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Why Wickedness Continues “JEHOVAH [GOD] is righteous in all his ways,” says the Bible. (Psalm 145:17; Revelation 15:3) Concerning him, the prophet Moses declared: “Perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4) “Jehovah is very tender in affection and merciful,” says James 5:11. God cannot and does not cause wickedness. The disciple James wrote: “When under trial, let no one say: ‘I am being tried by God.’ For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.” (James 1:13) Jehovah God neither tempts people with wickedness nor entices them to commit vile deeds. Who, then, is to blame for wickedness and the suffering it causes? Where Does the Blame Lie? The Bible writer James puts part of the blame for wickedness on humans. He states: “Each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn, sin, when it has been accomplished, brings forth death.” (James 1:14, 15) Individuals may act according to their improper desires. Consider, too, man’s inherited sin. The power of sin can amplify wrong cravings and bring about very bad consequences. (Romans 7:21-23) Indeed, inherited sin has “ruled as king” over mankind, enslaving humans with wicked works that cause great suffering. (Romans 5:21) Moreover, wicked men can influence others to become corrupt. The primary cause of wickedness, though, is Satan the Devil. He brought wickedness into the world. Jesus Christ called Satan “the wicked one” and “the ruler of the world,” or unrighteous human society. Mankind in general obeys Satan by heeding his urgings to ignore the good ways of Jehovah God. (Matthew 6:13; John 14:30; 1 John 2:15-17) “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one,” says 1 John 5:19. In fact, Satan and his angels are “misleading the entire inhabited earth,” causing nothing but “woe.” (Revelation 12:9, 12) Thus, the major part of the blame for wickedness has to be placed squarely on Satan the Devil. Revealing another cause of affliction or suffering, Ecclesiastes 9:11 states: “Time and unforeseen occurrence befall [us] all.” Jesus Christ spoke of a certain calamity involving 18 people who were killed when a tower fell on them. (Luke 13:4) They suffered because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Similar things happen today. For example, a brick may break loose from the top of a high building and strike a pedestrian. Is God to blame? It was an unplanned and unforeseen occurrence. The same may often be said when sickness invades a household or sudden death leaves behind orphans and widows. Clearly, then, God is not responsible for wickedness; nor does he cause suffering. On the contrary, it is Jehovah’s purpose to eliminate wickedness and those who cause it. (Proverbs 2:22) In fact, he will do more than that. The Scriptures declare that God’s purpose through Christ is “to break up the works of the Devil.” (1 John 3:8) The present system of things A Vital Issue Is Raised The reason why God has permitted wickedness to exist until our day is related to events that happened early in human history. An incident that took place back then raised an important issue concerning the Creator himself Jehovah God created the first man and woman perfect and placed them in Paradise. They were endowed with a gift that distinguished them from animals To give Adam and Eve an opportunity to demonstrate their love for him, the true God placed one restriction upon them. He commanded Adam: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.” (Genesis 2:16, 17) To remain in God’s favor, to their own benefit and that of their future family, Adam and Eve would have to refrain from eating the fruit of that one particular tree. Would they? The Bible tells us what happened. Using a serpent as his mouthpiece, Satan the Devil approached Eve and said: “Is it really so that God said you must not eat from every tree of the garden?” When Eve repeated God’s command, Satan said to her: “You positively will not die. For God knows that in the very day of your eating from it your eyes are bound to be opened and you are bound to be like God, knowing good and bad.” Consequently, the tree seemed so desirable to Eve that “she began taking of its fruit and eating it.” The account continues: “Afterward she gave