Why Did God Let This Happen?

"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

(Acts 17:30-31)

In the stunning aftermath of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, in Newtown, Connecticut, many people are still in shock, searching for answers, crying out:

"Why did God let this happen?!"

It's a fair question.

And one that I believe can only begin to be answered by first looking at the 2,000 year old verses above from Acts chapter 17.

God, "Now commands all men everywhere to repent."

What does that mean?

To repent, literally means, to change your mind—to think differently afterward. 

By virtue of giving all men everywhere a command to change our minds, God has given all men everywhere the moral agency of free will. 

The capacity to choose.

People are free to choose their words, their actions, and their responses.

In this current age, God does not force anyone to do anything against their free will. And people wouldn't have it any other way.

Would you?

Would you have yourself and all other human beings be created as pre-programmed, subservient robots, with no capacity whatsoever to choose?

Of course not.

One of the driving forces of mankind is our innate need to be free. To not be bound or controlled by another person, or by any other force.

God has given all men the right to choose.

And if you're still struggling with, "Why does God let bad people do bad things?" Think of it this way; why did He let you say something unloving to that person the other day? Why did He let you think those bad thoughts? Why did He let you tell that lie? Why did He let you flip off that other driver? Why did He let you cheat on your spouse? Why did He let you look at porn on the Internet last night? 

Puts it in a very different perspective doesn't it.

Every one of us has been given a conscience and the right to choose our words, actions and responses.

What most people won't do—the people who refuse to obey God—is to acknowledge that they are ultimately accountable to Him for their life-long, free will choices of words, actions and responses.

It's because no one wants to be accountable to another person. No one wants to be controlled or ruled over. Not even by God.

You can't have it both ways.

You can't be 'free' to choose how you live and not have God intervene, but then expect God to control the actions of other people.

All men everywhere are sinners. We've all broken Gods laws. We've all sinned against Him.

That's why He gave the command 2,000 years ago, and still gives it today, that all men everywhere must repent. 

We've all been given a choice to turn to God and confess that we've sinned against Him, and that we are not righteous people. We can never meet God's perfect standard of holiness by trying to be good or do good deeds.We need a Savior. We need the blood of Christ to wash away our guilt and shame. 

The Bible says all men everywhere must repent because God has:

"Appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

Jesus Christ was nailed to a Cross and died there. He was buried, and He rose again from the dead three days later.

Virtually everyone who grew up in America has probably heard that story from the Bible at least once in their life. And your conscience won't let you forget it. You may be angry when someone reminds you of it. You may hate Christians for sharing it.

But the day that God will judge the world in righteousness is coming. 

None of knows the day or the hour. 

But your conscience won't let you deny that this day is eventually coming, and you will be accountable to God for your life—your choices, words, actions and responses. God's justice and righteousness demands it.

But on the Cross of Christ, God's love and justice embraced. 

Jesus was judged for your sins against God, so you don't have to be judged, if you will repent an turn from your sin, and turn to God.

Jesus, the Son of God said:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, and that whosoever will believe in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Jesus Christ, the Son of God who never sinned, was killed by sinful men, and He hung on that cross to pay for the penalty for your sin and mine.

Why did God let this happen?

—Because He loves you.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.