Many people struggle with the question, "How could a loving God allow (fill in the blanks here)?" I hope to show that not only are these things (sin in particular) a part of God's plan, they are necessary for our good and God's glory.

God could have prevented the entrance of disobedience (sin) and the resulting calamities to the human race if He had wanted. He would not be God if He could not have prevented it. So the question becomes, "Why did He cause/allow sin to enter the universe?" I know this somewhat begs the question, but the alternative, i.e. that there is not a God who caused anything, is untenable, but that is for another discussion. So bear with me with my assumption that this God exists.

God designed human nature to grow and mature. That happens not only individually with people, but also with cultures . Time brings a maturity as the corporate understanding increases. There is always, at any given tine in history, room for growth for culture and the individual, so that any future generation cannot say, "We have arrived". That will be complete at the consumation, when all things will be made new.

It is through struggles and trials that we grow. Entropy naturally tears things down, but God designed in us a thirst to undo the curse, to grow and mature, to overcome, as it were, entropy. This is obvious to any observer of human nature, for a person becomes weak and frail with no challenge. God told Adam in the garden to guard and keep it. That involves not just a preservation of creation, but an improvement on it. That is what God desires us to do within time. Our task is to make things better, which involves a struggle. In a welfare situation, the tendancy is to become lazy, and the very person we attempt to help is hindered in his growth.

The Christian is told to be content, and that we must, but there is a tension between contentment and struggle, for we are always struggling with sin. Obviously we are not to be content with our state of growth (what theologians call sanctification). We should not be content with the current state of the world, for there is injustice and sin in abundance.

God would not be very loving, understood in this light, if He did not allow us to struggle. He made us for this, and it would be a cruel joke to not have the struggle. So there is some need that we have that we may not fully understand to have to fight against sin as individuals and corporately. It is good for us that sin entered the world, in a sense, for without sin we would not appreciate the magnitude of God's love for us in spite of that sin. Dependance upon God is also encouraged because we need His help in the struggle. Our strive for independance from Him is thwarted by sin and its consequences.

In the same way as we as parents lovingly correct and discipline (the word means to teach) our children, God disciplines us through trials. He wants us to do marvelous things, but wants us dependant upon Him at the same time, drawing strength to do "all things".