some also to her husband when with her and he began eating it.” (Genesis 3:1-6) Both Adam and Eve thus misused their free will and sinned by disobeying God. Do you see the seriousness of what transpired? The Devil contradicted what God had said to Adam. Satan’s words implied that Adam and Eve would not need Jehovah in order to decide what was good and what was bad for them. Satan’s challenge therefore brought into question the right and validity of Jehovah’s rulership over man. The all-important issue that Satan raised, then, was that of the rightfulness of Jehovah’s sovereignty. How did the true God answer the challenge? The Need for Sufficient Time Jehovah had the power to destroy the three rebels The fact that it requires time to settle some issues can be illustrated this way: Suppose the father of one family challenges the father of another to a contest that will prove which man is stronger. That issue could be decided quickly. Strength could be measured by lifting rocks. The father who lifted the heaviest rock would be the stronger man. But suppose the challenge involved which father truly loves his sons and daughters and whether they love him in return. Or what if the challenge raises the question of which father manages his family in the best way? Neither a display of strength nor mere words would be adequate. Sufficient time would have to pass, careful observation would be required, and right conclusions would have to be drawn in order for the issue to be settled. What the Passing of Time Has Shown Some 6,000 years have passed since Satan questioned God’s right to rule. What has history revealed? Consider two aspects of Satan’s allegation against God. Satan boldly told Eve: “You positively will not die.” (Genesis 3:4) By saying that Adam and Eve would not die if they partook of the forbidden fruit, Satan was in effect calling Jehovah a liar. A serious charge indeed! If God were not truthful in this matter, how could he be trusted in anything else? However, what has the elapsed time shown? Adam and Eve became subject to sickness, pain, aging and, finally, death. “All the days of Adam that he lived amounted to nine hundred and thirty years and he died,” states the Bible. (Genesis 3:19; 5:5) And from Adam, this sad legacy has been transmitted to all mankind. (Romans 5:12) The passing of time has proved Satan to be “a liar and the father of the lie” and has shown that Jehovah is “the God of truth.” Satan also told Eve: “God knows that in the very day of your eating from [the forbidden tree] your eyes are bound to be opened and you [both Eve and Adam] are bound to be like God, knowing good and bad.” (Genesis 3:5) With those cunning words, Satan presented humans with a sham opportunity to be self-governed. Deceptively, Satan implied that humans would be better off independent of God. Has this proved true? Throughout the course of history, empires have come and gone. Every conceivable form of human government has been tried. Time and again, however, dreadful things have happened to the human family. “Man has dominated man to his injury,” a Bible writer wisely concluded some 3,000 years ago. (Ecclesiastes 8:9) “It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step,” wrote the prophet Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 10:23) Even scientific and technological achievements of recent years have not negated the truth of these statements. The passage of time has only proved these observations to be true. What Will You Do? The time allowed by God has proved Satan wrong on the issue of the rightfulness of Jehovah’s sovereignty. Jehovah God is the absolute Sovereign of the universe. He has the right to rule over his creation, and his way of ruling is the best. Acknowledging this fact, heavenly creatures who have intimately experienced life under God’s rule declare: “You are worthy, Jehovah, even our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created.” Where do you stand on the question of God’s rulership? Do you agree that God is worthy to rule over you? If you do, you must recognize Jehovah’s sovereignty. You can do this by applying the marvelous truths and counsel found in his Word, the Bible, in every aspect of your life. “God is love,” and his laws and commandments spring from his love for his creatures. (1 John 4:8) Jehovah does not deprive any of us of what is for our good. You can therefore take to heart the Bible’s admonition: “Trust in Jehovah with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding. In all your ways take notice of him, and he himself will make your paths straight.” [Picture on page 7] You can choose God’s rulership by studying the Bible and applying in your life what it says [Picture Credit Line on page 4] © Jeroen Oerlemans/
