Why Does God Allow Suffering? (4 Biblical Reasons)
If you had the choice to end all human suffering, would you?
I imagine, for most of us, the answer would be a quick and easy “YES!”
After all, no one wants to suffer or watch someone they love suffer — especially with all the horrific things that we hear about on the news every day.
Bombings, natural disasters, abuse, murder, rape…
There’s certainly no shortage of evil in this world, and unfortunately, some people seem to get more than their fair share of suffering in this life.
Yet, as awful and evil as the circumstances that cause our suffering can be, what if there’s more to our suffering than just hurt?
In other words, as awful as it is, what if it’s not ALL bad?
What if there is some good in there?
What if it’s hiding, and we can only find it if we look closely?
After all, we KNOW God loves us.
(John 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”)
And we KNOW God is all powerful.
(Matthew 19:26 says, “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””)
So if you are wondering, “Why does God allow suffering?” honestly, I don’t blame you.
It doesn’t make sense.
It hurts.
It’s hard.
But while we may never fully understand why God allows suffering on this side of Heaven, I hope this post does shed some light on the issue and offer some degree of comfort for you in your hurting today.
Suffering Was NOT Part of God’s Original Plan
Before we even attempt to answer the question “Why does God allow suffering?” it’s important to note that suffering was NOT part of God’s original plan.
When God created the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, and all the plants and animals, everything was perfect and flawless.
There was no sin, no suffering, no sickness, no shame…
This is why Genesis 1:31a reports: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”
If Adam and Eve had simply accepted God’s plan and obeyed, their life would have been perfect too. Unfortunately, however, they decided to take matters into their own hands and do things their own way.
How silly to think that they knew more than the God of the entire universe, who created everything! But that’s what they did, and that’s what all of us do every day.
You see, when God created us, He also gave us free will.
Now, generally, we consider this to be a very good thing.
We aren’t mindless robots, forced to do God’s bidding. We have a choice in how we live our lives and who we follow.
Unfortunately, however, this means we can choose to turn our backs on God and His perfect plan for our lives. (to sin, basically)
And when we choose to sin, we naturally incur the consequences of this sin — both for ourselves and for others.
It happens all the time. We ALL sin every day.
And, whether we realize it or like it or not, this sin has consequences.
Because to take away all sin and all of it’s consequences would ALSO be to take away free will.
God Helps Us in Our Suffering
The good news is: God doesn’t just leave us in our sin and suffering.
Not only did He send His one and only son to take the eternal consequences for our sin, but He also provides a great deal of help and healing today — if we will turn to Him, repent of our sins, and choose to do things HIS way.
Just consider these promises of Scripture:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” –2 Chronicles 7:14
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:28-30
Sure, He may not heal you exactly the way you want when you want.
God is not a genie that grants 3 wishes or a magic vending machine in the sky.
But He DOES care, and He does offer healing to those who are willing to turn to Him and walk with Him.
Of course, this doesn’t mean the Christian life is always easy peasy.
John 16:33 warns us: “”I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.””
Being a Christian in a non-Christian, broken world IS hard. It just is.
We should expect some degree of hurt and brokenness, just because of the world we live in.
But we can rest assured that if you’re wondering “Why does God allow suffering?” God DOES see you and He does care.
Unfortunately, this help doesn’t always come the way we want. In fact, sometimes our suffering comes from God Himself…
Does God Cause Suffering?
Yes, God does cause suffering.
Some people will tell you, “God doesn’t cause suffering — He just allows it.” And I used to believe the same.
But the more I’ve studied the Scriptures, the more I’ve found verse after verse that prove God does actually cause some of our suffering.
*Note: This does NOT mean God causes ALL suffering. Some suffering is just the inevitable result of sin and free will — People do have the free will to make decisions that hurt themselves and/or others. But there ARE times when God causes suffering as well.
For example:
“Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.” — Isaiah 53:10
“If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats.” — Exodus, 9:1-2
“When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.” — Jeremiah 14:12
“Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”” — Job 1:8
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” — Matthew 4:1
In all of these instances (and there are many, many more examples in the Bible), God did not turn a blind eye to the suffering people were already experiencing.
Rather, God caused the suffering.
