There is a person called “the Father” and He is God.
There is a person called “the Son” (also called “Jesus” or “Christ”) and He is God.
There is a person called “the Holy Spirit” and He is God.
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate persons.

So, our one God is three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! This is what the Bible says. And now you know!

Why does God, when things are bad and you ask Him to make them better, make them worse instead?

This is such a great question, and there are some difficult issues here. I’ll do my best to answer you. If you have more questions, or if we need to dig in deeper, then just ask some more, OK?

Here’s what the Bible says –

First, God hears you and answers your prayers! Check out Isaiah 65:24! God says He will answer your prayers before you even get through praying! Not all prayers have the same “yes” answer. God is totally wise, and He knows exactly what is best for you. Its important that you pray according to God’s will, and you can find that in the Bible. Sometimes He says, “Not yet.” Whether your answer is yes, no , or not yet, He hears you.

Also check out Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Job 22:27; and Psalms 28:6 and 91:15.

You’re saying that God makes things worse when you ask Him to make things better. We already know that He hears you. So now the question is: why is He making it worse? And that’s a tough question.

We have to accept – even if we can’t understand – that God is not intentionally harming us. He is not making it worse for you because you asked Him to make it better!

Let me chat about God’s love for us for a second. He loves us with an unconditional love – that means that no matter what you’ve done or not done – He loves you. The Bible speaks of God’s love for us in many places, so we know it is real. (check out Psalm 136!)

Also check out John 14:21; Romans 5:5; 1 John 4:10, 16.

Not only does He love us, but He promises to love us forever!


So why are things still worse, right?

It is absolutely not because of anything that you are doing right or wrong, OK? The reality is that bad things happen to good people. The reality is that we will get hurt, we will suffer, we will have pain and heartache. Its not because we’re bad, or not praying enough, or sinning too much, or anything at all like that. And God is not getting even with us, or doing mean and hurtful things to us. He is not “making things worse.”

What the Bible clearly does not promise is that just because you love God, obey His commands, and follow Him, that you are always going to be happy and have a pain-free life. If we read the whole Bible – not just the warm, fuzzy parts – then we see that lots of people who love God still experience pain (like Job, and how about all of the disciples?!)

What we do know is that in times of trouble, God can be your strength.

If you think you are being short-changed, take it up with God. Go ahead and let Him know you are angry. Its OK to feel like life’s not fair. Its OK to go to God with all of your feelings about it. He can handle it.

But then let Him calm your heart! He’ll always listen, and He is with you. Psalm 9:9 is a good reminder!

I hope my answer helps you understand God a little bit better. Know and trust that He loves you even when times are really difficult and painful.

Why does God let the devil's angel try to trick us?

Um, tough question ... and the Bible doesn’t clearly say. You might be wondering why the Bible doesn’t go into detail on such good questions. But remember, the Bible is a book about God’s relationship with us, not a fun facts book on Satan!

We can take some pretty educated guesses why God allows the devil to tempt and even hurt us, though.

There is a wonderful passage in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome that may help us to understand why God allows some trickery, pain, and suffering to exist in our lives. Grab your Bible and check out Romans 5:1-5. It’s pretty cool!

If you’ve never heard of God, why do you go to Hell?

This is a good question with which many people have wrestled. Here are just a few remarks on what God’s Word tells us about God’s judgment on people, and those who go to heaven and those who don’t.

We do not know how God will judge those who have never heard of Him or His Son Jesus Christ. That’s the short answer to your question. We do not know for certain that they will go to hell. We simply do not know the mind of God with regard to those who do not know Him. But read on about what we do know …

God is a just God, a God of justice. We do know that He will judge each person uniquely and fairly and the only reason people are going to hell is because they have told God that they can live without Him. On Judgment Day God will allow people to continue to live with the decision they have made. Not everyone who hears the truth about God will be saved, only those who believe in Jesus and obey. Read Luke 8:1-15. Also read John 3:18, John 8:24, 1 John 5:11-13, Deuteronomy 32:4.

The only reason anyone will be in heaven is because Jesus bled and died on the cross to pay the penalty for human sin. Nobody will be in heaven because they lived a good life or because they were sincere. Rather they will receive eternal life as a result of God’s good gift to them in Christ. Read John 14:6, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, John 1:12, Acts 4:12, Romans 3:22-24, Romans 5:6-8.

Those who have heard about Christ will be held accountable for how they responded to Him. To reject Christ is to reject God’s offer of forgiveness and eternal life. To choose not to decide about Jesus is to reject Him. Love demands a choice. A loving God invites us to come to Him. Romans 10:9-10.

Have confidence in Christ. Keep asking great questions. But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander 1 Peter 3:14-16.

How do we repent? And where?

