God's actions never need defending.
He's the God of the Universe: good, just, kind, long-suffering, perfect, merciful...the list is endless. As Christians, if we sift everything through the sieve of the understanding of who God is, who He says He is, and who He reveals Himself to be through His actions, everything else falls into place.
Then, when we encounter a difficult saying of Christ's or a destructive action by the God of the Old Testament, doubts brought about by the impossibility of a Bible story, seeming inconsistencies, or an atheist who demands we answer the question: "How could a loving God __________," we have an answer that comes from our inner-most being. From the depths of who WE are, we know who HE is.
Without an intimate knowledge of who He is, which requires encounters with this God of the Universe Himself, you won't have an answer. Doubts will linger, unconfronted, and become fears. The God of the Old Testament will seem disconnected to the Christ of the New (until we come across some of Christ's words that rattle us out of what we comfortably embraced). Seeming inconsistencies unaddressed will lead to compromise. Bible stories of a great flood, captivity, miracles, loaves-and-fishes, and even the resurrection stumble a reader who doesn't know.
I'm not saying that "everything falls into place" without being wrestled there.
Some things we encounter in the Bible and this world will require courageous questions, thoughtful research, and years of soul-solitude for sorting. But it is worth it.
"It is God's privilege to conceal things and the king's privilege to discover them." - Proverbs 25:2
In the next several blog posts, I plan to address some of the most common, doubt-creating, difficult questions and situations in the Bible that cause even mature Christians to struggle with. I have no intention of becoming a sudden apologist—there are some really wise ones out there. Instead, I plan to take you through my own personal grapple with the ones that were presented to me over the past 42 years.
And, if there's one you've wrestled into submission, share it with others here. Or, if there's one you're still grappling with, message me privately and I'll address it if I can.
Grace is never afraid of the questions.