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TEMA S NASLOVNICE | ZAŠTO SE LOŠE STVARI DOGAĐAJU DOBRIM LJUDIMA? Zašto se loše stvari događaju dobrim ljudima? Jehova * je svemogući Bog i Stvoritelj svega što postoji, pa mnogi smatraju da je on odgovoran za sve što se događa, između ostalog i za nevolje koje pogađaju svijet. Međutim, pogledajmo što Biblija kaže o pravom Bogu: “Jehova je pravedan na svim putevima svojim” (Psalam 145:17). “Svi [su] putevi njegovi pravda. Bog je on vjeran, bez nepravde, pravedan je i istinoljubiv” (5. Mojsijeva 32:4). “Jehova [je] pun samilosti i milosrdan” (Jakov 5:11). Bog ne uzrokuje zlo. No da li potiče druge da čine zla djela? Nipošto! U Bibliji stoji: “Neka nitko, kad se nađe u kušnji, ne govori: ‘Bog me iskušava.’” Zašto? “Jer Boga se ne može zlom iskušavati, a ni on nikoga zlom ne iskušava” (Jakov 1:13). Bog nikoga ne iskušava tako da ga potiče na loše ponašanje. On sam nikome ne nanosi zlo niti navodi druge da čine zlo. Tko je onda kriv za loše stvari koje se događaju oko nas? U KRIVO VRIJEME NA KRIVOM MJESTU Ukazujući na jedan od razloga zašto ljudi pate, Biblija kaže: “Vrijeme nevolje i nepredviđeni događaji snalaze svakoga” (Propovjednik 9:11). Hoće li netko stradati u nekoj nesreći ili nepredviđenom događaju uvelike ovisi o tome gdje se u određenom trenutku zatekne. Prije gotovo 2 000 godina Isus Krist spomenuo je nesreću u kojoj je poginulo 18 osoba jer se na njih srušila jedna kula (Luka 13:1-5). Ti ljudi nisu stradali zato što su bili loše osobe, nego naprosto zato što su se našli u blizini kule kad se ona srušila. I u novije vrijeme ljude snalaze razne nevolje. Naprimjer, u siječnju 2010. Haiti je pogodio katastrofalan potres u kojem je, prema podacima haićanske vlade, poginulo više od 300 000 ljudi. Svi oni poginuli su bez obzira na to jesu li bili dobri ili loši. I bolest može u bilo kojem trenutku pogoditi svakog čovjeka. Zašto Bog ne štiti dobre ljude od prirodnih katastrofa? Neki se možda pitaju: “Ne bi li Bog mogao spriječiti takve nevolje u kojima pogiba velik broj ljudi? Ne bi li mogao dobre ljude zaštititi od zla?” Kad bi Bog to učinio, to bi značilo da on unaprijed zna da će se dogoditi nešto loše. Istina, Bog ima sposobnost predvidjeti budućnost. No da li on tu svoju sposobnost želi baš uvijek koristiti? U Bibliji piše: “Bog je naš na nebesima. Sve što je htio učiniti, učinio je” (Psalam 115:3). Jehova čini samo ono što smatra potrebnim, a ne sve ono što je u stanju učiniti. Tako postupa i kad je riječ o predviđanju budućnosti. Naprimjer, kad je u drevnoj Sodomi i Gomori zlo prevršilo svaku mjeru, Bog je patrijarhu Abrahamu rekao: “Odlučio sam sići da vidim rade li zaista kako govori tužba koja je došla do mene, a ako nije tako, da znam” (1. Jehova neko vrijeme nije znao koliko zlo vlada u tim gradovima jer je tako bio odlučio. Slično tome Jehova ne mora sve znati unaprijed ako to ne želi (1. Mojsijeva 22:12). No to ni u kom slučaju nije pokazatelj njegove nesavršenosti ili slabosti. Biblija za njega kaže: “Djelo mu je savršeno.” To znači da svoju moć proricanja budućnosti uvijek koristi u skladu sa svojim naumom. On nikad ne prisiljava ljude da postupaju na određen način * (5. Mojsijeva 32:4). Što na temelju svega toga možemo zaključiti? Kratko rečeno, Bog se služi svojom sposobnošću predviđanja samo onda kad to smatra potrebnim. JESU LI LJUDI ODGOVORNI? Ljudi su djelomično odgovorni za to što postoji toliko zla. U Bibliji je opisano što može dovesti do loših postupaka. U njoj stoji: “Svakoga iskušava njegova želja, tako što ga privlači i mami. Zatim želja, kad začne, rađa grijeh, a grijeh, kad je učinjen, donosi smrt” (Jakov 1:14, 15). Ako ljudi sprovode u djelo svoje neispravne želje ili dopuštaju da one ovladaju njima, sigurno će zbog toga snositi loše posljedice (Rimljanima 7:21-23). Povijest