Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People and Good Things Happen to Bad People?

One of the biggest questions theologians, ministers, and laypeople alike have grappled with since the beginnings of Christianity, is why bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people.

The most important thing we must understand in the midst of suffering is that God is not to blame.

Blaming God for our suffering only causes us to drift away from Him at the very times when we need Him the most. But isn't God all-powerful? Isn't He capable of stopping wrong from happening?

Years ago, when I was grappling with this same issue, someone asked me a question that shed new light on this subject. I have never forgotten it, and now, I will pass it on to you: Has God ever stopped you from hurting someone else? Most likely, He hasn't. Why not? Because you have a free will, and God created us with the gift of being able to make our own choices.

That is one of the major things that separates us from the animal kingdom. We don't act merely on a set of impulses and instincts. We act based upon our intellect and our moral compass.

Because we each inherited a sin nature from Adam and Eve, sometimes we have a skewed view of right and wrong. The sin nature causes selfishness, which is the opposite of love.

Romans 13:10 says that love is the fulfillment of the law, because it does no harm to its neighbor. If love is the absence of selfishness, and selfishness is the opposite of love, then it would be fair to say that selfishness is the root of all sin.

When we sin, we are not always aware of who we are hurting, just as others who sin are not always aware that they are hurting us. Of course, there are times when others hurt us knowingly, but again, that can be traced to selfishness.

So sin is a huge reason for some of the hurts good people endure. Please note that we do not necessarily suffer directly on account of our own sin. Certainly, there are times when our suffering is a consequence of our own sin, but this discussion is regarding innocent suffering.

The second major reason for suffering is because the devil currently has dominion over the world. We have covered this previously in the book, but as a review, there are two places in Scripture which show this.

The first is in Matthew 4:7-8, where Satan tempted Jesus by offering to give Him all the kingdoms of the world if He would only worship him (Satan). Although Satan is a liar, he is also a strategist, and he most likely would not have offered this to the Son of God were it not within his power to give it, and had it not been a tempting proposition for Jesus.

The devil was playing on Jesus' compassion for the world, and may even have shown him some of the suffering in the world when he showed him the kingdoms of the world.

Fortunately, you don't have to take Satan's word for it. This is verified in Ephesians 2:2 and Ephesians 6:10-12. These Scriptures call the devil the "prince of the power of the air," and reference his army as powers, principalities, and rulers of the darkness of this age.

How can this be? This is the consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God gave man dominion, but we gave that dominion away when we sinned against Him.

The good news is that we regain dominion by becoming a Christian. However, becoming a Christian doesn't take us out of this world. It gives us authority over the evil spirits in Jesus' name, but even Jesus suffered at the hands of evil men, many of whom were influenced by the devil and evil spirits. As long as we are in the world, the devil and his minions will never stop strategizing against us.

This is why innocent people suffer in general. I realize the answer is inadequate, in that it doesn't address specific situations. No one can answer the questions of why God intervenes in some cases and not in others.

My own mother was in a car accident that killed her instantly. A short time later, I heard about someone else in a similar accident who was miraculously spared. It was obvious God had intervened. Why does He save one person and not the other?

I've been aware of situations in which parents have tried for years to have a baby, and after finally having that miracle baby, it died at a young age from cancer or leukemia.

I don't know why things like these happen, but I do know that God loves us and gives us the grace we need to get through it all.

I don't know why good people die before their time, when they could have accomplished great things for Christ.

I don't know God rescues some children from suffering, and not others.

I don't know why God allows good people into situations where they are cheated.

To make matters worse, many times, wicked people prosper, enabling them to heap additional suffering upon the innocent. Throughout the book of Psalms, David questioned God about this. Why can't blessing be reserved for the good?

I don't know, but I do know that from an eternal point of view, those who follow Christ will have eternal rewards. At the same time, the wicked face eternal damnation.

One way to cope with seeing the evil prosper while the good suffer is the knowledge that this is the closest to heaven they will ever get.

I am never glad to see an evil person pass away, because I could never wish hell upon anyone. It is going to be more awful than any of us could ever imagine, and it is going to last forever. Whatever good they experienced in this life will pale in comparison. There is no way out.

While this does not make it easier to deal with our own hurt, replacing envy or jealousy with compassion will ease the burden we carry, and it will give us a heart like God's.

Seed Newsvine

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