Japan and God's Purposes

Anyone following the news recently will be inundated by Japan's recent 9.0 earthquake, the war against Libya, and the recent uprising in Egypt. The question that inevitably comes up is why would a Holy, sovereign God allow such things? In what possible way could God ultimately glorify Himself amidst all of these tragedies? Does God delight in watching humans suffer?


Let's Be Honest...
We all have thoughts about why would such things happen; however,  there are always a few things to remember. The first is that because of sin the whole earth is under condemnation and the Bible says that creation " groans together in the pains of child birth." Because of the sin of man, the earth has been subjected to futility. The question that we should be asking is not why did this happen to them, but rather, why has it not happened to us? Although the question of evil in the world often seems to be an unassailable obstacle for the Christian, the reason that evil exists is because ultimately God will be glorified by it. In ordaining that evil exists, God ultimately has a purpose and a plan behind it. We view with horrific awe the description of the crucifixion that the Gospels contain; however, the Bible tells us that God from the foundation of the world already had planned for the crucifixion of Jesus (Revelation 13:8, Acts 2:23). This shows us that even though we as Christians may not understand all of God's purposes for the existence of evil, ultimately it will lead to the glory of God and our greater good. Even when tragedy strikes, God has a greater purpose in it all.  

Jesus the Exact Imprint of the Father

But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things , through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of  the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High. Hebrews 1:2-4


Perhaps one of the most controversial aspects of Jesus during His time on earth was the aspect of His being of the same substance of God. The Pharisees could not quite grasp the dual nature of the Man Christ Jesus. Perhaps fueled both by their jealousy and their religious zeal, the claim of Jesus to be equal with the Father is one of the primary factors of their seeking His death. 


Jesus was not just equal to the Father, 


but was of the same substance as the Father. The author of Hebrews says that Jesus was the exact imprint of the Father and representation of His nature. This understanding of Jesus is imperative to His ability to intercede for us. He needed both to be God and Man fully. When the disciples asked Jesus in John 14 to show them the Father, Jesus replied by saying, " Whoever has seen me has seen the Father."  


Without the proper understanding of the duality of Jesus' Nature, we cannot truly understand Jesus ability to both atone for our sin and sit at the right hand of the Father to serve as our intercessor. Jesus' divine nature is required to serve as a proper intercessor, creator, and Lord; however, Jesus' humanity was necessary in order for Him to serve as a proper High Priest and substitute.