Why do bad things happen? We could add ‘to good people’, but our struggle is really with the question ‘Why does God allow’? When Bruce asked me to write on this, I realized that no single piece, no series of essays could provide the answer we crave. The ‘Why’ is tougher than boot leather, and mankind has been chewing on it for more than 6,000 years as a central question of theology, philosophy, literature and barbershop discussions.
We classify the study as a part of theology called ‘theodicy’, or ‘Why do the righteous suffer’? Amazon has over 100 books claiming an answer; more are available elsewhere. Are there so many because none provides the answer so desperately essential to our souls. Looking at this is kind of like viewing a sculpture: we all see something similar but slightly different due to our perspective. Eyes at different heights, lighting changes, standing at assorted angles and varying distances. Most important is that we each bring a different set of ideals and presuppositions coloring what we see.
If we could fit the causes of suffering neatly into categories, we might find them easier to accept. We may be willing to recognize the conceptual categories of accidental, intentional and the supernatural, but how does recognizing them answer our burning question of ‘Why’? Accidents are accidents, but Why does a loving, caring God allow an accident to permanently injure, disfigure and maim?
We see the intentional through the horrors of war, mass shootings and criminal activity, yet the question still boils down to: Why would a loving, caring, omnipotent God 1allow this to happen? We agonize over the ‘Why’ as we beg for an explanation to fit neatly and tidily into our sphere of what should be Godly. Why doesn’t God just eliminate evil? Is He so powerless that He created evil and sin so powerful He cannot control it?
But wait a second: God will destroy evil. In Revelation 3:12 and chapter 21 He promises to create a new heaven and a new earth, where pain and suffering are eliminated for the rest of eternity. He could do it right now in a split second! Why doesn’t He? When that happens, God re-creates not only the heaven and earth, but all mankind into the men and women He designed and intended us to be since before time began. But the freedom we now experience in glorifying Him can only be freedom so long as there is also freedom to sin. Without the freedom to willingly glorify Him and choose not to sin, we would only be marionettes dancing at His whim as He pulls our strings. Freedom of choice guarantees we are truly glorifying God, but unfortunately it also, by His definition, allows bad things to happen to good people through man’s freedom to choose to defy Him in sin.
What about external causes? We see the external in both diseases and the supernatural. The supernatural, ungodly cause of bad things is seen in Job 1 and 2 as Satan tries to hurt God. Part of our problem with accepting the external might be found when we realize that Satan tries to hurt us and God by planting the idea that God is the cause of bad things by His action or inaction. Satan wants us to question how God could live with Himself while people suffer with diseases like cancer. How can He continue to claim He is a loving, caring God? But here is an obscure point here we tend to overlook: while Satan can and does afflict the body and affect the mind of both believers and the Godly, he cannot touch our soul. 500,000 years, 50,000 years, even 5000 years from now these will no longer matter. Paul saw this in Romans 8:4 observing “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us”.
The Psalmist tells us in 34:19 “many are the afflictions of the righteous”. Jesus proclaims in Matthew 5:11-12 that we are to “rejoice and be exceedingly glad” when Satan and the world does bad things to us as believers. Bad things happen to the Godly as a sign that we are centered in His specific plan for each of us and prove how much Satan and the world hates us for trusting God. Luke tells us in Acts 14:21-22 that Paul and Barnabus preached that a believer’s entrance into God’s kingdom is through our many trials and tribulations. Romans 5:3-4 has Paul writing that we are to glory in our tribulations because they are part of our growth process, just like going to school grows our mind or the gym lets us exercise for physical growth or health maintenance. In 2 Corinthians 6:4-10, Paul says that bad things are proof of our Godly ministry and we are to “commend” ourselves for the bad we experience. 2 Thessalonians 1:4 tells clergy to boast of our tribulations to other churches, while James 1:2-4 tells us to be joyful when trials and tribulations happen, since they bring about Godly growth and benefits. James does not say happy, but joyful. Is joy easy in the middle of pain? Of course not! But having joy while working through the bad is possible: happiness can never be found in the middle of bad. Happiness depends on the external circumstances surrounding the event while joy comes from knowing our heart is in the correct state of being, no matter what the event or the circumstances.
Human nature wants to demand the answer to ‘Why’ as a precondition of ‘How’ we handle the situation. But we forget God telling Isaiah “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways”. Since it is impossible for us to think the same way God does, we can fall into depression when bad things appear inevitable and unavoidable in lives. We can even slip past depression and descend into despair, where we want to give up, questioning our faith, our salvation and even God’s character.
We may feel guilty for not being more spiritual and Godly when we feel the need to ask the question why. The reason for the need is called human nature. Remember Jesus in the garden asking God why. Why did it have to be this way? Any way other than crucifixion? If the human nature of Jesus, God Incarnate, could honestly and humbly ask His Father why, we should never feel shame or guilt for saying God, I just don’t understand. Why?’ His problem with us is never when we ask honest questions: His problem is when we raise our fist in defiant anger and demand He answer us ‘WHY’. We can grow in the experience. It seems that more often sooner rather than later I come into contact with someone needing to talk about the same thing I am dealing with. At least part of experiencing bad things seems to be that God tries to teach us how to help each other as we all deal with the same issues. Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 says that nothing is ever new. The underlying parts of all issues, both large and small that we face daily have been faced by mankind every day for more than 6000 years.
Our attitude has a large impact on whether we choose to live in depression, despair or growth. Help with that perspective can come from a friend, the pastor or a qualified professional. Talking with a completely neutral outside 3rd party who is interested only in our well-being rather than in trying to preserve a relationship may provide us with the best help. But we must remember that we do not think the same way God does, so we are by definition incapable of understanding some things even if He tried to explain them to us, no matter how desperately we want to understand.
by Mark Ellis
Bro. Bruce Rudd will be preaching a series in November 2022 on Why Bad Things Happen.