Contend Earnestly: Spurgeon Answering Why God's Desires Aren't Always Fulfilled

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Spurgeon Answering Why God's Desires Aren't Always Fulfilled

This is an answer that Spurgeon used when people spoke of God's unfulfilled desires:

'But if he wishes it to be so, why does he not make it so?' Beloved friend, have you never heard that a fool may ask a question which a wise man cannot answer, and, if that be so, I am sure a wise person, like yourself, can ask me a great many questions which, fool as I am, I am yet not foolish enough to try to answer. Your question is only one form of the great debate of all the ages, - 'If God be infinitely good and powerful, why does not his power carry out to the full all his benevolence?' It is God's wish that the oppressed should go free, yet there are many oppressed who are not free. It is God's wish that the sick should not suffer. Do you doubt it? Is it not your own wish? And yet the Lord does not work a miracle to heal every sick person. It is God's wish that his creatures should be happy. Do you deny that? He does not interpose by any miraculous agency to make us all happy, and yet it would be wicked to suppose that he does not wish the happiness of all the creatures that he has made. He has an infinite benevolence which, nevertheless, is not in all points worked out by his infinite omnipotence; and if anybody asked me why it is not, I cannot tell. I have never set up to be an explainer of all difficulties, and I have no desire to do so.
Charles Spurgeon, MPT, vol. 26, pp 49-52

2 comments:

THEOparadox said...

Great quote! I like Spurgeon more and more all the time. He didn't like to go "beyond what is written."

Blessings,
Derek Ashton

Kevin Williams said...

Great quote. If only more would take heed to Spurgeon, as we're not called to be philosophers.

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