And, of course, there are PLENTY of other times (both in the Bible and today) where God does/did not specifically cause human suffering, but only allows it to happen.
Which leaves the question: “WHY does God allow suffering??”
Why Does God Allow Suffering?
So whether God causes suffering or simply allows it — the question remains: Why??
While we may never know the WHOLE story on this side of Heaven, the Bible does give us a few possibilities:
1. God Created Us with Free Will; We Have the Ability to Reject God’s Plan
Like I mentioned above, as humans with free will, we have the ability to make our own choices–even when those choices cause harm to ourselves or to others.
For example, you could abuse drugs or alcohol. You could overeat for years. You could take your husband for granted or neglect to care for your children. All of these actions have consequences.
Alternately, someone else could do something to hurt you. Your parents or other family members might have caused you significant harm. You may have had a past friend or boyfriend betray you. Maybe someone raped you, shot you, beat you or abused you… or someone you love.
Someone else used their free will to choose sin, and now you’re paying the consequences.
It’s NOT fair. It’s not right. It will be made right on Judgement Day, and there are ways to minimize the damage going forward.
But unfortunately, it happens ALL the time.
2. God’s Ultimate Goal is Different Than Yours
Have you ever sat down to write out a life goal or mission statement for your life?
For most of us, if we were being honest, we would have to admit that our life goal is probably something along the lines of “To have a easy, happy, comfortable life for me and my family.”
And yet, if you ask God what HIS goal is for your life, I can PROMISE you it isn’t to make you “comfortable.”
What if God wants to use the very struggle you’re going through right now to draw you closer to Him, or to use you to reach others in need?
God allows your suffering because He sees something even better on the other side.
I think back to the times of my life when I’ve been the MOST hurt, and honestly… looking back… I wouldn’t trade a single one of them.
- The deep depression I faced in high school gave me greater understanding and compassion for others today.
- The bad break-up I went through in college made space for the wonderful marriage I have to my amazing husband today.
- The pain of childbirth brought me my three precious children.
- If I had gotten the teaching job I wanted, I wouldn’t be working in my dream job today.
NONE of these are things I would have asked for.
NONE of them are things I wanted.
And yet, now that I’m on the other side, I truly wouldn’t have it any other way.
Of course, these are just a few examples that I feel comfortable sharing. Your experiences are likely different, and may be way worse.
But if you’re not on the path you think you should be, it may be because God is STILL working on your story.
And that He’s leading you somewhere way better than you could have ever hoped for or imagined.
Related Video: Finding God Through the Grief of Losing a Child
3. God’s Perspective is Far Greater Than Yours
You have to remember, too, that God’s perspective is far greater than yours.
This is why Isaiah 55:8-9 says:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
And why, at the end of Job, God’s only “reason” to Job for his suffering is “Were you there when I created the world? Are you in charge? Do you know everything?”
The truth is, we don’t.
We can only see what’s right in front of us. (and not always that)
We don’t know what’s coming two years down the road. We don’t know what lessons we’ll need to know before then, or who or where we’ll need to be.
All too often, we only consider things only in the short term.
We think about how inconvenient, expensive, time-consuming or hurtful our lives or others’ actions can be.
But how often do we step back to see things from a bigger picture perspective?
How often do we stop asking “Why does God allow suffering?” and ask “God, how can I glorify You in this suffering?” instead?
Don’t believe for a second that right now is all there is or that thing will never get better.
Things always look dark when you’re in the middle of them.
When you get to the other side, you’ll realize God knew what He was doing all along.
You just don’t see it yet (and you may never).
For example, both my brother and two friends of mine died in car crashes in high school.
Why would God take them so young?
I honestly don’t know.
But it’s also not really my job to know.
I’m not God’s boss. He doesn’t report to me. I don’t really need to know.
You see, my preferences, wants and opinions will always be based on my own very limited view of this world. I know what I want, but I don’t really know or fully understand how the choices I make today will impact the world tomorrow–not really.
The truth is, we don’t know what big plans God has in store right around the corner for us and for others. Only God does.
So, given the choice between choosing everything myself–based on my very limited understanding of the world–and letting God choose–based on His infinite wisdom, God’s will is always going to be the best choice every. single. time.
