This is a very important question, one that causes some to deny the existence of God altogether. In the end, the question “why do bad things happen to good people” implies suffering – ‘bad things’ usually involve the suffering of person, whether that suffering be spiritual, moral, physical, financial, etc. So in my attempt to explain, both questions are answered.
To start, we must understand that everyone will suffer. Since the fall of Adam, the world is not the perfect place and suffering is inherent within it. You don’t have to seek out suffering, it will find you. As John notes, “In the world you have tribulation” (John 16:33). Some of us will suffer in a deeper way than others; some of us will suffer longer than others; but all of us will suffer in one way or another. The real question is, “Why?” The answer is simplistic and yet very complex.
The key lies in the value of suffering. Suffering actually helps us in several ways. For example, it builds us up:
Rom 5:3-5. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
This is important to build spiritual maturity and holiness in each of us. But suffering is more important than that. It also makes us worthy of heaven:
2 Thess 1:4-5. Therefore we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
This is our first intimation that suffering has a powerful spiritual effect on our lives. Paul writes that through our suffering we are made “worthy” of the Kingdom of God. This implies also that without suffering we cannot be worthy, which the Bible would agree with and ties into our next effect of suffering: enabling us to be redeemed.
Romans 8:17. and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Acts: 14:22. strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and say that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
Luke 9:23. And he said to all, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Rom 12:1. I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
All of these verses show the necessity of suffering and the power of it. Through suffering we are spiritually prepared to receive salvation from God. As Jesus says: daily we must accept our sufferings so that we are following him. Jesus makes it a virtual requirement by noting that we must take up our “cross” and follow him – the image of the cross is the purest image of suffering.
Ultimately suffering also helps others, including the Church:
Col 1:24. “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,”
Paul is clearly noting that his sufferings help to “complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.” Now, we believe that Christ redeemed us once and for all through the crucifixion. So how is Paul helping? On the cross, Christ united His sufferings with our merely human ones. In a mystical way, our suffering can participate with the suffering of Christ on the cross. I think Pope John Paul II explained it best when he wrote in Salvifici Doloris (On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering):
For, whoever suffers in union with Christ - just as the Apostle Paul bears his "tribulations" in union with Christ - not only receives from Christ that strength already referred to but also "completes" by his suffering "what is lacking in Christ's afflictions." This evangelical outlook especially highlights the truth concerning the creative character of suffering. The sufferings of Christ created the good of the world's Redemption. This good in itself is inexhaustible and infinite. No man can add anything to it. But at the same time, in the mystery of the Church as His Body, Christ has in a sense opened His own redemptive suffering to all human suffering. Insofar as man becomes a sharer in Christ's sufferings - in any part of the world and at any time in history - to that extent he in his own way completes the suffering through which Christ accomplished the Redemption of the world.
Does this mean that the Redemption achieved by Christ is not complete? No. It only means that the Redemption, accomplished through satisfactory love, remains always open to all love expressed in human suffering. In this dimension - the dimension of love - the Redemption which has already been completely accomplished is, in a certain sense, constantly being accomplished. Christ achieved the Redemption completely and to the very limit; but at the same time He did not bring it to a close. In this redemptive suffering, through which the Redemption of the world was accomplished, Christ opened Himself from the beginning to every human suffering and constantly does so. Yes, it seems to be part of the very essence of Christ's redemptive suffering that this suffering requires to be unceasingly completed.
Our suffering has value. It is more than simple pain, it is a participation in the crucifixion of Christ and a requirement for our salvation. Through suffering we come closer to our Savior and we grow in our spiritual maturity in preparation for our eventual life in heaven. Suffering is not something to be avoided, but a part of life that should be accepted, even embraced. How should we respond to suffering? Initially, we must understand that Jesus is with us in suffering and He not only shows concern, but comforts us:
2 Cor 1:5. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
Matt 5:4. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
2 Cor 1:6. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, if is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
The perfect response to suffering seems to fight against our natural inclinations. Why? The response should be joy – even in the depths of our suffering:
1 Pet 4:13. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
This often seems impossible when we are suffering. How can we even consider joy during such pain? It is more than difficult; we must trust in God and simply accept our suffering initially. Eventually we can learn to find joy due to the result of suffering:
Romans 8:18. I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
2 Cor 4:17. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
2 Cor 4:8-11,14. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but no driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh . . . knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.