You asked, “How do we repent?” and “Where?” In order to understand how we repent, we need to know what it means to repent. In the easiest terms, to repent means to change the direction you are going in regards to sin (doing bad things). It means making a complete 180-degree turn and walking the other way. It is an action verb, which means you have to do it. It is not something that is done to you. So, to repent from your sins means to turn away from them completely and to walk the other way.

But, here’s the best part! When you repent your sins and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, do you know what gift you receive? Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, said it in Acts 2:38 when he said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Do you know what that means??? It means that when you repent and turn away from sin, you don’t do it alone. The power of the Holy Spirit has been given to you through Jesus Christ! And remember what it says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

As far as your question regarding “where” you repent…you repent in your heart through prayer. You can do that anywhere. You can do it in the privacy of your bedroom, or in church, or with your family or with a group of your friends. It doesn’t matter as long as you’re sincere. God knows your heart and He loves you so much! He loves you so much that He gave His one and only Son to die for you so that you can have eternal life! Is that awesome or what??? And this is what is so wonderful about God…He didn’t wait for you, or me, to become good or perfect before He sent His Son down here. Romans 5:8 says that, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

You don’t have to be perfect for God to love you. You don’t even have to be good. God loves you no matter what! But, guess what? Good people don’t go to Heaven. Forgiven and saved people do. And in order to receive God’s forgiveness, you must repent your sins. Just stop doing them and purposefully walk away from them. It’s hard…I know! But, “I can do everything through Him that gives me strength.”

When people do bad things, is there anything (sin) unforgivable for God?

The answer for is – absolutely not! And that is great news.

I want you to do something. Go grab your Bible and read Luke 12:1-12. Read that right now, and then come back and finish reading this e-mail.


In verse 10 it said, “…anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” That doesn’t sound exactly like my answer to your question, does it? Well, here’s the deal - In Luke chapter 12, Jesus asks that his disciples keep focused on God, and not be distracted, so they can walk confidently with him. So what’s the deal with blasphemy? Start by looking up the word blasphemy in the dictionary.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is more than just cursing God, even though that is what the dictionary says. It refers to a total rejection of God. This is not so much a sin of the moment as it is of one’s entire life, a rejection of God’s message and testimony. That’s a good way to understand it. Thoughts may pop into our head without our control or desire, we may say things (in anger or confusion) that are against God, and we may even intentionally do things against God that can be called blasphemy BUT BUT BUT that is way different than rejecting the Holy Spirit with your ENTIRE LIFE!!! If you have never given your heart to Jesus, and you reject him for your whole life, and then you die, then you have not received God’s forgiveness.

Did I explain the difference well enough between God forgiving any sin you ask him to forgive, and God not being able to forgive your sins because you refuse to ask him? He WANTS to forgive any and all sins, but he doesn’t if you don’t ask him.

Here’s a passage from Romans 5:18-19 from the Message (which reads a little bit different than our NIV Bibles). It captures the meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice for us really well. Check this out …

18-19Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.

You see that? Even though Adam got humanity in trouble, Jesus died for us, and got us out of the mess we were in. That can’t be undone. You follow Jesus and if you have questions about your own sins, boldly ask Jesus for forgiveness, and he will forgive you.

Why do people die if God is good?

I will do my best to answer this question for you. Honestly, this is a very tough question AND the answer is also tough! You may want to ask me some more questions later, and you can, OK?

Death is one of those things that is really bad, isn’t it? At least it seems that way to us, doesn’t it? Even though we know that death takes us to be with God forever, to a place where we can know God better and better, it still scares us. It scares us because its unknown. Death is one big unknown.

From God’s perspective, though, it’s a little different. It’s actually a time when we go to be with God forever! God welcomes us! It’s still tough, though, isn’t it? This is especially true when the death of someone is a surprise to us – like when a child dies of cancer, or a parent or someone from school dies in an accident.

Even the fact that EVERYONE dies doesn’t make it any easier, does it? It is actually a part of God’s design that we all die sometime. So why does God chose one person on one day, and somebody else many years later, and it always seems to hurt those who are left behind? You and I will not get to know the answer to that question. Sorry, but only God knows!

I can think of a dad and mom who’s child died, and they can’t understand why it happened? How could God have taken their child to heaven so soon? It hurt them very much, but they learned to trust that God still loved them, that God still cared for them, and that God had not abandoned them … but it HURT! Sadness and pain like that happen everyday to people. Right now all of God’s creation is hurting. That’s the bad news – death and pain and suffering will continue. We can trust God, though. And the good news is that things are going to get better! God has a plan. Check out Romans 8:28, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”

The good news is that we can trust God. Even though we can not know why God chooses who He chooses, or even when or why He chooses, we can know that we are loved by Him!

I hope this answer helps you understand this very difficult question a little better.