We have to trust God even when we don’t understand.
After all, Moses didn’t know what God had up His sleeve when he was called to talk to Pharoah. Abram didn’t know what God had up His sleeve when he was called to sacrifice his son. But God did.
And God knows the plans He has for you too–even if He hasn’t showed you what they are yet.
4. God Corrects Us When We Sin
So this is a reason people don’t talk about nearly enough. And it isn’t always the reason, but it is definitely sometimes the reason.
And that is that: God loves us too much to let us continue in our sin.
In fact, you see this over and over and over and over again in the Old Testament.
The Israelites get complacent and stop following God. He warns them. They don’t listen. He punishes them. They all turn back to Him.
Honestly, so many books of the Old Testament are literally this SAME story on repeat.
So why would we think God doesn’t still do this today?
Of course, God’s punishments aren’t ALWAYS the result of our own personal sin.
In John 9, we read the story of a man born blind — through no fault of His own or His parents:
“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
Sometimes it’s just “bad luck” or “just life.”
BUT sometimes, it absolutely is because we have sinned and brought consequences upon ourselves.
Which isn’t fun, but at least, if you can figure out that’s the problem, then you can repent and fix it.
So, if we are suffering, is it always one of these 4 reasons?
No, there are other reasons as well.
And chances are, we may never know the full reason.
But, if you’re wondering “Why Does God Allow Suffering?” one of these 4 reasons may just be the reason why…
Do you ever struggle with the question, “Why Does God Allow Suffering?” What additional answers have you come up with – if any?
Hello all, things happen to people because that is the path that is chosen from God.
He chose these paths to the ones who suffer , so that they become closer to him.
The more people suffer the more they earn a higher place in heaven.
There are people here to know what God wants us to know,and there are people here for other purposes. I pray for guidence and my prayers lead me to who I am today,
Many people may not yet get what is really going on in the world today, and my heart hurts for all them and the evil that is going on.Lady God can’t come fast enough, because life is precious,but it is really
Sick how people treat each other, and how the devil manipulates.We need to pray to God to invite him and the Holy Spirit into our lives,because we do not want to know what hell really is!!GOD
BLESS YOU All!!!
Hi Marie,
With all due respect to your comment you say that we need to pray that god comes into our lives? Very well.
But the author stated in so many words that god has us suffer to come ‘closer to him’.
Very well. But which one is it?
There’s relatively no confidence and when people are lost, confused, (which so so many of us are..) they need straight answers they can genuinely feel and trust. Not get lost in the clouds.
While I admire the values and the good that’s that Christianity promotes, I can see how more and people are struggling with staying with it.
As another example you say “we don’t want to know what hell really is?”
I could be wrong but my guess that you say that because your assuming that hell is an actual place one goes if a person is not good, etc
The reason why you say that is because the words learned in the Bible have mistaken the context. Words that were written in ancient context. Of course you do not have to take my word for it… just back and read the scripture about all the references about what they meant by “hell” Gehenna, etc. It is an actual place outside of jersulam to keep waste under control. It is not sime horrific place you go after you die.
There’s plenty of hell right here on earth if you ask me.
That may be true, but there is an actual Hell after death as well.
Hi Brittany,
please state what you mean exactly by hell?
I’m assuming this is a personal belief of yours?
I just don’t understand how in America we have so much and third world countries have so little. Does God only love people in developed countries? I really struggle with that.
Thank you! I read that post and listened to the song and it made me cry! This instantly changed my perspective. Thanks again.
Awwwwww. Glad I could help! (That song always makes me want to cry too. And not just because I’m pregnant and EVERYTHING makes me cry either 🙂 )
Well, I am one of those constantly suffering. My brother practices witchcraft, and his life has been so lucky. I would rather be me, though. I read in the Bible that the sufferings of the righteous are many. I know it has brought me closer to God. I am looking forward to eternity. Does anyone know where in the Bible it says that people with great suffering will have a higher place in heaven? I know that those that suffer for Jesus’ sake will be elevated. Just don’t know about the other suffering.
I’m sorry to hear that 🙁 The first verse that comes to mind is James 1:2-4: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” but I think I’ll ask your question on my Facebook page and see if anyone on there knows. (They’re pretty smart 🙂 ) I’ll get back to you!
