I am frequently asked, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” It is usually put in another form — “Pastor, now that I am a Christian, I thought I wouldn’t have any more problems. It seems that I have more. Why?”
The Bible says that bad things can happen to good people for several reasons including sin, the fallen world, and God’s purposes. Some say that God allows bad things to happen to shape people’s lives into better people, and these experiences can help people grow closer to the Lord and develop the right attitude for Christian growth.
In Philippians 1:12-14 Paul wrote …
“And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 14 And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.”
A. So, from what I just shared, God sometimes allows us to be tested to strengthen the faith and witness of others.
B. Another reason why bad things might happen to God’s people is because of sin.
- All people are sinful, and the world around us is sinful, so believers can expect to experience bad things as well.
- Consider what happened to Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God and partook of the forbidden fruit. Death became a factor physically and spiritually. They became fearful and tried to hide when they heard God coming to visit them. Their very natures were fallen, and that same nature has been passed on to everyone who has ever been born since, except Jesus. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- The Bible is full of examples of people who gave in to that fallen nature and what resulted. David, a man after God’s own heart, committed adultery with Bathsheba, and his entire family was affected.
C. We live in a fallen world, and as a result, we see more and more injustice and suffering.
- Consider Job. God allowed Job to be tested in just about every way imaginable — God told Satan that Job was a righteous man. He allowed Satan to afflict him in several ways. His livelihood was stolen or killed. All his children died in a single day. He was afflicted with boils all over his body. His friends told him that it must be due to sin in his life and maybe lastly, his wife said, “Why don’t you curse God and die.” What was Job’s response? In 13:15 he said, “Even if God kills me I have hope in Him.” In Job 1:21 he said, “The Lord has given and the LORD has taken away, may the name of the LORD be praised.”
D. We are to remember in the best sense of the word, there are no good people. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, “Not a single person on the earth is always good and never sins.”
- Paul, in Romans 3:23 said, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
- In 1 John 1:8 we read, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.”
- In Luke 18:19 Jesus said “Why do you call me good? Only God is truly good.”
E. God may allow bad things to happen to us to equip us for a significant ministry to others.
- Barbara, my first wife died after we had been married just 6 years. Pam was only 3 years old, and Sheldon was 10 months old. I was devastated. I and our children loved her and needed her. So, my direct question to my God was, “Why? Why did you let this happen?” About two weeks later God gave me the answer in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NKJV, Paul wrote “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Let me break this down for you.
- Our God is a God of mercy.
- Our God is a God of comfort.
- He comforts (strengthens) us in all of our tribulations.
- He comforts us so that we can comfort others.
- We comfort others by sharing our story of God’s help for us, with them.
In 64 years of ministry, I have officiated at many funerals. It has been such a help to grieving families to realize that I have some understanding of what they are going through.
F. There are other things I could share, but I want to close with some things to consider.
- Bad things may happen to us, but this world is not the end. Jesus went back to the Father’s house to prepare a place for us and when He is ready, He is going to come for us. John 14:1-3; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
- Bad things may happen to us, but God uses them for an ultimate lasting good. Paul, in Romans 8:28 wrote, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.”
- As I shared this earlier, based on my own experience, God allows bad things to happen so that we might have a deeper ministry with others. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NKJV.
- Bad things happen to good people, but the worst things happened to Jesus, the best Person.
- In Romans 5:8 we read, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” In Romans 10:9 we read, “If you openly declare that Jesus is LORD, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
- In Romans 8:1 Paul wrote, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
In closing, I hope this meditation has been helpful to you in whatever you may be going through. Always remember that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. (Jeremiah 29:11)
For His Glory,
Pastor Leonard
