Why Good Things Happen to Bad People

A frequently asked question is "Why do bad things happen to good people?" This question is most often asked when someone is contemplating placing their faith in Christ. I guess people want to make God sound bad, thus justifying their excuse for not following Him. The conversation usually goes something like "Why did something bad (fill in the blank) happen to this innocent person?" At the very root of this answer is simple: we live in a fallen world. It is mired by our ancestors and our choice to sin. The evil we live with is the consequence of sin. "Yeah, but why does something bad happen to an innocent person?" And who might that be? You see, there is no innocent person. The Bible tells us plainly (and we know it's true) "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We are a people condemned to death due to sin. No one is innocent. In the Garden when Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen.3) all innocence left the planet. Adam was told distinctly (Gen.2) that in the day he ate of that tree he would surely die. He was promised death at the day of disobedience. Well, he didn't get immediate death. God shows His true colors of mercy, patience and grace from the beginning. He does that over and over in the book. He does that over and over in our lives. The question isn't really "Why do bad things happen to good people?", because no such person exists. The question is "Why do good things happen to bad people?"---God is loving. He is merciful. He is patient with people coming to Him through salvation. God demonstrated His love toward us, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. God made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become right with God. ---God is good. He is on the right side of things. It's a rebellious, lying spirit ("God didn't really say"Gen.3-satan's words) that provokes man to question God. ---I have absolutely no idea why God saved a wretch like me. But He did. Thank you Jesus.