“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned”(Romans 5:12 NKJV)

If God is both good and all-powerful then why do people suffer?  This is not only a question that a lot of people have asked; it is an excuse that people often use to deny the existence of God.  You see, if God is good then He obviously wouldn’t want people to suffer; and if He is all-powerful then He would certainly keep people from suffering because He is good, right?

Well, first of all, just because people suffer that doesn’t mean God isn’t good, nor does it mean He isn’t all-powerful.  It could mean a number of things, as suffering is, in essence, the result of the consequences of sin (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:16-19; Rom. 5:12).  And since ‘sin’, according to the Bible, is defined as “lawlessness” (1 John 3:4 NKJV), it is evident that ‘suffering’ resulted from disobedience to God.  Furthermore, since God is identified as ‘good’ in the Bible (Matt. 19:17), this ought to tell us that suffering exists as a result of the rejection of that which is good-’God’.

This idea is evidenced in the fact that Adam and Eve chose to sin against God even after God informed them that sin would result in death (not only being cut off from life at some point, but also being cut off from life as they knew it in paradise).

• Note: six times during the creation of the world it is stated at each stage that it was “good” (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25).  It was when God created the man and the woman that it was therefore said that it was “very good” (Gen. 1:31); meaning, God’s creation was perfect and complete.

What this tells us then, is that through disobedience, Adam and Eve opened the floodgates of woe upon all the world as they cut themselves off from that which was “very good”.  In other words, they rejected what was good.  They rejected God!  Hence, the effects of ’suffering’ began to take their toll on God’s creation.

So who is to blame for our suffering?  Certainly not God!  Why would God want to be rejected?  It makes no sense to blame God, but makes perfect sense to say that suffering is the result of the rejection of God.

Suffering by Rejecting God Comes in Many Forms

Suffering can result from fostering a lifestyle that does not promote good health practices, and it could even be the result of God’s chastisement towards those who have been or are behaving in a manner that is not good (Ex. 15:26; Rev. 3:19).  Of course, it might even be the result of Satanic affliction, to either cause people to deny the existence of God or to get those who do believe in God to give up on Him.  Thus, being good doesn’t exempt us from suffering (Job 1:6-12).

In fact, it shouldn’t be surprising to us if we should happen to suffer as a result of following God because “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12 NKJV)  And by the way, persecution comes in many forms; it can be both verbal and physical; and it can come from both humans and demons.

What this all comes down to then is that whether you are suffering as a result of someone else’s sin or causing yourself or others to suffer by being disobedient to God, suffering is ultimately the result of the rejection of ‘good’, or to put it more plainly, it is the result of rejecting God.

Now, if you just so happen to be suffering from something right now, please understand that I am not saying that you are necessarily suffering because you have rejected God.

What I am saying however, is that suffering happens because God’s good way has been rejected.  In other words, without a doubt we are all suffering from the degenerative effects of death which are the result of Adam and Eve’s sin, but sometimes we suffer because people, in general, do things that go against the will of God and thereby cause emotional or physical pain for others.

So just because a person is suffering that doesn’t mean that person has rejected God; yet, suffering is a  reminder to us that God has been rejected.  Therefore, the fact that we could cause others to suffer by rejecting God’s good way should at the very least open our eyes to the innate responsibility that we have towards each other to do what is right and to serve God by being ‘peacemakers’.

With that being said, even though God allows suffering to take place that doesn’t mean He is the cause of it. In fact, it isn’t reasonable to think that God created us to suffer as some might believe.  If that were the case then there would have been no sense in Him giving commands to steer people away from suffering.  So it’s not God’s fault that people are suffering.  Suffering is the result of sin; and sin is the rejection of God.

Suffering is Not a Sign of God Being Weak

Suffering isn’t a sign of weakness or failure on God’s part to do what is good for His people; rather, it is the symptom of disobedience to God’s good way.  After all, God initially gave the command to avoid it, which means it isn’t His fault that Adam and Eve chose to break that command; nor is it His fault if we bring suffering upon ourselves or others as a result of not following His good way, as disclosed in the Bible.

You see, for the simple fact that He gave us commands to avoid doing things that are not good, that means He is the master of the results that come by either breaking or obeying such commands.  Meaning, He has the power to ultimately control what happens.  Thus, He isn’t the cause of suffering, but He can and will use it as a means to awaken people to the reality of sin and thereby enable growth in understanding His good way.

Hence, the argument that God doesn’t exist or that He isn’t all-powerful because suffering exists just doesn’t work because the Bible gives us plenty of information on why suffering exists while at the same time making it very clear that God is omnipotent and will therefore end all suffering in due time.

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4 NKJV)

Certainly this doesn’t sound like a promise that is coming from a God who wants people to suffer; rather, it sounds like it is coming from a God who wants to put an end to suffering!

Now then, if God is going to end all suffering at some point, why let it happen at all?

The answer to this question will be given in the next part of this study.  Click Here to read it!

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