Okay, I asked on my Facebook page and didn’t get much response, which I am taking to mean that people don’t know of any verses like that. I’m not sure that it’s Biblical… Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/equippinggodlywomen/posts/821539431268872
This article may help as well: http://www.gotquestions.org/heavenly-crowns.html
2 Timothy 3:8-9 + 7; 2 Peter 2:4-9
Debbie, I’m so glad that you have a desire and willingness to serve God. Do a search of the New Testament for ‘crowns’ (most of them are in Revelation); those seem to be rewards for spiritual accomplishments (not all of them are for everyone).
Your brother, if he still has a desire to be a ‘good person’, needs serious prayer from someone experienced in spiritual warfare. Witchcraft is a serious affair to be entangled in, and the Enemy does not let practitioners walk away unopposed. All power comes with a price. 2 Peter 2:15 + 19-21
can you answer why God would allow
A newborn or a toddler to have a fatal
Disease when they never have had a
Chance to live Your answers do not fit
In these cases .
That is such a tough question, and probably the one that bothers me the most too. Honestly, I don’t know the answer, and I don’t know that anyone ever will. I do still feel as though the three answers fit though… 1. God didn’t create disease, Satan did. And even if the baby didn’t do anything wrong personally, mankind as a whole certainly has. 2. God still has a plan–so many people draw closer to God as a result of tragedy. Perhaps His plan wasn’t to give us a baby forever, but only to give us a baby for a while. He’s God; He can do that. and 3. God’s perspective is still greater than ours. I don’t know why this happens. I never will. All I know is I can’t listen to stories like these without bawling my eyeballs out! But I know, someday when we get to Heaven, it will all make sense. God isn’t a horrible mean God who is just messing with us. He has a plan; we just don’t see it yet.
Like when I won’t give my 2 year old chips for breakfast. To him, it really is the end of the world and he might throw a huge fit. But… as his mother, I know what is best. And as our Heavenly Father, God knows what it is best for us too.
I know that probably doesn’t answer your question, but hopefully it helps a little?
I know no one can give an answer to this but the creator but I have seen throughout these commentaries that it’s not God but Satan that is the cause of the evil and/or the man who has the absence of God that is responsible for all the evil in the world. My question is then who created the devil,where does he come from? We are taught is that Lucifer was once a this beautiful angel who was so upset at God for creating us kicked him/her out of heaven for his/her hatred for us. Satan was then allowed to what seem to be able to cut a side deal with God and touture and taunt man as much as he/she likes. My question is why allow the devil who was once on the side of good the opportunity to run a muck in our world and God allows it to happen? God is an all knowing spirit which has the ability to know things before it happens but allowed Satan to do what he/she does on a daily basis. Why not not at the first sight of the fool Satan cause of him/her reeking havoc cancel the devil/Satan out? God knew that his creation this once good angel was going to go rogue so why allow it to go this far as to allow this world to have the duality it now has? It is really inot free will because our lives are already planned out even with the alternate endings. We could blame Adam and Eve for not listening but once again who allowed the devil in the garden in the first place?God knew Satan would be there so perhaps that’s part of God’s design or plan for us;allowing the devil free reign to do as much as he/she can to disrupt human lives? This is the one question I have always wanted to know and perhaps I may never know in this life why God allows this evil spirit to do what it does daily. I truly love God with all my heart and even with all the things that has happened in my life good/bad I wake up and go to sleep praying but this is one question that has plagued and fustrated me for years and maybe I will get the answer in this life maybe not but it would sure be good to know why the devil has ability to run wild in God’s creation.
That is a very good question.
Brittany, Natalie,
I believe I have this answer. ?
Its a great question. (I asked this as a young child myself as I found a great need to make sense about what I was told and sense of clarity)
Another scenario that didn’t quite vibe with me was hell or Satan as this figure who was in turn created by god (i.e. to torture us, do as he pleases)
the Bible is written in an ancient context. So certain aspects can easily be taken out of context. Especially when it comes to the actual “story” of the devil, hell, what that actually *is* and what that actually *looks like*
So read this below. If the concept of “hell” itself (a supposed place you go to without end when you die) can be so easily mistaken… just Imagine how the story of your particular question your asking can also be mistaken as well.