pokazuje da su ljudi u stanju počiniti strašna zlodjela i nanijeti jedni drugima neizmjernu bol. Osim toga, zli ljudi često znaju iskvariti druge, pa se zato uvijek iznova događaju loše stvari (Mudre izreke 1:10-16). Ljudi su počinili strašna zlodjela i nanijeli jedni drugima neizmjernu bol Treba li se Bog umiješati i spriječiti ljude da čine zlo? Da bismo dobili odgovor na to pitanje, osvrnimo se nakratko na to kako je Bog stvorio čovjeka. Biblija kaže da ga je stvorio na svoju sliku, odnosno sličnog sebi. To znači da ljudi mogu pokazivati osobine kakve ima Bog (1. Mojsijeva 1:26). Dobili smo slobodnu volju te možemo izabrati hoćemo li ljubiti Boga, biti mu odani i vršiti njegovu volju (5. Kad bi nas Bog prisiljavao da postupamo na određen način, ne bi li nam time onemogućio da koristimo slobodnu volju koju nam je dao? Zapravo, tada bismo bili poput strojeva koji rade samo ono za što su programirani. Nešto slično dogodilo bi se i kad bi našim životom i postupcima upravljala sudbina. Doista možemo biti sretni što nam Bog iskazuje čast tako što nam dopušta da sami odlučujemo o svom životu! No to ne znači da će cijelo čovječanstvo zauvijek patiti zbog zla koje su ljudi prouzročili svojim pogreškama i lošim odlukama. JESU LI PATNJE POSLJEDICA LOŠE KARME? Kad bismo nekog hinduista ili budista upitali zašto se loše stvari događaju dobrim ljudima, on bi vjerojatno rekao: “To je zbog zakona karme. Ljudi samo snose posljedice onoga što su činili u prijašnjim životima.” * No dobro je upoznati se s onim što Biblija kaže o smrti. U edenskom vrtu, odakle potječe ljudski rod, Stvoritelj je prvom čovjeku Adamu rekao: “Sa svakoga drveta u vrtu slobodno jedi do sita. Ali s drveta spoznaje dobra i zla ne smiješ jesti, jer u onaj dan u koji okusiš s njega, sigurno ćeš umrijeti” (1. Mojsijeva 2:16, 17). Da Adam nije bio neposlušan Bogu i tako mu zgriješio, živio bi vječno. Smrt je zapravo bila kazna za neposlušnost Božjoj zapovijedi. Prvi ljudski par s vremenom je dobio djecu, “i tako se smrt proširila na sve ljude” (Rimljanima 5:12). Stoga se s pravom može reći da je smrt “plaća za grijeh” (Rimljanima 6:23). Osim toga, u Bibliji stoji: “Tko je umro, oslobođen je od svojega grijeha” (Rimljanima 6:7). Drugim riječima, čovjek ne plaća za svoje grijehe nakon smrti. Danas milijuni ljudi misle da su patnje povezane s lošom karmom. Oni koji vjeruju u to obično se ne uznemiravaju previše ni zbog svojih patnji ni zbog patnji drugih ljudi. No činjenica je da učenje o karmi ne pruža nikakvu nadu da će zlo jednog dana nestati. Prema tom učenju, osoba se može osloboditi patnje jedino ako se izbavi iz kruga ponovnih rađanja. Da bi u tome uspjela, mora se ponašati u skladu s društvenim normama i doživjeti posebno prosvjetljenje. Ta se učenja jako razlikuju od onoga što stoji u Bibliji. GLAVNI UZROČNIK ZLA I PATNJI Glavni uzročnik zla ipak nije čovjek. Sotona Đavo, koji je nekad bio vjerni Božji anđeo, “nije ostao postojan u istini” te je donio grijeh na svijet (Ivan 8:44). Upravo je on izazvao pobunu protiv Boga u edenskom vrtu (1. Mojsijeva 3:1-5). Isus Krist nazvao ga je “Zlim” i rekao za njega da je “vladar svijeta” (Matej 6:13; Ivan 14:30). Većina ljudi potpala je pod njegov utjecaj te odbacuje Jehovine pravedne zakone (1. “Cijeli je svijet pod vlašću Zloga”, stoji u 1. Ivanovoj 5:19. Međutim, postoje i druga duhovna bića koja su se iskvarila i pridružila Sotoni. Biblija otkriva da Sotona sa svojim demonima “zavodi sav svijet” i uzrokuje nevolje svima na Zemlji (Otkrivenje 12:9, 12). Dakle, glavni uzročnik zla i patnji upravo je Sotona Đavo. Očito je da Bog nije odgovoran za loše stvari koje se događaju ljudima te da ne uzrokuje njihove patnje. Naprotiv, on je obećao da će ukloniti sve zlo, o čemu govori sljedeći članak. ^ odl. 3 Biblija otkriva da Božje ime glasi “Jehova” ili “Jahve”. ^ odl. 11 Više o tome zašto Bog dopušta zlo možete pročitati u 11. poglavlju knjige Što Biblija doista uči?, koju su objavili Jehovini svjedoci. ^ odl. 16 Nešto više o zakonu karme možete pročitati u brošuri Što se s nama događa kad umremo?, stranice 8-12. Brošuru su objavili Jehovini svjedoci. ^ odl. 18 Ako želite saznati što Biblija uči o tome što se s čovjekom događa nakon smrti te koja je nada za umrle, pročitajte 6. i 7. poglavlje knjige Što Biblija doista uči?