A. Last Friday, we considered the question Did God create evil?
B. Tonight, we want to look at another question, “What is the purpose of evil?”
C. Before that, however … a recap of some of the points we noticed last time …
- We noted that there is a passage in the Bible, where God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, says “I … create evil.” See Isaiah 45:7.
- We also noted, however, that while the verse is rendered that way in the KJV and some others versions, it is rendered differently in other verstions. According to the TLB, for example, the verse reads, “I form the light and make the dark. I send good times and bad. I, Jehovah, am he who does these things.”
- The reason for the difference, I believe, is that the idea of God creating evil is not consistent with a the idea of a God who is not just loving, but LOVE in essence. (1 John 4:8, 16)
- In addition, we noted that, according to the Genesis account, everything that God created was good. (Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25 … Genesis 1:31). In view of that, according to one article we read, evil is nothing more than the absence of good.
- My understanding … What God created was not evil, but … the potential for evil … and He created it once He gave Man free moral agency. The message of Isaiah 45:7, then, is NOT that God created evil, BUT that God is in control of all that happens (whether good or bad).
For those who are interested in visiting the subject more fulsomely, there are several articles available online that can help, including the once we reviewed last time. Notice the links below …
Why does Isaiah 45:7 say that God created evil?
Where was God on September 11?
What is the purpose of evil?
We live in a world of pain and suffering. There is no one who is not affected by the harsh realities of life … and the question “Why do bad things happen to good people?” is one of the most difficult questions in all of theology. God is sovereign, so all that happens must have at least been allowed by Him, if not directly caused by Him. At the outset, we must acknowledge that human beings, who are not eternal, infinite, or omniscient, cannot expect to fully understand God’s purposes and ways.
The book of Job deals with the issue of why God allows bad things to happen to good people. Job was a righteous man (Job 1:1), yet he suffered in ways that are almost beyond belief. God allowed Satan to do everything he wanted to Job except kill him, and Satan did his worst. What was Job’s reaction? “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15). “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21). Job did not understand why God had allowed the things He did, but he knew God was good and therefore continued to trust in Him. Ultimately, that should be our reaction as well.
Why do bad things happen to good people? As hard as it is to acknowledge, we must remember that there are no “good” people, in the absolute sense of the word. All of us are tainted by and infected with sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8). As Jesus said, “No one is good — except God alone” (Luke 18:19). All of us feel the effects of sin in one way or another. Sometimes it’s our own personal sin; other times, it’s the sins of others. We live in a fallen world, and we experience the effects of the fall. One of those effects is injustice and seemingly senseless suffering.
When wondering why God would allow bad things to happen to good people, it’s also good to consider these four things about the bad things that happen:
1) Bad things may happen to good people in this world, but this world is not the end. Christians have an eternal perspective:
“We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18).
We will have a reward some day, and it will be glorious.
2) Bad things happen to good people, but God uses those bad things for an ultimate, lasting good.
“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
When Joseph, innocent of wrongdoing, finally came through his horrific sufferings, he was able to see God’s good plan in it all (see Genesis 50:19–21).
3) Bad things happen to good people, but those bad things equip believers for deeper ministry.
“Praise be to . . . the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:3–5).
Those with battle scars can better help those going through battles.
4) Bad things happen to good people, and the worst things happened to the best Person. Jesus was the only truly Righteous One, yet He suffered more than we can imagine. We follow in His footsteps:
“If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:20–23).
Jesus is no stranger to our pain.
Romans 5:8 declares, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Despite the sinful nature of the people of this world, God still loves us. Jesus loved us enough to die to take the penalty for our sins (Romans 6:23). If we receive Jesus Christ as Savior (John 3:16; Romans 10:9), we will be forgiven and promised an eternal home in heaven (Romans 8:1).
God allows things to happen for a reason. Whether or not we understand His reasons, we must remember that God is good, just, loving, and merciful (Psalm 135:3). Often, bad things happen to us that we simply cannot understand. Instead of doubting God’s goodness, our reaction should be to trust Him.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6).
We walk by faith, not by sight.
To summarize the main points …
1) Bad things may happen to good people in this world, but this world is not the end. Christians have an eternal perspective:
2) Bad things happen to good people, but God uses those bad things for an ultimate, lasting good.
3) Bad things happen to good people, but those bad things equip believers for deeper ministry.
4) Bad things happen to good people, and the worst things happened to the best Person.
God allows things to happen for a reason. Whether or not we understand His reasons, we must remember that God is good, just, loving, and merciful (Psalm 135:3).
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- Often, bad things happen to us that we simply cannot understand.
- Instead of doubting God’s goodness, our reaction should be to trust Him.
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“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6).
Why does God allow innocent people to suffer?
