The question of why God allows suffering has been one of the fierce debates between some Christians and against Christianity, and some atheists have used this as a base for their argument against the existence of God.
The atheist argues that if God is all-knowing, all-powerful, benevolent, Supreme, and Sovereign, which means He has the power to end all suffering, so why does God allow suffering in the world today, and even amongst Christians?
The reason why God allows suffering in the world today is to remind us that we are in an imperfect world that is broken by sin and ruled by evil (Ephesians 2: 2; 2Corinthians 4: 4). So we’ll need total dependence on God to save us and carry us throughout time in this world.
As we attempt to look through scriptures and give a satisfactory answer to the question of why does God allow suffering, let us briefly look into what is suffering?
What Is Suffering?
If you want to know what suffering is, let us look at a quick definition. Suffering is a state of turbulence, going through intensive unrest in the mind or undergoing serious pain and hardship. The stress that comes with the worries of life, like insecurity, fear of being killed, and lack of what to eat, are all suffering.
Mainly, suffering comes from a horrible emotional condition beyond one’s control, and the suffering depends on the expected outcome and the cause of the ongoing unpleasant emotional condition. So sometimes, the fear of the unknown also causes suffering, fear of what is to come, or fear of what might be.
What Is Christian Suffering?
What is Christian suffering? Christian suffering is the pain, the hardship, the turbulence, and the challenges we face for the sake of following Christ.
It is what we meet for the sake of Christ when we decide not to follow others to cut corners but to do that which is right no matter how difficult it is.
It begins from the moment you accept to turn from your sins and to follow Christ, the moment you accept Christ as your Lord and savior, then be prepared to suffer with Him.
Matthew 16: 24 (NIV) “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” So Christian suffering is an obligation. It is what comes with accepting to follow Christ.
And as we identify and follow Christ as our master, the same way he suffers, we too shall suffer. 1 Peter 4: 12 – 13 (NIV) “dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange was happening to you.
But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” To take it a step further, Christian suffering can be in two ways, passive and active.
It is passive when it is beyond our power and control, for example, something that happens to us from an outside source, either by natural disaster or by our fellow humans.
And suffering can be active when it is something that we bring upon ourselves by practicing self-discipline to separate ourselves from sin, and by doing this, we get to experience suffering. Let’s move forward and look into why God allows suffering? – 10 reasons
Why Does God Allow Suffering? – 10 Reasons?
1. God Allows Suffering As A Consequence Of Disobedience
When God created the world and humanity, everything was good, perfect, and functioning as it ought to. And then Adam disobeyed God, which brought chaos, death, evil, and suffering into this world.
Though Christ died to redeem humanity from sin, and all sin was brought to humanity (1 John 3: 8). However, as long as there are many people today living in disobedience, there will always be suffering.
So why does God allow suffering? He allowed it as a consequence of sin; even as believers in Christ, God sometimes allows us to suffer for our disobedience so that we will realize our mistakes and run back to Him. The Bible says, “For the LORD disciplines the one He loves” (Proverbs 3: 12; Hebrews 12: 6).
2. God Allows Suffering So That We Can Identify With Christ’s Suffering
Why does God allow suffering and evil to come on believers? One of the reasons is for us as believers to identify with Christ’s suffering on the cross.
This is because when we identify with Christ on the cross by carrying our cross to follow him, we identify with his glory.
1 Peter 4: 12 – 13 (NIV) “dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange was happening to you.
But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” Romans 8: 17 (NIV) also says,
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings so that we may also share in his glory.” So sometimes, God allows us to suffer as believers so that we will partake in Christ’s suffering and in His glory.
3. God Allows Suffering To Purge Us Of Our Personal Idols
Whatever gives us happiness or whatever we enjoy doing can easily become an idol. We indirectly begin to worship whatever gives us happiness and excitement.
Sometimes it’s a job, and it can be a friend we are very fond of or even something we are passionate about. We begin to place some of these things or persons first in our life because we enjoy doing it or we enjoy their company. So God might sometimes allow disaster to come that will take away those little idols we have in our lives.
