Suffering and the Existence of God

"Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" That’s the question I tried to tackle in a series of messages last month. Some would answer that human tragedy disproves the existence of God altogether, but let’s make one thing clear: The existence of evil and suffering in no way negates the fact of God’s existence, because the reality of God is a matter of reason and revelation. We know God exists, for instance, because every effect demands an adequate cause—God is the first great cause of all that is. The creation demands a Creator, and, as Genesis 1:1 testifies, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." So suffering, while it is perplexing, has nothing to say about the existence of a Supreme Being.

Suffering and the Power of God

"Ok, well maybe suffering doesn’t disprove God," the skeptic says, "but perhaps it tells us God is really limited in His ability to respond, or that He can’t really do anything to stop evil." That was the argument put forth by Rabbi Harold Kushner in the best-selling book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." Kushner argues that God doesn’t prevent evil from happening because He simply doesn’t know everything—and by the time He does see it coming, He can’t intervene because He’s not all-powerful and can’t be everywhere at once.

The big question on my mind is where does Mr. Kushner get such ideas? Certainly not from an exposition of the Old Testament scriptures, which clearly communicates that God is omnipotent and limitless. If you have any doubt as to how powerful He is, you need only read the accounts of the Creation or the Flood or the Exodus. Moses testified in Deuteronomy 3:24, "O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?"

Suffering and the Goodness of God

"Well," the skeptic counters, "so what if there is a God and He is all powerful. The fact that He allows suffering and evil only goes to show that He’s not all that good." This, of course, is contrary to the plethora of Biblical evidence that God is, in fact, entirely good, righteous, wise, and loving (see Romans 9:20).

As David wrote, "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever….I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living…How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you" (Psalm 23:6; 27:13; 31:19).

This argument also ignores the fact that it is the mercy of God that keep us from being destroyed altogether as a race of people (Romans 3:10-11). This is about it: if God gave us all what we really deserved, we would be doomed! Yet, despite the evil in our hearts, God sees the potential for good and is "patient with [us], not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). I find hope in the words of Lamentations chapter 3, verses 21-23, which says:

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Jesus says the Heavenly Father "causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45). God’s blessings are a testimony to His great goodness and his tireless love. He is tolerant to the evil of mankind only to a point—as Acts 17:31 promises, "He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed." Psalm 98:9 likewise says, "He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in equity." Though we don’t understand why things work out the way they do, we do know that God will soon settle accounts and call every deed into judgment.

May God show you His goodness, grace, and mercy this week, as you seek His glory.

-Billy-