WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SUFFERING

This is certainly the most difficult question to answer convincingly as it takes us into the realms of the un-revealed purposes of God. But we can say something.

I have given a long and discursive answer here. It is not a formula, but I have tried to provide a thoughtful background to the whole question. There is an outline at the end. Whole books have been written on the subject, so this can only be an introduction.

Often this question is asked because the enquirer, or one of their close family, or a friend, has suffered badly and it is a heavy burden for them both to bear. They may feel perplexed or even very bitter. All of us can understand that. So it is very foolish and the height of insensitivity to make strong assertions at the outset - we certainly do not want to make anyone's burden even harder. After all, Jesus Christ himself said 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.... for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.' (Matthew 11:28,29) Hurting people often just want to talk and that's OK - of course it is.

We can observe straight away that we do not know why God allowed evil into our world. Some suffering is directly the result of our own wrongdoing - the accident caused by drunkenness, poverty caused by other's greed or selfishness... there are many examples. But clearly not all suffering is like that. Some is heart-rending; the suffering of a child, or mass suffering as a result of natural disasters, for instance. Suffering and death are awful. The Bible tells us that none of it was God's original intention. So has God failed? If He is a God of love why doesn't He intervene and stop it?

(While dealing with such a sensitive subject, it might be worth readers knowing that the author of this page is himself suffering from incurable cancer. Following over a year on chemotherapy there was a 3-year period of remission. Further chemotherapy has resulted in a long period of remission. It is now 10 years since diagnosis. So nothing found here is either superficial or dismissive.)

First, we need to acknowledge that the Christian Scriptures teach some very profound principles about the problem of evil and suffering and that we will struggle to understand. But is this altogether surprising: after all we are thinking about the profoundest aspects of God and life? Let's begin by hearing the following observations:

How do we approach the problem of evil and suffering?

There are two possible approaches:

Approach One: We accept that the loving and holy God revealed in Scripture and shown us in person by Jesus Christ is sovereign over all things, including evil and suffering. God does everything well; he must have perfect reasons for allowing the evil and permitting the suffering that he does. As finite creatures we may not understand what these reasons could possibly be, and in any case we are in no position to demand that God explain himself just when we want. Especially we have to admit that man himself is the reason and source for a great deal of suffering in our world. We are called to trust that our loving, holy sovereign heavenly Father is loving, holy and sovereign. To some people this feels as if we are blaming God.

Approach Two: We deny that God is sovereign over everything including evil and suffering. This lets him off the hook, either because he doesn't know about it or because he would love to help but can't. God doesn't know everything; he refuses to intervene in large areas of human life and history (for what he considers good reasons) and is in any case battling with the forces of chaos, the enormity of which we cannot comprehend. This is not the God revealed in the Christian Scriptures.

Adapted with acknowledgements to Dr David Field in a book review.

Donald Carson also makes a clear statement about the biblical teaching (in his book 'A Call to Spiritual Reformation' chap.9, p.148 - this whole chapter entitled 'A Sovereign and Personal God' is highly recommended reading).

"1. God is absolutely sovereign, but this never functions in Scripture to reduce human responsibility.

2. Human beings are responsible creatures -that is, they choose, they disobey, they respond, and there is moral significances in their choices; but human responsibility never functions in Scripture to diminish God's sovereignty or to make God absolutely contingent."

Second, we may also observe that it is clear that human flesh, bone and tissue of which we are made are subject to fault and decay, and we cannot escape it. In order to please everyone God would have to eliminate all evil, of which suffering is an integral part, and totally change what it means to be human. This might well include removing what we regard as our right of our human freedom and turn us into quite different creatures. We would have to become completely under God's control but we wouldn't want that would we? Mankind has never wanted that!

