SUFFERING - WHY?
Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?
Sometimes we suffer because of the sins, or decisions, of others and not just because of our own sins or decisions. The first man, Adam, was created perfect without any flaws, diseases or disorders. The whole world was perfect without any suffering, pain, deterioration or death, but man’s sin ( his rebellion against God or going against God’s command ) - the first sin or original sin - caused many changes.
Genesis 3:14 describes many changes which were caused by man’s sin: men, women and the entire animal kingdom would now endure pain, suffering, and death. These things too were now to be present upon earth: thorns, thistles, diseases, disorders, decay and deterioration.
Eventually mutations in organisms would have begun causing genetic defects, creating germs, diseases and cancers. Generation after generation some of these problems have been passed down through the genes of organisms including man. Therefore many people get disorders every year from chance encounters with harmful organisms or their own defective genetic makeup.
Even natural disasters, as tornadoes, hurricanes, winds, local floods, lightning, earthquakes, and volcanoes, are indirect results of Adam’s sin. Ever since Adam, man in general has tried to live his own life apart from God. By the time of Noah, humanity had become so corrupt and immoral that God destroyed all life on earth except some animals of the water and the animals saved on the ark. Noah’s flood would have caused major permanent changes in our weather patterns, climates, atmosphere, geological activity, continental positioning and landscape. There were probably no natural disasters before the flood, but ever since the beginning of the world-wide flood, our earth has had natural disasters.
Ever since the fall of man, man’s decisions and actions have caused suffering on themselves and others. Some decisions are intentional, as shooting sprees and drunk driving, while others are strictly accidental, as running a red light or skidding off the road in loose gravel. We live in a sinful world and society. Life itself is a risk. Every time we leave the house, we put our life at risk due to the consequences of decisions we and others make.
So, bad things can happen to good people because of chance encounters with germs and defective genes, because of our destructive lifestyles as drinking, drugs, and crime, or because of accidents caused by bad decisions by man. All of these things are ultimately results of the fall of man and man’s sinful nature.
But why does God allow good Christian people to suffer? Can’t He stop or prevent situations which cause pain, suffering and death? God has the ability to do anything He desires, but His ways are not our ways and His ways are far beyond our understanding. But we do know that He loves us so much that He gives us freedom to make our own decisions. He gave Adam that same freedom. Since man has a sinful nature, he often chooses to use his freedom to sin and to make his own decisions separate from God. God, as a parent, does not want any of His children to suffer, but He knows that we must accept our consequences and the consequences of other’s decisions (even all the consequences of Adam’s decision - his sin).
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Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were perfect and therefore God walked amongst them. But once they sinned, being no longer perfect, they could no longer enjoy a perfect relationship with God. Immediately there was spiritual death, separation from God, due to man’s desire to be as God and do things his own way and not obey God’s instructions.
God also declared that the price for sin is death (Romans 6:23). So the first death in God’s creation occurred when God sacrificed an animal to clothe Adam and Eve. He was showing them that sin is serious and deserves death, but instead of having Adam die physically, God made provisions for a substitute. The spilling of blood of a flawless animal served as the most appropriate substitute for man, until the death of a perfect man, Jesus Christ, redeemed man from his sins. The sacrificial animal was God’s way of allowing people back into a relationship with Him. And now, accepting Jesus’s sacrificial death is the way we develop that relationship.
Romans 3:23 states that we are all sinners and are separated from God (spiritually and physically). Therefore since the price for sin is death, we all are dead spiritually and in need of a savior, and we must all eventually die a physical death.
We all fall short of the standards of God’s perfection and therefore we cannot enjoy a personal relationship with God without accepting Jesus as our savior. Jesus’s sacrificial death on the cross paid the price of all the sins of all those who accept Jesus as their savior. Jesus became the sacrificial animal which allows us to enjoy God’s presence in our lives, forever.
Fortunately, when we are reunited with God in the new heaven and new earth, there will no longer be any suffering, tears, sorrow or pain. This is God’s promise to those who truly believe in Him. Therefore if you have doubts as to the existence of God or of the gospel of Jesus Christ, do what you can to learn the truth, be saved, and share in the hope of heaven.
See Web Articles on Suffering in the article "Evidence for Biblical Reliability" on this blog.
