Why does God allow suffering and evil?
Scripture does not explain every instance, but it shows that evil entered the world through human rebellion, that God is so sovereign He can work even through evil for good, that He shares our suffering in Christ, and that one day He will wipe away every tear. Suffering is not meaningless to God.
This question arose from studying What does it mean that the world hates Jesus?.
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What the Scripture says
Evil entered through human rebellion, not from God
The world God made was good: 'God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good.' Sin and its curse entered through Adam's disobedience, and 'through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin.' Suffering is an intruder into a good creation, not God's original design.
God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to your wife’s voice, and ate from the tree, about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ the ground is cursed for your sake. You will eat from it with much labor all the days of your life. It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field. By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Therefore as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned.
Much suffering is not punishment for personal sin
When asked about a man born blind, Jesus said plainly: 'Neither did this man sin, nor his parents, but that the works of God might be revealed in him.' The world is broken, and 'time and chance happen to all.' Not every pain is a verdict.
His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him.
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.
that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
God works even through evil for good
Joseph, betrayed and imprisoned, said of his brothers: 'As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.' Paul assures us that 'all things work together for good for those who love God.' Suffering, to the believer, is never outside God's redeeming hand.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive.
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.
Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering works perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope: and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
God shares our suffering in Christ
We do not serve a distant God. He was 'a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief'; He 'wept' at Lazarus's tomb; He 'can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities,' having been tempted as we are. He is 'the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction.'
He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.
Jesus wept.
For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Suffering is not forever, and it is not meaningless
One day God 'will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor pain.' Our present suffering works for us 'an eternal weight of glory' far beyond all comparison. The story does not end in the valley.
He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”
For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;
But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.
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Verses to meditate on
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”
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