Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Suffering is not punishment from God for the sins of humanity

The ancients thought that, if something bad happened to someone, it must have been because that person had done something to bring God’s wrath down upon him. Generally, it was assumed that only a sinner would be made to suffer in this life. That was the view of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, but Job could not think of anything he had done to prompt the Lord to inflict upon him the loss of his riches, his children and his health (Job 16:1,2). In Jesus’ day, people still held on to similar beliefs. On one occasion, the Lord addressed the issue, when some who were with Him told Him about some people from Galilee, who were killed by order of Pontius Pilate, while making a sacrifice at the Temple in Jerusalem (Luke 13:1). Jesus said, “Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:2-3). Then, Christ brought up another example: “Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:4-5). With the word, “I tell you, Nay,” the Son of God forever dispelled the notion that human suffering is punishment from God for the sins of humanity. There are many reasons why bad things happen to good people, and we would do well to learn about them.

People Suffer Because of Their Own Sins

This suffering is not necessarily punishment from God for their sin, but it is simply the result of the consequences of a particular sinful activity. For example, when people commit the sin of fornication (Hebrews 13:4), they run the risk of contracting a deadly illness, or creating an unintended pregnancy. People who commit fornication may be forgiven by God for the sin they have committed, but they still have to deal with the consequences of their actions—maybe for the rest of their lives on Earth. King David provides us with an excellent example of this point. He committed fornication with Bathsheba and an unintended pregnancy resulted from their sin (2 Samuel 11:1-5). When David’s attempts to cover up what he had done failed, he arranged for Bathsheba’s husband to be killed on the field of battle, so he could then take her to be his wife (2 Samuel 11:6-27). The prophet Nathan reminded David he had not gotten away with anything and David begged the Lord for mercy (2 Samuel 12:1-13a). Even though the Lord forgave David for his sin, he still had to bear the consequences of his action (2 Sam. 12:10,13b-14). The result was that David’s sin with Bathsheba had a profound impact upon the rest of his life (Psalm 51:3b).

People Suffer Because of the Sins of Others

When a thief steals something precious from someone, or an abuser assaults someone, or a murderer takes away someone’s life, innocent people suffer. In such cases, the victim may have done absolutely nothing to provoke the incident, but he suffers just the same. The slain Galileans mentioned in Luke 13 are a good example of this principle. Jesus specified that they did not suffer because of their own sins (Luke 13:2-3). They were simply the victims of a ruthless Roman governor, who sought to impose his will upon the Jews. When something like this happens, in the modern world, it is always a terrible tragedy, but it is not necessarily a punishment from God. People Suffer and it is Not Anyone’s Fault People suffer terrible losses of life and property in natural disasters almost every day. Such losses occur through no fault of their own, or anyone else, but they still happen. The people who perished in the tower in Siloam are a good example of this principle (Luke 13:4-5). They died because gravity pulled the tower down upon them. Natural forces, like gravity, work to keep the world in which we live operating in the way that is most beneficial for us. Sometimes, those same forces can bring suffering into our lives, but most of the time they do not. This kind of suffering is not punishment from God, but merely the forces of nature doing what they were designed to do.

Our Lord wants what is best for us – He does not delight in human suffering

Some believe that God delights in human suffering, but nothing could be further from the truth (2 Peter 3:9). Our Lord wants what is best for us, and He urges us to resist temptation, so we will not have to suffer its consequences, or cause anyone else to suffer, either. When suffering does come into our lives (And it surely will), God enables us to cope with it, through the comforting wisdom that can only be found in the Bible (Psalm 119:50). Some argue that God does not exist, because of the suffering that goes on in the world. But if God removes suffering from our lives, but not the lives of others, then it could be argued that He is not being fair (Romans 2:11). If God removed suffering from all of us, then what would be the point of life on Earth? It has been said that suffering exists on Earth to make people want to go to Heaven—for in Heaven “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying…” (Revelation 21:4).