Why Should We Apologize for Our Faith?

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If God is good, why does He allow bad things to happen? It’s a tough question that I’ve asked before, but the answer I was given sounded like a Christian cliché. It left me wondering, and if I’m being honest, it shook my faith a little bit. But tough questions shouldn’t weaken our faith. God tells us to test everything and hold on to what is good. There are answers. We may just need to grow in our understanding to find them.

It’s why apologetics (the defense of our faith) is so important. It isn’t about arguing or trying to win a debate. It’s about understanding what we believe, why we believe it, and being able to explain it when someone asks. That’s why every now and then, we’ll look at some of those questions. Following Christ means growing, and growth requires learning and studying God’s Word. We shouldn’t simply know what we believe. We should understand why we believe it and recognize when something doesn’t line up with Scripture.


Think about some of the questions you or someone you know may have asked. Could you explain the gospel to someone who asked what they need to do to be saved? (Acts 2:38). Could you recognize a false religion by the gospel it teaches? (Gal 1:8-9). Do you know why Christians don’t follow all of the Old Testament laws and which ones apply to us? (Hebrews 8:13; Acts 10:15). These aren’t questions reserved for pastors or theologians. They’re questions we should study for ourselves. We don’t have to know everything, but we should be growing enough to recognize truth, answer honest questions, and explain the faith we believe.


So why does God allow bad things to happen if He is good? It’s a combination of both human choice and a fallen world. Yes, it’s the old “free will” answer a lot of you have heard before, but free will is part of a much bigger picture. You can’t have genuine love without the ability to choose. God created us to love. God Himself is love. He gave us the ability to make real choices and those choices can cause harm. But not all suffering is caused by someone’s choices. We live in a fallen world because of Adam and Eve’s sin. Death, disease, natural disasters and other forms of suffering are part of the brokenness that entered creation. That gives us a starting point, but Scripture has much more to say about suffering, how God uses it, and how we can respond to it. We should never be afraid to ask tough questions. We should open God’s Word, study it, and keep growing in our understanding.


Think about it.

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If you’d like to discuss the answers to these or other questions you may have, email me at TheRealistBlogspot@gmail.com.


Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 20, 2026 at 7:37 AM

    Great read! I always get stumbled when asked that question of “free will” and such. This makes it easy to understand and explain to someone. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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