Here’s what I mean:
Did you know that when Jesus spoke of “hell”, he actually spoke of Gehenna – the garbage dump outside of Jerusalem’s city gates where those with wretched lives seeked out an existence.
Johns illusion to the smoke as “forever and ever”…
Those words (forever and ever) in the old and new testament are used 57 times in reference to something that has ALREADY ENDED. In other words according to the bible forever and ever does not = “without end”
Having initially set out to disprove the concept of annihilationism for myself I began reading the Bible with an eye to the description of Gehenna and, quite surprisingly, ended up with the same verses mentioned in this article completely changing perspective.
Jesus used references to Gehenna as a vivid example of destruction, i.e., a metaphor for perishing. The fire was always burning in Gehenna but items in the fire do not continue to burn forever.
Furthermore, there is not even one verse in the entire Bible that teaches the supposed “immortality of the soul” doctrine so prevalent in most ‘Christian theology’
More examples:
The “lake of fire” …
John described the dramatic events that took place at the close of the millennium. He uses the same words as John and Peter (the earth) and the agent of the punishment (fire)
Hell: “Hell as a place of punishment will be this earth turned into a lake of fire at the day of Judgement”
According to the Bible it states that they will be punished according to their “works” however there is no set ‘quantifiable’ time. Noone can answer this question precisely because it’s not in the bible.
Issah says of that “fire” ” Behold, they shall be stubble, the fire shall burn them, they not shall not be able to deliver themselves from the power of that flame.
But Jeremiah also said: Jerusalem, will burn with a “fire” that would not be “quenched”. However… it indeed burned… and it indeed only went to ashes.
if you read carefully the bible itself uses the word “quench” differently than we use in our modern dictionary. It does not mean that the fire can or does NOT go out.
Did you know that Jesus never said “repent”. He used two words instead: Metanoeo and Metamellamai. These mean respectively – change your way of thinking and change your way of emoting.
Natalie I agree with you 100%.
People always want to see God as a God of love, only. He indeed is a Father who loves more deeply than we will ever know or comprehend. However, He is also a God of wrath.
The same God we have to today, is the same God we had in the Garden of Eden, with Noah and the ark where God killed almost everyone and everything He had ever created.
Our God is not only a God of love but also a God of wrath. And His sovereign plan consists of love and wrath.
The only reason why God allowed satan and ultimately sin to enter the world – was because of Jesus.
If there was no sin in the world, then there would have been no point for Jesus to exist, never mind coming to earth to suffer and be betrayed and die on a cross for the rest of the world.
We must not forget that Jesus is also part of Gods people. And so therefore, Jesus went through absolute pain and suffering under the plan of God. So too, we as people of God will also suffer pain and suffering. How beautiful is it to know that God will put His chosen people to the test so that He may prepare us for eternity with Him.
So the answers that I understand from the Bible, is that sin is in the world, because that’s the whole point of Jesus. To come and die for that sin so we can understand and appreciate Gods mercy on us when sinners like us are allowed in to heaven even though we were once filthy sinners
I’ve asked the very same question Natalie. I know that we don’t see things the way God sees things, but as our creator, wouldn’t it be unloving to keep us in the dark? Anyway, I refuse to believe God is as cryptic and mysterious as many make him out to be. If God had just wiped Satan out the moment he challenged his authority in the Garden of Eden, that would have taken care of Satan specifically but the challenge would have still hung in the air, so to speak, and another one of the myriads of angels would have no doubt taken Satan’s place. God hates the suffering and is hurt by it, but he’s allowing enough time to pass for mankind to prove Satan a liar with respect to God’s right to rule. Think about it, humans have now exhausted literally nearly all conceivable forms of rule or government, continually “dominating man to his injury.” When God finally puts an end to Satan and restores everything to his original purpose, we and the angels will have no doubt that God is the sovereign and has the right to rule. There will be no more need to put up with suffering. We’re so close to that time!
