How can God be all knowing, all powerful, and all loving?

Question

If God was all three of these things there would be no suffering in the world.

Your thoughts?

Answer 1

Are you all knowing, all powerful and all loving? Are any of your friends?

Since it is impossible to fathom the level of complexity involved in being an omnipotent being, it is impossible to put forward any irrational statements like "If God was all three of these things there would be no suffering in the world."

Neither you nor I know that this is the case - We can only hypothesize. Until we become omnipotent or reach a level of understanding where we can comprehend omnipotence, we can't possibly question any actions/inactions of either a monotheistic God or a pantheon of the polytheistic variety.

As a comparison, imagine an animal with no reasoning capacity trying to understand compassion or art.

Answer 2

WOW, great thought provoking question. In my (Christian, Full Gospel) opinion . . . First, the statement attempts to rationalize God's power with a human mind of flesh. That is not possible. Second, the Word (Holy Bible) does not say He is "all loving". There are many, many examples in the Word about things God does not love. Third, our suffering is not from God. There is another power who rules the earth, seeking whom he may devour. A lot of our suffering is self-inflicted. Finally, if one desires to tap into the power and grace of God, then one must first accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Answer 3

Religion came from long ago when people were confused and curious about the world.. So like today they came up with theory's/stories to try and understand it. These theories were passed on through the ages and eventually written down, and then read and taken as fact by many. Take a look at every religion they all kind of came up around the same time frame. We need to take it all as fiction and a history lesson, but we also have to move on and get with reality.

Answer 4

God's core attribute is holiness. Holiness is to be set apart or separate from sin. God's love is a holy love. He abhors all that is sinful. Suffering, in general, is a consequence of sin in the world. God sent his one and only Son to the world to die for the sins of the world. Suffering, though still here in this world, will not exist in heaven.

Answer 5

Does sound impossible!

Every religion has their own reasoning as to why God allows suffering.

Questioning any aspect of what people believe will only get you a negative answer on here as most religious persons who post here are extremely closed minded and are not up for an equal two sided discussion. What they say is right and final!

Answer 6

God revealed himself to Moses as I AM. That is what God is "all knowing, all powerful and all loving." However, he does not want slaves, he wants children. He does not take away your free will.

Suffering is one of the things that makes us strong. If no one was suffering, I would not have an opportunity to help them and show my love for God by doing so.

Answer 7

Because there is no God.

Even if there is a God, all the sufferings are cause by God. We human tend to kill each others in the name our Lord, our God.

Answer 8

God didn't create robots. Therefore when people in this world decide to choose the devil's ways over His, they cause their own damnation, as well as causing others pain and suffering... you cannot say there isn't a God who loves when so many people love everyday. The bible says "God is love".. and that he is.. because all else, is evil.. the will of God is to draw people to His exsistance through those who already know Him. He wont make you say something, wont make you do something, wont make you make the decisions you choose to make everyday, you make them, and then you suffer the consequences.. If you wander "There has to be something more to life.."... He's it... and all you have to do is take His hand.... He created you and He loves you.. whether you ever truely see the truth in that or not..

Answer 9

In answering this question, the first thing to consider is whether such a thing as “the innocent” even exists. According to the Bible, “the heart is wicked and deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9), and “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Therefore, no one is innocent in the sense of being sinless. Sin entered the world when Adam and Even rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, and mankind has been in rebellion ever since. Sin’s effects permeate everything, and the suffering we see all around us is a direct result of that sin.

But God did not leave us here to suffer pointlessly. Our loving and merciful God has a perfect plan to use that suffering to accomplish His threefold purpose. First, He uses pain and suffering to draw us to Himself so that we will cling to Him. Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation” (John 16:33). Trials and distress are not something unusual in life; they are part of what it means to be human in a fallen world. In Christ we have an anchor that holds fast in all the storms of life, but if we never sail into those storms, how would we know that? It is in times of despair and sorrow that we reach out to Him, and, if we are His children, we always find Him there waiting to comfort and uphold us through it all. In this way, He proves His faithfulness to us and ensures that we will stay close to Him. An added benefit is that as we experience God’s comfort through trials, we are then able to comfort others in the same way (2 Corinthians 1:4).

Second, He proves to us that our faith is real through the suffering and pain that are inevitable in this life. How we respond to suffering is determined by the genuineness of our faith. Those with faith truly from God, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), will not be crushed by suffering, but will come through the trial with their faith intact, having been “proven through fire” so that it “might be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7). Those are the ones who do not shake their fists at God or question His goodness, but instead “count it all joy” (James 1:2), knowing that trials prove that they are truly the children of God. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because having been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).

Finally, God uses suffering to take our eyes off this world and put them on the next. The Bible continually exhorts us to not get caught up in the things of this world, but to look forward to the world to come. This world and all that is in it will pass away, but the kingdom of God is eternal. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36), and those who would follow Him must not see the things of this life, both good and bad, as the end of the story. Even the sufferings we endure and which seem so terrible “are not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Could God prevent all suffering? Of course. But He assures us that “all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). So even suffering is part of the “all things” that God is using to accomplish His good purposes. His plan is perfect, His character is flawless, and those who trust Him will not be disappointed.

Answer 10

I believe that Satan works much evil in this world. The mystery to me is why God allows Satan to have that power. Each time I read the book of Job in the Old Testament of the Bible I ask the same question Job asked.... "Why?"