This disaster will undoubtedly cause pain and suffering, but at the end of the day will meet God’s purpose and will for our lives. Like in Ezekiel 20: 39, God promised to end idolatry in Israel and to allow them to go into captivity.
After the Babylonian captivity, which lasted for 70 years, the Bible didn’t record any account of Israel going back to idolatry. It ended there, so sometimes God allows suffering to purge us of our personal idols.
4. God Allows Suffering As A Means To Test Our Faith
We can see this in different portions of scriptures, like in the story of Job, how God allowed him to suffer so that his faith could be tested.
Imagine all that Job went through; he lost everything (Job 1: 13 – 22), was abandoned by friends and family (Job 19: 13 – 15), and even his beloved wife asked him to curse God and die (Job 2: 9).
And also the story of Abraham, when God asked him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Imagine the trauma Abraham went through, from the time he got that message from God to the time he was about to sacrifice Isaac.
So God sometimes allows suffering to come to us as a means to test and build our faith in Him, but in the end, He will always see us through. 1Corinthians 10: 13b (NIV) “…God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear…”
5. God Allows Suffering To Draw Us Closer To Himself
One of the things I have noticed that is peculiar in the scriptures is that whenever we see God allow something that will cause suffering and pain to come upon His people, it is a means to draw them back to Himself.
The book of Isaiah 45: 7 (NIV) “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.” We can see here in this verse that God is saying light and darkness, disaster, and prosperity were formed by Him.
Now, does it mean God created evil and suffering? The answer is a big NO. But this is simply telling us that God allows suffering to draw us closer to Himself.
A good scriptural example of this is when the children of Israel were involved in the worship of idols, the wrath of God was released upon them in the form of a disaster.
These disasters are taken to be evil because they brought suffering and pain, but the aftermath of it all is that it caused them to run back to God, plead for mercy and become close to Him again.
6. God Allows Suffering To Humble Us
Suffering exposes our weaknesses, makes us feel fear, and reminds us that we are humans. Whenever we go through pain and hardship or face intensive suffering, it humbles us because it reminds us that we are not in control of our lives.
This is why Paul said in 2Corinthians 12: 7 (NIV), “to keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”
And David also said in Psalm 119: 71 (NIV) that “it was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.” This means that God allows suffering to be humble us.
7. God Allows Suffering To Remind Us Of The Severity Of Sin
Pain, hardship, evil, and suffering started due to Adam’s sin. Adam’s sin caused all that, and as man continues to grow in sin and wickedness, exploring more ways to do evil, suffering continues to thrive.
So this is one of the answers to why God allows suffering. It is so that we will be reminded of the severity of sin and the harm it can cause.
8. God Allows Suffering To Make Us Long For The Rest In Christ
As long as we have all that we are looking for in abundance in this present world, it is inevitable that we become comfortable here.
And the moment we become comfortable here, we might gradually begin to lose sight or focus of our proper rest, which is in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3: 2 – 4 (NIV) “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, you will also appear with him in glory.”
So God sometimes allows suffering to come to us believers to keep our focus on the things above, which is Christ, our proper rest, and this is one of the answers to why God allows suffering.
9. To Make Us Depend On Him
Whenever we have everything we want and wish for in life, there is this sense of independence, which can lead us to gradually detach from God, and we begin to see no need to depend on God because we think we have all that we need in life.
So God may sometimes allow suffering to come to us in the form of calamity or natural disaster, something beyond our control, so that we will run back to Him and show our loyalty and dependence on Him.
We were created to always depend on God, and not on anyone else, nor on our own abilities. So whenever we go off, God will sometimes allow suffering to come to us to remind us of our true nature of dependence on Him.
10. To Remind Us That We Live In A Broken World
The Bible said when God finished creating all things, it was good. Everything was good to function accordingly, fulfilling its purpose and aligning with why they were made.
But then man’s sin broke and disorganized everything God created, it brought pain, sorrow, and evil into the world, and the wickedness of humanity keeps developing and growing daily.