We can find joy in suffering by the simple fact that we are being saved through it. As St. Peter notes, “for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin” (1 Pet 4:1). This is a powerful statement that clearly says when we are suffering we are not committing sin. I think this verse should be incorporated into our sufferings, a simple reminder that God has allowed this suffering to visit us for our salvation and to build up the Body of Christ, the Church.
Our second response to suffering comes directly from Jesus and only applies in certain situations. If another is causing us to suffer, how should we react? Christ suffered the ultimate injury. Jesus, who was innocent, came to earth and suffered greatly during his 33 years. In the end, he was crucified (still considered one of the most painful ways to die) and died. During the peak of his anguish, he taught us a key lesson: to pray for our persecutors.
Luke 23:34. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
In some ways, this lies in the acceptance of suffering as a way of spiritual growth. Understanding that though the suffering may be brought on by evil, our accepting and enduring the suffering results in our sanctification. Ultimately we suffer so that we may say with St. Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me;” (Gal 2:20). We seek to conform to God? There is no faster way than through suffering. But I leave you with a verse of hope and joy directly from the mouth of Jesus:
John 16:33. “I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Our suffering is temporary. It is temporal. Our joy, our peace, will be eternal in heaven. Can we take but a little suffering on earth? As St. Paul wrote, “I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).
We pray for all of those who suffer: May God comfort you in your time of suffering and may you grow through your suffering to become the child of God He desires.
God bless,
Jay
PS: Other verse on suffering:
1 Cor 1:18. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Cor 6:19-20. . . . You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Phil 3:10-11. that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Matt 10:28. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
Matt 7:13-14. “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
suffering is very important emotion to grasp in the aspect that Christ lives in every believer through the Holy Spirit first of all. every day whether we like it or not, we as believers are conformed to the likeness of Christ which includes to endure His sufferings. becoming more Christ-like. Jesus died for the sins of those in the world before Him, during His life and the lives of those to come, which include ours. to be made perfect in our suffering to inheirit the Kingdom of God, forever. in essence He signed the paycheck but we still have the work to do until payday.
Jay,
I again have a problem with the way the scriptures listed in the article are being interpreted and or used.
Most of us have had suffering in our lives. some more then others. It is how we handle those sufferings that is important. Do we become bitter against God because of them or do we become closer and more dependant on God because of them? The later is what God desires.
My experience with the Catholic Church has been that they make suffering and Works a component of Savation. If you are missing one component
we may not get into heaven.
I think we need to define what salvation is first. I can not speak for anyone or any organization. What salvation is to me is being saved from hell. It means a place in heaven with the Trinity. So when I say I am saved I mean I have the promise of heaven. Jesus died to save me from hell and to let me live in fellowship with Him and the Father and Holy Spirit in heaven.
Suffering is a part of life. It is part of the curse for the original sin. There are millions in suffering, in poverty or in sickness that no nothing about Jesus or about salvation...
There are many non Christians who do good works. Yet they worship Budah or Allah or some other God but they do not Worship the God Almighty, the One True God.
To imply that without suffering or without good works you can not be saved is to say that their is something more needed then the sacrifice on Calvary. Jesus paid the price Fully. We get in because of our acceptance and faith in HIM.
If you love someone would you intentionally make them suffer to prove their love for you ? That would be sick and cruel..
Is a condition of Love how many things (Works)
that person would do for you. Do we say I will love you if you do XYZ for me... Is love supposed to be conditional on someone elses suffering or on someone elses works?
When you or a church starts telling me I have to suffer to get grace or get sanctification or do good works as a condition to salvation my blood boils ...
These conditions are a form of Controlling the Flock.. The Catholic church has one hold over from its Jewish roots. That common ingrediant is GUILT.. Thay use GUILT to control and manipulate the flock.. That is a tactic uses by many organiztions. Is it from GOD or is it from the Advesary (Satan) ?
So alot of people go through life worried if they have suffered enough for God or have done enough Good works for God .. Instead of getting to know God and having a relationship with God.