Natalie, I have grappled with this question myself, and have decided that it is one of God’s mysteries. The bible doesn’t teach us everything, only the essentials. Some truth is not vitally important. Other truth is not comprehensible to us as earthly creatures. Still other truth can be harmful and so God conceals it from us. I think this question is all three. I laid it to rest with a couple thoughts from my favourite author:
“There is no reason that a man with perfect balance riding a bicycle on a smooth level plain should fall – but he might.” -Mere Christianity
“Why do you care what sins a star can commit?” -Voyage of the Dawn Treader
C.S. Lewis
P.S. If you’ve never read Mere Christianity, it may help with your struggle. Lewis was an intellectual and a powerful defender of the faith.
So, how does this fit in?
Isaiah 45:7 in the King James Version says “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create EVIL: I the LORD do all these thing.”
I have always wondered about this!
That is a fantastic question. I honestly have no idea. Perhaps something is missing in the translation?
Exactly : )
Ellen God dose not allow disease it man’s fault for this we live in a polluted and diseased world God dose not put burden’s on us get your King James Bible and go to Jeremiah 23:35,36, Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered ? and, What hath the LORD spoken? And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.
A-men
Well, God may not cause it, but he DOES allow it. Just look at Job. Satan came to God for His permission to bring harm to Job. God is still in absolute control over everything and could stop anything at any time.
John 9:1-3
Some people suffering is caused by their own sins, some by the sins of others, and some suffering is undeserved (like that of Job) not to punish or correct, but to show others the greatness of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. To me this kind of suffering brings a special blessing on those who go through it with a pure heart.
Just because we see no reason or purpose doesn’t mean God doesn’t have one.
I Chronicles 16;9a; I Samuel 16:7b
my dear Brittany
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this, but as the above lady said ” your answer do not fit in some cases) ,sorry to say that.
I myself is a believer, a born again but I haven’t understood yet this part of why does God allow suffering, I can understand why He allowed suffering of adult, who can make choices, but why allow suffering of children, infants, and I am not talking about hunger , mostly is the suffering inflicted by abusive and pedophile care giver, weather they are the real parents or the other partner, I cannot imagine the pain Baby Brianna Lopatz has on the hands of her mom, father and uncle, YES I do know she is in heaven now in much better place being carried in the arms of The Lord, but sure she suffered aloooot while they were pinching, biting, throwing her from wall to wall , to ceiling and let her fall on the floor. They do suffer , believe me emotionally and physically.
I do have a gorgeous boy 2.5 with Down syndrome, it’s not easy to be extremely sleep deprived all the time, and running from one appointment to next, and caring for another boy with 5 years, SO sometimes I am at the end of my robe, and I get disconnected from him, days like that, my son is NOT HAPPY AT ALL, I can see the hurt in his eyes, which wakes me. They get hurt , great deal believe me .
BLESSINGS
I think the distinction is between God causing things and allowing things. God doesn’t cause our hurts, but he does allow them. Why? Because we have free will. God could have created us all to be robots and to always do the right thing, but he didn’t. That wouldn’t be love if we loved Him back because we didn’t have a choice. Instead, he created us as humans who are prone to error (oh, so prone to error at times!). And unfortunately, so often our human tendencies DO cause us to hurt others, or to cause events that cause others to be born with illnesses, sicknesses, conditions, etc. Yes, God could wipe out all suffering, but He would have to wipe out free will as well…
I’m struggling with one of your answers.
“But, personally, I try to live the life He wants for me anyways, so He doesn’t have to use a serious wake-up call to get my attention!
Correct me if I’m wrong but it REALLY sounds like you are saying that a lot of suffering is our indirect fault…because we weren’t living the way God wanted us to live so he had to give us a “wake-up” call, that if we had only been more faithful, more holy, more trusting, better people, that we wouldn’t have had the suffering and the “wake-up” call.
I don’t think that’s right. Lots of people try to live the life God wants them to, and are holy and trusting and still have serious suffering.
Allow me to clarify. I’m not saying that our suffering is always our fault by any means, only that it CAN be our fault. That is one of the options. The same way as how you discipline your kids–sometimes you have to give them undesirable consequences to get their attention and to get them to stop doing a harmful or negative behavior. I believe God does the same with us. Some bad things just happen for reasons we will never know. And Sometimes they are allowed as wake-up calls. Does that make more sense?
