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March 16th, 2010There’s been no shortage of people I love going through some pretty bad things in their lives recently. Got any thoughts on the classic question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” I’d love to hear.
BL said:
This question assumes that there are good people, or that we deserve to have good things happen to us. It reminds me of something Jesus once said:
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.” - Mark 10:18
I tend to think of us as being undeserving of anything good, and the many blessings we do receive in life are a result of God’s grace and His love for us, and not because we are good people. We should be thankful for those things, but we shouldn’t expect it to always be that way. We must remember that we live in a broken world that has been polluted by sin. But, we have hope, because we know that there will be a day when it no longer is this way!
I’ve also found that the times of trial and suffering in my life have been the times that I’ve grown the most. When life doesn’t make any sense and I’m struggling to see past the pain I’m experiencing, there’s nothing I can do but put my trust in God and lean on Him to get through it. And when I do, I learn a lot more of who God is, and who I am as well. And I’m reminded that even amidst the pain, I have so much to be thankful for! I may not understand everything, like why loved ones have died so early or unexpectedly, why friends have suffered abuse, or why I’ve had to face some of the struggles that I have, but I know that God is good, and that He will use each of those situations for good, even if I can’t see how at this moment.
KenL said:
We live in a fallen world. Bad things happen in it. Just as the rain falls on the sinners and the saints, so does misery …
Since we don’t live in any kind of a karma system, there’s no assurance that even if we were good, we’d have good lives.
Of course, as BL notes, there aren’t really as many “good people” as we might think.
Jacob Stoddard said:
BL stole my answer!
Seriously, the question is flawed, because no one is good but Jesus. And the only reason bad things happened to Him was because he allowed it. He chose to take the punishment for our sins in our place, so that God’s justice would not destroy us. If we turn from our sin to God in faith, we will be forgiven through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
My friend Mark Sohmer recently gave a talk at Christian Impact at UNH on this very subject. It was entitled: “From Jerusalem to Haiti: Why God Allows Suffering”. You can hear a recording of it at: http://www.sohmer.net/media/suffering.mp3
D said:
BL, Ken & Jacob… think for a second. Someone you love - is going through some really horrible things. It’s almost endless the stress, the trials… one thing after the other. You’re loved one is fighting the good fight. But you can see that it is wearing on them. Do you ever ask yourself why this is happening to your loved one?
We all know this is a sinful world - and that the only “good” person that ever existed was Jesus… but what if that person you loved, through tears and frustration of life - looked at you and asked, “why is this happening to me?” What then would be your response?
Just spinning the perspective… I know that I don’t have an answer to this question.
KenL said:
D, the answer is that we don’t know why things happen.
For the record, I’ve had more than a few miserable things happen to me, and I like to think that, if we grade on a curve, I’d come out as one of those “good people.”
The best answer I know (and what I was told by some wonderful people who helped me get through those trials) is not to focus on why it’s happening, but on the One who gives the grace and strength to get through it.
Job’s friends sat around trying to tell him why things were happening to him … of course, they were wrong. They didn’t spend time trying to support him and help him to rely on God’s strength, which is what ultimately got Job through his trials.
Jacob Stoddard said:
D: Thanks for “spinning the persective”. It’s one thing to provide an objective answer to Chris’s question: Why do “bad things” happen to “good people”… It’s another question entirely to ask: How do you talk to someone who is going through a difficult time.
The objective answer remains the same, we live in a fallen, sinful world, and no one is good enough to not deserve what they are going through. But if that is the only message we give our down-trodden friend, we’re not being very helpful.
Ultimately, we need to encourage the down hearted with the gospel. There is hope in Jesus. Yes, we live in a fallen, sinful world, and no one is good enough not deserve difficulty, but Jesus died to redeem us! Jesus came from the grave to pave the way for our resurrection. When someday, we’ll be given resurrected bodies that don’t get sick, don’t get hurt, and aren’t tempted to sin. What a blessed hope!
And when we suffer, we have fellowship in the suffering of our Lord. If God is truly the most important thing in our life, then we will be honored to have that fellowship. We will be honored to glorify Him by worshiping Him in spite of our suffering.
All that only applies of course, if our down-trodden friend knows Jesus as his savior. Any sinner that has not tasted the forgiveness of Christ will not get a resurrected body, and will not be pleased to glorify God in his suffering. And here, the gospel is all the more important to bring him to repentence, faith, and hope. Because without forgiveness, there isn’t hope in ANY circumstance.
Jacob Stoddard said:
I should add that sometimes bad things happen because God plans to do something amazing. The blind man from John 9 wasn’t blind because of sin, but “so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
But guess what, the two themes this entire thread is focused on, sin and God’s glory, saturate the entire story of this blind man. God’s power is displayed when Jesus heals the blind man, the sin of the pharisees is revealed as they bicker about it, and ultimately, Jesus is revealed as the Messiah and worshiped.
Jacob Stoddard said:
Romans 8:28 is a really encouraging verse for someone who is hurting. It’s gotten me through some tough times, that’s for sure. But again, it’s only helpful to a believer.
Jacob Stoddard said:
In the past week, some friends of mine, dear to my heart, have been going through a very difficult time. And, through a divine coincidence, I happened to be studying the attributes of God. It occurred to me how greatly encouraging the God’s attributes are!
To my friends, and any other Christian in pain:
God is Loving - He wants what’s best for you… you can trust Him.
God is Omniscient - He knows all things, including what you’re going through… you can trust Him.
God is Omnipresent - He is everywhere. He is with you in what you’re going through… you can trust Him.
God is Omnipotent - He is all-powerful: capable of getting you through… you can trust Him.
God is Merciful - He will forgive you of any wrong if you repent… you can trust Him.
God is Eternal - He sees the end from the beginning, He knows how your trials will end… you can trust Him.
God is Faithful - He will never let you go… you can trust Him.
God is Truth - He cannot lie, and someday all lies will be laid bare… you can trust Him.
God is Holy - He will not let any injustice against you stand… you can trust Him.
Wow. God is good!
Chris said:
There are a lot of great points here (although there were others on my Facebook that didn’t get posted here!), so thanks Jacob, KenL, D and BL. It’s really made me think about the difference between knowing good theology and having the compassion of Jesus toward others and “weeping with those who weep.” Would that we had both!
Mark said:
BL, you stole my answer too!
I’ll expose Jake’s secret. I’m the person experiencing the trials he mentions, and he and Christie and even Logan have been a tremendous comfort.
Jake posted a link to a talk I gave a few months back and I appreciate that Because it illustrates how EASY it is to see the truth of God’s Word when you’re not in the midst of the trial. How ironic. I just recently studied and even preached on this very thing and yet I can forget it when it’s me experiencing the pain. Oh how fallen we all are. Oh what a GREAT SAVIOR we have who loves fragile us despite ourselves.
I agree with BL. And D, as the person who is struggling now, I can tell you that the Theology has comforted me greatly, as well as the gentle loving care of godly friends like the Stoddards.
David Bryan said:
I have to agree with you all. Recently I have been pondering why bad things happen. From my personal grief I have been drawn closer to our lord. God has helped me with my grief enabling me to better focus on the grieving of my family and friends. Bad things can enlighten us. They can make us better. Knowing God has a reason for the bad things we experience gives me considerable comfort.