How can there be a God when there is so much suffering?

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Thousands   of   people   are   asking   this question…those who lost loved ones in the tsunami, others who live in constant illness and pain. News of war dominates the media. Sixty thousand people died in a recent earthquake in Pakistan. Yesterday one of my friends was diagnosed with severe cancer.  Perhaps you have suffered the trauma of child abuse, violent crime or extreme poverty. Each of us has faced times when, in frustration and pain, all we can do is shout, ‘Why?  Why?  How could God let this happen?’

 

What is the Atheist’s answer?

 

The atheist has no answer. In a crisis he has nowhere to turn. If there is no God… if we are random collections of atoms in an evolutionary process in which only the fittest survive, why do we grieve at the suffering and injustice in the world and in our lives?

 

The atheist has no hope. When thinking about death the best he can hope for is annihilation; ceasing to exist.  Let’s face it, that’s not much to look forward to.

 

People want answers.  We all need hope.  The Bible gives us both. It tells us that when God made the world, He ‘saw all that he had made, and it was very good’ (Genesis 1:31).  It was a perfect world with no evil or suffering. When  we see beautiful mountains and plants, or when our hearts are touched by kindness…perhaps we have a taste of what it was like. 

 

What went wrong?

 

Suffering and death entered the world when the first people rebelled against their Creator. The Bible says ‘The wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23).  Adam  and Eve had a choice to obey or disobey, and they disobeyed.  Since then, we have all wanted to live life our own way, rather than submitting to God’s rules.  ‘We all, like sheep, have gone astray, we have turned, every one, to his own way’ (Isaiah 53:6). The first man born on this planet murdered his brother. Most of the suffering in the world is caused by evil people; the terrorist attacks, the cruelties of child abuse, rape, theft. We cannot blame God for the things that people do to other people.

 

So, why doesn’t God get rid of such people now?

 

We all want justice.  The problem is… if God got rid of all the evil now, where would He draw the line?  We all agree that people like Hitler, Stalin and Harold Shipman deserve great punishment… as do those whose cruelty destroys lives.  But what about a man who has walked out on his wife and children with all the pain that follows?…what about thieves?…what about those who tell lies?…what about that nasty comment you made to harm that person’s reputation?…what about the angry words you said that you wish you could take back? You see, we have to admit that all of us have caused some pain to others.  All of us are therefore under God’s judgment.  The Times newspaper once asked readers to respond to the question, ‘What is the biggest problem in the world?’ One correspondent replied, ‘Dear sir, I am.’ 

 

God is good and holy.  He cannot tolerate any evil, so in His sight even ‘small sins’ are enough to condemn us to hell.  ‘For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.’  (James 2:10). A chain only needs to have one faulty link to be a broken chain. For God to stop all suffering now, He would have to destroy the whole human race. God will judge the world, but right now He is giving us time to come back to Him. ‘With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slack concerning His promise… He is longsuffering toward us, not willing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  (2 Peter 3: 8,9).

 

What about natural disasters and accidents?

 

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the natural world was also affected. Since their fall, this world in which we live has been under a curse. That’s why there is death, disease and frustration; that’s why there are disasters and that’s why the universe is out of joint, uncoordinated. God decreed that the state of creation should be linked to the state of the highest creature (Man). The condition of Man is reflected in the condition of creation. The Bible says the creation is ‘groaning.’ (Romans 8:22). We see this in tsunamis and earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions. These are signs that something has gone wrong. 

 

Are the people who have been affected by natural disasters and accidents any worse than the rest of us? People asked Jesus a similar question. He replied, ‘Those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’ (Luke 13:4-5).  Accidents and disasters remind us that we have a problem, that the world has gone wrong.

 

Does God care about the suffering?  Is there any hope?

 

Yes, God does care! Yes, there is hope! God has provided a solution. Two thousand years ago someone else also cried out ‘Why?’ in darkness and pain.  As he was dying on the cross, Jesus Christ cried out, ‘My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me?’  (Mark 15:34).  

 

God cared so much about the suffering and evil in the world that He sent his Son to save us. The name Jesus means, ‘he saves.’ He was also called ‘Immanuel –which means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23). God Himself came to live in this world of suffering.

 

Jesus was born into a poor family. He saw and   experienced pain and sadness, tiredness and frustration.  Thousands of sick, hurting people were brought to him and he healed them.  He suffered great injustice and persecution and was finally nailed to a cross.  ‘He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter…though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.’ (Isaiah 53:7-9).  He was the only person who never did anything wrong.

 

Why did Jesus die?

 

Jesus not only shared our experience of pain and suffering… he also died to release us from it.  He died as a substitute for those who are under the judgment of God. We saw earlier that all of us fall into that category.  Unlike us, Jesus never sinned, so He did not deserve to die.  He willingly offered his perfect life to God.  He suffered all of God’s anger against our disobedience.  God punished Jesus in the place of all who trust in Him. Jesus cried out, ‘Why have you forsaken me?’ so that we will never need to. He suffered hell and judgment for us, because He cared.

 

The Bible says, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus - and you will be saved.’ (Acts 16:31).  Those who trust in Christ know that their sins are forgiven. God is no longer angry with them because Jesus took their punishment.  Jesus rose from the dead after three days, showing that he had defeated death and the consequences of evil.

The Bible promises that those who trust Him will also rise from the dead and have eternal life in a new world where ‘there shall be no more death, no more sorrow, no crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former  things have passed away.’ (Revelation 21:4).

 

God is not going to leave this world as it is  now. This planet, this universe won’t always be under the curse;  it won’t always be spoilt by sin;  it won’t always be out of joint. When Jesus returns, this world in which we live is going to share as much in the joy of that day as it did in the horror of the fall. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. At last there will be a place in which there is no sin, and therefore no sickness, no death. It all happened because of the cross. The cross has cosmic consequences! People who trust Jesus may still have to face suffering on this earth, but they have a Saviour who has experienced it Himself and promises to help them through everything.

 

One day Jesus will return as Judge.  He is a perfectly fair judge.  No stone will be left unturned, nothing will go unpunished.  We will all ‘have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead’ (1 Peter 4:5). ‘God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.’ (Romans 2:16).  Justice will be done.

 

Are you ready for that day?  Are you still under God’s judgment or do you know that Jesus died in your place?  Call to Him now, ask Him to save you.  Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matthew 11:28).