None of these make any sense. “And it was good.” His versions of things are different from ours, right? How do you know that God isn’t actually an anarchist and saw how badly humans were going to crap on Earth and thought “Yeah, that’s what I was going for. Now let’s just sit back and watch the show unfold.” I mean, he destroyed everything Jobe had all to win a prideful, pointless bet against Lucifer. I also thought God is omniscient and omnipotent. I thought he has a plan for everyone and he knows our thoughts. If so, he would have known Eve was going to eat the fruit and all that would ensue. Isn’t it kind of messed up to make every single person that came after Adam and Eve suffer for their doing? Which, by the way, was simply him telling them not to eat fruit from a particular tree for no other reason than to display his authority over them, and then throwing a massive tantrum because they didn’t do what he demanded of them. And I find it hard to believe that the ONLY reason we’re alive is to bow down and swear our allegiance to a power hungry dictator who demands us to give him complete control over us, and if we don’t, we get thrown in a concentration camp for eternity.
Are you also really telling me that God’s plan isn’t my own, so I just don’t understand? That’s not an answer to the question of why God allows suffering. That’s a cliche that people go to when they don’t have a real answer… as is “have faith”. How is that a’real answer’ to the question? It’s not.
So basically your first answer is full of holes and the other two are the same answer phrased differently that aren’t really answers at all. Nice try, but I give a D+ for effort.
That’s a very interesting question. I suppose God *could* be an angry, power-hungry dictator in the sky, but when given a choice between believing that and believing He’s actually a loving God who is looking out for us even when we don’t know it, do you have any evidence that the first one is more likely?
Also–God didn’t “tell them not to eat fruit from a particular tree for no other reason than to display his authority over them, and then throw a massive tantrum because they didn’t do what he demanded of them.” Rather, He said “this isn’t good for you; don’t do it” and they chose not to listen. Therefore they chose the consequences.
If God was really mean and spiteful, He could have said “well fine then, you get what you deserve!” But instead, He sent His one and only son to die for them to take their punishment. I don’t know if you have kids or not, but can you even imagine sacrificing one for someone else? Someone who turned their back on you? I sure can’t! I don’t even want to think about anything happening to my kids!
Also, “we get thrown in a concentration camp for eternity” — I don’t think God really damns us to Hell as much as He gives us a choice. We have free will. We can choose to love God, or we can choose to reject God. We don’t have to earn His love or be good enough or do anything at all to merit it; we just have to accept it. That sounds like pretty easy conditions to me! And yet, not everyone is interested. So, to those people who say, “no thanks,” God says “well, that’s your choice.” He isn’t going to force anyone to go to Heaven who doesn’t want to be there.
Hopefully that helps at least a little?
Hi Jessica, do you believe that God created a son whereby a virgin Mary gave birth to Him and named Him Jesus. And then that Son roamed the earth as a human being and then died for our sins on the cross. And then 3 days later rose again?
Do you believe this to be true?
“To see a man do a thing and to make him do it are not the same thing.”
“The gates of hell are locked from the INSIDE.”
Your rant suggests you are not finding holes, but poking them by attributing nefarious motives to God. You may believe whatever you will to believe, but you do not seem to understand and accept the book of the Christian faith – I think if you did you would find most of your comments to be erroneous.
Hi Huntington,
I believe there is a difference between belief
and merely getting common sense facts and understandings ironed out for the sake of clarity.
And personally I believe the Bible was meant to tell stories and to learn valuable lessons from those stories.
But can I say those events actually happened? Of course not.
I wasn’t there for one…
next…
Don’t ya think it’s a bit of a stretch to suggest that all of mankind would then suffer for the mistake of a bitten apple?
And to think the entire world was populated from there by whom? “Adam & Eve?” Really?
But then again.. some would say look around.. everything tells.. what we see is in fact of god ?
Hi Heather.
I go by Hunting, or Targ (some people call me Hunt); its been my handle on the internet for a couple decades now. I will attribute ‘Huntington’ to a misread.