There is so much suffering in the world, and it is felt by everyone to one degree or another. Sometimes, people suffer as the direct result of their own poor choices, sinful actions, or willful irresponsibility;
- in those cases, we see the truth of Proverbs 13:15, “The way of the treacherous is their ruin” (ESV).
- But what about the victims of the treachery?
- What about the innocent who suffer? Why would God allow that?
It is human nature to try to find a correlation between bad behavior and bad circumstances and, conversely, between good behavior and blessings. The desire to link sin to suffering is so strong that Jesus dealt with the issue at least twice.
“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” (John 9:1–3).
The disciples made the mistake of assuming that the innocent would never suffer and assigned personal guilt to the blind man (or to his parents). Jesus corrected their thinking, saying, “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (verse 3). The man’s blindness was not the result of personal sin; rather, God had a higher purpose for the suffering.
Another time, Jesus commented on the deaths of some people killed in an accident: “Those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them — do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:4–5).
In this case, Jesus again discounted the notion that tragedy and suffering are the result of personal sin. At the same time, Jesus emphasized the fact that we live in a world full of sin and its effects; therefore, everyone must repent.
This brings us to the consideration of whether such a thing as “the innocent,” technically speaking, even exists. According to the Bible, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Therefore, no one is “innocent” in the sense of being sinless. We were all born with a sinful nature, inherited from Adam. And, as we’ve already seen, everyone suffers, regardless of whether or not the suffering can be linked to a specific personal sin. Sin’s effects permeate everything; the world is fallen, and all creation suffers as a result (Romans 8:22).
Most heartbreaking of all is the suffering of a child. Children are as close to innocence as we ever see in this world, and for them to suffer is truly tragic.
- Sometimes, innocent children suffer because of the sin of others: neglect, abuse, drunk-driving, etc. In those cases, we can definitely say that the suffering is the result of personal sin (just not theirs), and we learn the lesson that our sin always affects others around us.
- Other times, innocent children suffer because of what some might call “acts of God”: natural disasters, accidents, childhood cancer, etc. Even in those cases, we can say that the suffering is the result of sin, generally speaking, because we live in a sinful world.
The good news is that God did not leave us here to suffer pointlessly. Yes, the innocent suffer (see Job 1–2), but God can redeem that suffering. Our loving and merciful God has a perfect plan to use that suffering to accomplish His threefold purpose.
- First, He uses pain and suffering to draw us to Himself so that we will cling to Him. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Trials and distress are not something unusual in life; they are part of what it means to be human in a fallen world. In Christ we have an anchor that holds fast in all the storms of life, but, if we never sail into those storms, how would we know that? It is in times of despair and sorrow that we reach out to Him, and, if we are His children, we always find Him there waiting to comfort and uphold us through it all. In this way, God proves His faithfulness to us and ensures that we will stay close to Him. An added benefit is that as we experience God’s comfort through trials, we are then able to comfort others in the same way (2 Corinthians 1:4).
- Second, He uses suffering and pain (which are inevitable in this life) to prove to us that our faith is real. How we respond to suffering, especially when we are innocent of wrongdoing, is determined by the genuineness of our faith. Those with faith in Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2), will not be crushed by suffering but will come through the trial with their faith intact, having been “tested by fire” so that it “may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7, ESV). The faithful do not shake their fists at God or question His goodness; rather, they “consider it pure joy” (James 1:2), knowing that trials prove that they are truly the children of God. “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).
- Finally, God uses suffering to take our eyes off this world and turn them to the next. The Bible continually exhorts us to not get caught up in the things of this world but to look forward to the world to come. The innocent suffer in this world, but this world and all that is in it will pass away; the kingdom of God is eternal. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36), and those who follow Him do not see the things of this life, good or bad, as the end of the story. Even the sufferings we endure, as terrible as they can be, “are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
Could God prevent all suffering? Of course He could. But He assures us that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, KJV).
Suffering — even the suffering of the innocent — is part of the “all things” that God is using to accomplish His good purposes, ultimately.
His plan is perfect, His character is flawless, and those who trust Him will not be disappointed.
CLOSING SONG
CLOSING PRAYER
1) this world is not the end.
2) God uses those bad things for an ultimate, lasting good.
3) those bad things equip believers for deeper ministry.
4) the worst things happened to the best Person.
God allows things to happen for a reason. Whether or not we understand His reasons, we must remember that God is good, just, loving, and merciful (Psalm 135:3).
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- Often, bad things happen to us that we simply cannot understand.
- Instead of doubting God’s goodness, our reaction should be to trust Him.
-
He assures us that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, KJV).
Suffering — even the suffering of the innocent — is part of the “all things” that God is using to accomplish His good purposes, ultimately.
His plan is perfect, His character is flawless, and those who trust Him will not be disappointed.