How do I know God loves and forgives me?

The Bible says, 'God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us' (Romans 5:8). We may at times experience God's love personally and also know his love through people around us but ultimately God's love is most evidently shown to us by the giving of his only son to die on a cross, and then bringing him back to new life. On the cross, Jesus publicly carried the weight of sin: all the things we have ever done, said or thought that are wrong. He who had no sin, became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). He did this to deal with our sin that separates each of us from a holy and perfect God. Jesus cried out on the cross, 'It is finished' (John 19:30) ' he had dealt with our sin once and for all. Because Jesus died for our sin, we can receive God's forgiveness and know that we are forgiven by God. Psalm 103 says, 'As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us'.

Why is there suffering in the world?

This question is a stumbling block for many people who find it difficult to reconcile the problem of pain with a God of love. The answer to this cannot be fully explored in just a few paragraphs and for those wishing a more in-depth discussion, we suggest as further reading 'Cries of the heart' by Ravi Zacharias.

There are two components of the question that need to be addressed. One is ' How can there be an all-loving and all-powerful God when evil is so evident in the world?

The essence of the answer is that the existence of God cannot be disproved by the reality of evil. If we accept that there is evil, then we accept that there must also be good. These categories can only exist if an absolute moral law exists, and if such a law exists, then it follows that there is a moral lawgiver. So, if we agree that evil exists we must keep God in the picture.

The other component - How can God allow suffering to occur and still be called good?

If one considers all the possible ways mankind and the world could have been created, the only one that would give us freewill would always contain the option of evil as well as good. It is only in this world that humans can choose whether or not they will freely love God. A consequence of this is that suffering and pain are a part of life.

Within this world mankind has chosen to rebel against God, (which is known as the fall) and as a direct consequence, the world has been corrupted. Sadly it is all too evident that many of the causes of suffering in the world come directly from the hand of other humans.

On a personal level, when we suffer, theological arguments may not be of any help to us. What has mattered to many people in such circumstances is that they have experienced God's presence in their affliction and known his comfort. Jesus himself suffered, cared for the suffering and was one 'acquainted with grief'. He is able to guide us to the heart of God, where we can begin to see with his perspective and glimpse the bigger picture of life beyond the grave.

Why can't God forgive Satan?

God can forgive anyone, it's just a matter of us wanting it. Satan was once an angel of God, and as it says throughout the Bible, God loves everyone. God even loves Satan! Even though Satan can be forgived, he sealed his fate, and he never asked for forgiveness. How can we get what we don't ask for?