The viewpoint you describe is, literally, Sadistic. The Marquis de Sade was known for his powerful attraction to the infliction of pain, often in connection with sexual activity. He disavowed the idea of a divine creator, and in his writings summed up his viewpoint this way: “What is, is right.” Basically he means whatever actually happens is commendable simply by having happened. Under that viewpoint not only are compassion and charity and acting for the greater good ‘right’, but so are labor camps, child armies, genocide, slavery, torture…
I think I’ve made my point. Saying ‘look around, what we see is of God’ basically asserts that God is an a-moral agent, with no concern for the experiences or destinies of the creatures in his universe. Although I suspect you understood that.
Adam and Eve. Yes, really. The Judeo-Christian view of the world is that God made it perfect, and by severing their spiritual connection with Him the Father and Mother of the human species unlocked the degenerative principle of Entropy, and so the universe began to (slowly) wind down like a spring-driven clock. According to one theory they were made with perfect, flawless DNA, no mutations or abnormalities, and it took millennia of errors and outside interference to produce the medical problems we know today; birth and developmental defects, cancer, many progressive degeneracy disorders, and the host of pathogens that prey upon other organisms – all explainable through Natural Selection, once you take the hypothetical ‘initial conditions.’
No, it’s not a stretch at all. The God of Judaism and Christianity is a God described, among other things, as being Holy, and Just, and intolerant of evil. If there is such a being, who created the universe according to a design, does he have no right or cause to take issue with anyone who tries to tamper with that design?
The Christians call the teachings about Jesus the Gospel, lit. ‘Good News.’ And it has often been said that the Good News makes no sense without the bad news; that being, specifically, that the entire human race was doomed by the sinful actions of its first two members. We are doomed, not strictly on account of our conduct (which, if we look honestly at ourselves and God’s standards, is not as flawless as we want to think), but doomed because we are -faulty- we all come into the world with a flawed nature. And we can be redeemed, not on our own account, but on Jesus the Messiah’s account. It is literally as simple as it was in a currently popular Disney film: “I … was wrong, I have no excuse. I’m sorry.”
If you simply want to call the Bible stories, on that account you can call all of history ‘stories’, because, “well -I- wasn’t there…” What is called history is based on the strength of evidence, not simply speculation and conjecture. One archaeologist put it this way: “There are ruins that have never been excavated, not because we can’t, or because we don’t want to, but because -=nothing has been written about them.=-” As a race and a species, we only know what we tell ourselves through writing; literature is for the future, artefacts are for the time in which they were made. And if you look at the evidence (and not what people SAY about the evidence), there is more to indicate that the events of the bible, specifically the events of the New Testament, actually happened than for any other place or period of history. Ever.
I’m not telling you what to think. I’m not telling you what to believe. I’m just asking, inviting you to think and believe for yourself, not on someone else’s say-so. It’s a long-term prospect, but I promise you it’s a good investment; the more you put in, the more you’ll get out.
Best wishes;
Hunting . Targ
Thank you for this explanation! I’m 14 years old now and I’m abused when I was younger. So even though people thought I was too young to think about these questions, I did. And I still find it hard, but I know God is a good Father. When I was 7 and I was being abused I cried to God for help, I prayed so much. Nothing really happened. I didn’t understood it, why does God doesn’t help me while everyone tells me God loves me and wants to help me? Now the abuse stopped and I got stronger. I still don’t understand why it happened because I was a kid and I really loved God. After it I actually didn’t want to pray or go to church anymore. I learned that God will turn all broken things into something beautiful, that’s what I believe. But there is one thing where I have difficulty with, to be open to God. To show my struggles, pain, my heart to Him. Do you have any tips? (I’m sorry for my English, I’m not born in an English country)
I am so, so sorry to hear that, but it’s absolutely fantastic that you’ve been able to take such a positive approach! I actually have a guest post lined up that will address this exact issue, but it probably won’t publish for a couple more weeks. I will send you the link when it goes live!
love This!! I’m struggling with faith sometimes and this just made everything clear’ thank you!
So glad I could encourage you today, Matilda! And don’t worry, struggling is perfectly okay and normal. We all do it sometimes 🙂
Thank you for such a beautiful post. These are hard questions to answer, when you are sharing your faith, but l believe you have given many readers some wonderful insight, to share.
Thanks, Kim. Definitely one of the hardest questions to answer, in my opinion, but also one of the most important for many people!