WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?

Throughout time this has been a common question especially during times of sickness and/or loss. I am sure at some point you have asked this very question. Christians and non-Christians alike tend to ask GOD, why do you let bad things happen to good people. When we pray and seek Jesus, we sometimes find comfort and healing and sometimes those prayers are answered the way we want them to be. But sometimes the prayers are not answered in the way we feel they should be and this can turn some to angry and hate for others and even God. I am going to try to explain what I have learned; thru prayer and study; is the answer to this question.

Genesis 2:16-17 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 3:6 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

When God made man and placed him the garden of Eden, he gave permission before restriction as seen in this scripture. Man could do almost anything he wanted but God commanded only one thing from him- to not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God then made the woman and as we know, the serpent convinced her that if she ate from the tree of knowledge, her eyes would be opened and she would be like God, knowing good and evil. And simply stated in the bible, she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Then their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked. To reference back to the scripture Genesis 2:17- for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. This did not mean they would die instantly, but at some point, they would. God who created man in His image, never intended for man to die. The man and the woman only knew good, therefore not ashamed even though they were both naked. Once she took of the fruit and then man did also without question, they broke faith with the Lord and the world changed forever. This in turn, gave man and woman the freedom to choose.

What does that mean and how does that relate to the subject of this study?

Man’s sin and disobedience against God in Genesis 3 resulted in freedom; freedom to know good and evil. The dictionary meaning for evil is profoundly immoral and wicked. Morality is the principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior, therefore being immoral is not conforming or accepting of those principles. God gave man one command and when man made the choice to disobey God, man decided for himself that he would not conform to the principles of morality that God is! And going back again to Genesis 2:17- for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die; man made a choice to die- not physically but from the image in which God made him. God made man to only know and see GOOD, man made the choice to be all knowing; good and evil. God did not intend for man (and woman) to live outside of the garden of Eden; where He made every tree grow that was pleasant to the sight and good for food. Man made a choice to bring evil into the world by choosing to disobey.

Christians and non-Christians tend to blame God when things happen, good or bad. But it seems when things are bad, we tend to ask WHY? Why God are you allowing these things to happen? Why did I get this disease/condition? Why did I lose my child? Why did I lose my parent? Why was my friend brutally murdered when he was a good person? Why did I lose my job when I did everything right? I am sure we all have asked one or more of these questions before or something like it? We tend to feel God made these things happen and we feel He should not allow these things to happen, right? The answer is God does not make bad things happen, that is brought on from the evil one-satan. Will God allow some things to happen that are evil or bad? Yes. Why? I believe God never intended for disease and death to be in our lives, but because of man’s disobedience to God, his eyes were opened up to evil. Since man made the decision to be all knowing, God allows us the freedom of choice; good or evil. When made in God’s image, man could only see and experience Good, now he can see and experience good and evil.

God does not command us to follow Him, but through Jesus gives us the choice to follow Him and live in his Grace. God sometimes allows sufferings to bring faithful believers into a deeper understanding with Him. He also allows sufferings to bring the non-believers into a relationship with Him. If we seek God, thru His son Jesus, He will give us understanding as to WHY? Sometimes God will use suffering to do good but that does not mean He MADE the tragedy happen. Grace doesn’t depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace.

I read a book recently and in the book a child had been tragically kidnapped and murdered. The dad asked the Holy Spirit, “didn’t she have the right to be protected?” In this book, the Holy Spirit says, “A child is protected because she is loved, not because she has the right to be protected.” That was hard for me to understand at first , but it was further explained that rights are where survivors go, so that they won’t have to work out relationships. Jesus didn’t hold on to any rights. He was a willing servant and lived out his relationship with God. He gave up everything so that we can have an open door to God that would allow us to live free enough to give up our rights as well. If we chose to follow God; born again thru Jesus, we give up the right to decide what is good and evil and what is right or wrong. We still have the freedom to feel the way we want, but to feel is merely an emotion. God is the true judge! We may not always understand WHY but through Jesus, we can find comfort and understanding. And we should seek Jesus when conflicted about what is right or wrong; good or evil.

As stated in the following scripture God also allows suffering to prepare His followers for the glory of Heaven. A closer relationship and proper focus on our future with God will empower us to endure any kind of suffering.

2 Corinthians 4:17

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Seek the Kingdom of God! Amen!