Suffering is a part of the curse of original sin,
not as a point system for Salvation..
God wants the fellowship and the relationship He had with Adam and Eve in the Garden with us. They did not have to do good works and they did not suffer in the Garden. They just had fellowship with God... Sin Broke that fellowship. Jesus came to restore that fellowship..
Our salvation isn't contingent on how much we suffer or how much we do for Him...
It depends on What He has done for us and our acceptance of that gift.... A gift ceases to be a gift if there are strings attached to it.
Your Brother in Christ,
Clem
Clem, you point out very well the key difference between the Catholic understanding of the gift of salvation versus the Protestant understanding of the gift of salvation.
It all hinges on what you mean by "accepting the gift of salvation".
Catholics believe doing good works (what you do to the least of my brethren that you do unto me), suffering (if you wish to be my disciple, take up your cross and follow me), and obeying Christ (if you love me you will obey my commandments) are an intrinsic part of accepting the gift of salvation.
The issue has nothing to do with whether God loves us (as he loves all unconditionally). The issue also has nothing to do with guilt. The issue has only to do with whether we love God. Catholics simply believe that if we do not love God and do not wish to receive his grace, he will not force his love and his grace upon us. Hence the Catholic understanding of hell as a person's the complete, ultimate, and final rejection of God's love.
Jesus has also warned us of the "cost" of being a disciple. He warned us that if we love the Lord, the world will hate us. If we stop loving the Lord because of our unwillingness to suffer, it is we who have refused him, not the other way around.
Richard,
You quote some interesting verses but there are also verses that say Believe and be saved...
I follow because I Love Him, do good works and suffer scorn because I am a follower, not because I am ordered to but because I want to..
He does not guilt me into following him or say
if you don't I will send you to hell, so that my service is out of fear and not out of Love..
This is the view Of God I had gotten from the RCC when I grew up in the 50's and 60's. He was a God to be fearful of. If you did somethng wrong He would zap you. He wasn't portrayed to me as a God of Love but as a God to fear..
It wasn't until I studied His word with my Protestant Neighbor that I was able to love God and find out that He wants a relationship with me and not religion... I admitt that now that I am back attending the Catholic church some things have changed for the better.
One thing has not changed, they still teach a works based salvation. It's Christ's sacrifice plus Good Works and sacrifice instead of teaching that Good Works and Sacrifice are a bi-product of Salvation and a close relationship with God and not a requirement to keep your salvation.
Your Brother in Christ.
Clem
Dear Jay,
I admire you for taking on the most difficult topic of why people suffer. I agree with you that suffering has meaning.
But I would like to respectfully disagree with your idea that suffering helps us or builds us up. In my experience it is quite the opposite, it tears us open and leaves us raw and bloodied, exposed and naked for the world to see.
There is no good in suffering in and of itself. We don't need suffering to make us holy. To be holy we need a relationship with God and a desire to follow His ways.
Suffering can, however induce a severe state of desperation. This state of desperation can drive a multitude of behaviors intended to reduce the suffering, some of them good and holy and some of them destructive.
The same state of suffering can drive us to seek God and our faith to ease the pain, or it can drive us to attempt suicide or drink or reject a God who we feel has failed us. The suffering isn't holy, it is the actions we take of our own free will and our deeds that are ultimately holy or unholy.
It is our actions that make us worthy or unworthy of the Kingdom of God. Suffering is one of many catalysts that can drive our actions. If we respond to suffering by increasing our faith and strengthening our commitment to follow God's ways, then you could say the suffering was a good thing.
But for those whose suffering drives a wedge into their faith and drives them away from God, never to return, I see no value in the suffering, except perhaps to expose the sufferer as someone whose faith wasn't strong enough.
I'm reading your words and trying to apply them to my own experiences. I'm about to call a very dear friend of mine that I met in Memphis at St. Jude last year when both of us were staying at Ronald McDonald House. Both of our sons had brain tumors and both were receiving radiation to their whole brain and spine.
Her son died yesterday. His death wasn't an easy one, he suffered. The parents, their suffering is undescribable.
Where is the joy in this suffering?