So when you ask why God allows suffering, remember that He will enable suffering to remind us that we are in a broken world. But thank God for Jesus Christ, He will come back one day to finally end evil and suffering for good, and we shall live in peace for all eternity.
How Long Will God Allow Me To Suffer?
How long will God allow me to suffer? Such a question is what typically comes to mind when we are going through difficult times.
But the truth is, the length of time God will allow you to suffer is only known to Him, but keep in mind that God will not allow you to suffer indefinitely.
Also, note that God will not allow you to suffer beyond what you can bear (1Corinthians 10: 13). Sometimes it might take a long period of time, and sometimes it might be short, but until God’s purpose and will concerning you and why you are going through that suffering is met, He will still allow you to go through it.
To take it further, note that for every challenge and suffering that God allows to come on your path as a Christian, there is a need and a purpose for it. God wants to take you to a place far beyond what you can imagine.
Sometimes it might be a lesson God wants you to learn. This knowledge will propel you to a new spiritual height in your relationship with God, and it is only through suffering and pain we can understand the lesson or go on the right path God wants us to follow.
He will certainly intervene and end that challenge one day. But not until He achieves what He intends to achieve, not until you become what He wants you to become.
Why Does God Put Me Through So Much Pain?
Whenever you are going through a difficult time, you might be moved to ask why God put me through so much pain.
God does not put you through pain, but rather the pain you go through comes as a result of disobedience or wrong choices you make, or sometimes from the wickedness in the world.
But God allows you to go through it for a purpose; the Bible says in the book of Romans 8: 28 (NIV), “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who “have been called according to his purpose.
So every challenge, pain, and suffering God allows us to go through or puts us through is nothing but a test to build us up in faith, and you cannot compare it to the glory that follows after going through the test.
Why Did God Allow Me To Lose Everything?
As a Christian, when you lose everything you have, it is certain to ask why does God allow me to lose everything? God allowed you to lose everything because he wants to give you something better, far beyond what you can imagine.
The Bible says in Jeremiah 29: 11 (NIV), “for I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
God has better plans for us, better intents and purposes for our lives, and this is to conform to the image of Christ. Every day He is gradually taking us there, gradually making us what He wants us to be.
So if anything wants to slow us down or stand in our way, even if it is our most-priced possession, He will allow us to lose it. Even if it is a friend, a family member, or a relationship, God will allow us to lose the person so that at the end of the day, we will gain Christ and become like Him.
Why Does God Allow Tragedy?
In case you are wondering and asking why does God allow tragedy? God allows these tragedies to remind us of the severity and the destructive nature of sin.
He allows it to show us how sin has caused dysfunction in the natural phenomenon that is causing a disaster and how sin has brought wickedness into the heart of humans that kill and commit mass murder.
Let us note that Satan is the author of sin. Suffering and pain resulted from Adam’s disobedience because he chose to believe Satan’s lies rather than God’s truth. And that single decision marred the whole of creation, and suffering and pain began.
Adam’s rebellion caused nature not to function properly, hence the tragic natural disaster. This disobedience has also brought sin into this world, corrupting the human heart, becoming wicked and vile, and committing different sorts of atrocities.
So God allows tragedy to show us how destructive sin can be when we keep sinning so that we can repent and turn to follow Him.
Why Does God Allow Suffering Bible Verses?
Several scriptures help us understand why God allows suffering, so let us look into a few of them.
1. Romans 8: 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
2. 1 Peter 5: 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
3. Romans 5: 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance.
4. Romans 8: 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
5. 1 Peter 4: 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
6. 1 Peter 2: 21 – 24 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin; neither was deceit found in his mouth.
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds, you have been healed.
7. James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
8. Job 2:10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.
9. 1 Peter 3:14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled.
These few verses listed here help to give a better explanation of why God allows suffering.
Conclusion
As Christians, suffering is imminent, so when we really understand the purpose and mystery of suffering, how God is using it to refine us, purify us as gold, and make us more like Jesus.
Let us also bear at heart that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8: 35).
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