Furthermore, God has given us the ability through human skill and science to eradicate and alleviate much suffering. So why haven't we eliminated the most serious diseases yet? Because we haven't been willing to spend enough money and time on it, that's why! We have chosen to spend our resources on other things. If we used the money we spend on aborting unwanted babies (the outcome of immoral behaviour) to tackle cancer instead, it would probably advance research by leaps and bounds. Or what about what we spend on weaponry? Billions more could be put into medical research every year or given to millions to give them a better and healthier standard of living. I am not pushing the pacifist cause here, but trying to illustrate that much suffering could be eliminated if mankind were prepared to make the right choices. We are responsible, not God!

Third, God has done something about suffering in a very remarkable way. He has identified with us by suffering Himself! Jesus Christ is God and He was certainly God when he hung on a Roman cross and suffered the excruciating agonies of dying by crucifixion - made infinitely worse by the knowledge that he was carrying the sin of the world! Moreover it was a death He chose to die out of love for us. By so doing, he brought the possibility for us to enter into a new existence, what the Bible calls 'a new creation', in which our human life marred by suffering is not all there is! There is another life, which we only glimpse now but which awaits us where there is 'no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order has passed away' (Rev.21:4).

Fourth, what God has done in Jesus Christ and what is imparted to those who live by faith in Him, totally change the believer's attitude to his/her suffering. For the non-Christian, suffering is totally and absolutely negative and bad. For the Christian this is not so. In suffering the believer may experience the most exquisite aspects of God's presence and sustenance. The pain has still to be borne, but there is a silver lining to the dark cloud. Often in non-fatal illness this greatly increases the Christian's faith and strength. I am not going to be dismissive here of the Christian's agony in watching the suffering of others or of their suffering. One of my grandsons had a heart attack when only 4 months old, and nearly died. What agonies his parents and grandparents went through. But being Christians made an enormous difference: he was in God's hands and God is love! He recovered, but we were prepared for another outcome!

This is not just pious talk, assembled to support the party line! This is the experience of Christians down the generations. Christians just know they are in God's loving hands.

It needs to be said here that sometimes God does intervene and bring healing, total or partial. It appears to be the exception rather than the rule and we cannot dictate it. But I will neither promise it nor deny it. Healing can take different forms - mental, psychological and emotional as well as physical. Some claim that physical healing often happens. That is not my experience, unless I have woefully missed seeing God at work like that. May He forgive me if that is so. There was a time in my life when He may have healed me of a thyroid condition. I cannot be sure: but if He did, I honour Him for it. When our tiny grandson of 4 months was seriously ill, hundreds of Christians prayed. He and his parents and grandparents suffered greatly. But knowing that he was in the hands of a sovereign loving heavenly Father made all the difference. Hearing his parents tearfully but purposely put him into God's hands was the sort of experience that reaches the edge of eternity itself. Many are praying for me now because of my cancer. Will God act in some way? Of course He will, in some way for my ultimate good and known best to him. How He will respond is up to His perfect love and wisdom.

1. Much suffering is the direct result of mankind's sin (eg the drunken driver, or greed). This is not God's fault.

2. But clearly not all suffering is like this: but it is a result of the total picture of mankind's rebellion against God; we brought it on ourselves.

3. If God were to intervene to eliminate evil, as many demand, it would of necessity encroach into every human heart, removing our free will. Human beings would never want that.

4. God has gifted us with skill and science which could alleviate and eliminate much suffering but we humans make the wrong choices and deny funds to where they are needed. So we are responsible.

5. God has identified with our suffering by suffering Himself on the cross of Jesus Christ. That sacrificial death has opened up to believers another life beyond this one where pain and tears are no more. For believers our present human life is not all there is.

6. It is the experience of Christians that God is with them in their suffering in a spiritual and sustaining way, so that their suffering is not totally pointless as it is for the unbeliever. God knows what suffering is like and loves us through it. He responds to our prayer, sometimes in healing , but always in compassion and support.

If you want to read (or hear) a substantial talk on this subject, please go to the Talks and Sermon Outlines page 1 and in the contents look for Job 38:1-4 and 42:1-6 'Why does God Allow Suffering?'. To go there click here