"If God is in control, why do bad things happen?" This is the question of theodicy, and it's wrestled with in nearly every book of the Bible. Some books - such as Job, Lamentations, Habakkuk, and plenty of the psalms - explicitly wrestle with the tension between God's sovereignty and the obvious presence and even flourishing of evil.
Ecclesiastes 7.14 tells us, 'In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider - God has made the one as well as the other.' This doesn't mean that God directly causes evil to happen, but it acknowledges that what God permits is, in a sense, 'made by him,' in that he could stop it if he wanted. The fact that evil exists, and bad things happen, informs us that God - who is wise and loving and just, among other things - has a purpose in it. We must also bear in mind that we only see the evil that God does permit; we don't see the evil he doesn't permit. Given human nature and our propensity for evil, I'm confident that God prohibits far more evil than he allows. If God's constraining hand were lifted - and, curiously, we have an indication in Revelation 20.7-9 that he will 'lift the restraints' sometime in the future - then our world would be a place of far greater pain and suffering than we could imagine.
Some people teach that because God is sovereign, he personally dictates every little thing that happens. This would include sin and evil. However, such a deterministic manipulation of history ought to be rejected by the simple fact that in scripture we are given instances where God allows (rather than directly causes) stuff to happen. In Job 1 and 2, God permits Satan to make a mess out of Job's life, and in Luke 22 God permits Satan to sift the twelve disciples like wheat. The Bible plainly teaches that God allows things to happen without directly causing them, and of course this would include both good and bad things. But what kinds of bad things does God generally permit? There are at least three big ones:
(1) God permits human liberty (to a point). As we saw last week, the Bible teaches that God can direct our hearts and establish our paths. It has pleased God to grant human beings a measure of autonomy (and the responsibility that comes along with it), but he can permit or prohibit our choices.
(2) God permits natural processes. God has established a planet with an ecosystem that can run on its own. While the Bible teaches that Jesus sustains all of creation, that doesn't mean he is necessarily holding every molecule together. God has been pleased to design a sufficient ecosystem. Sometimes the byproducts or functions of that ecosystem - hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, monsoons - have detrimental affects on humans. These natural processes are not evil, but they are scary and can hurt us.
(3) God permits the presence of sin and evil. Evil defined here isn't simply that which is unpalatable (snakes, after all, are not evil; nor are spiders). We are speaking here of moral evil (the evil that is evil because it is not morally good) and of powers of evil (such as the devil and the 'powers and principalities' of which Paul speaks in Ephesians 6). We see in Job 1-2 and Luke 22 that the devil's power is permitted him by God, and by God's permission he works his wickedness in the world.
Why would God allow such things to take place? We can trust the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8.28: 'We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called, according to his purpose.' A scriptural example of this is found in the latter stages of the Book of Genesis. Joseph, one of the sons of the patriarch Jacob, was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery (a truly evil act). But it was their act - motivated by sinful hearts - that put Joseph where he needed to be so that God could elevate him in Egyptian society to accomplish his purposes. This is why Joseph tells his brothers in Genesis 50.20, 'As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.' Thus we know that (a) all evil that exists is permitted by God and that (b) God permits evil for his own holy purposes. His use of evil to accomplish his purposes doesn't bloody his hands, for he isn't directly causing the evil (the blame lies elsewhere), and he will be the one who one day judges evil fully.
There are three biblical realities we must bear in mind when it comes to the reality of bad things happening in our world and, more pressingly, in our own lives. We'll tackle them one-by-one.
Biblical Reality #1: We live in 'the present evil age' (Gal 1.4). We live in the time between Easter and the Consummation, in which evil has been defeated and broken of its power for those who turn to Jesus - but evil forces remain active. An analogy of the paradox is the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944 during World War Two. Just as the Germans knew they were beaten after Normandy, they kept up the fight; nevertheless, their end drew inexorably near and they were eventually annihilated. They were defeated at D-Day, but they weren't able to accept it. They swore to go down fighting. In our own day and age, Satan has a lot of power in this world. Jesus calls him the 'prince' or 'ruler of this world' (John 16.11), and Paul calls him the 'god of this age' (2 Cor 4.4) and the 'ruler of the authority of the air' (Eph 2.2). Satan blinds the minds of unbelievers (2 Cor 4.4) and holds them in his snare until God releases them through the gospel (2 Tim 2.25-26). He can take life, as with Job's children; ruin health, as he did with Job's body (cf. Luke 13.16); he can torment with demons (Luke 11.18) and provoke evil deeds (Luke 22.3). He can cause natural disasters (Job 1.19). He's opposed to God and God's people, aiming to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10.10), and he can manipulate others to throw Christians in prison (Rev 2.10-11). Satan's power is allowed him by God, but his power is also constrained by the limitations God puts on him. In the present evil age, Satan is no longer allowed to 'deceive the nations,' though he will be allowed to do so again at some point in the future (Rev 20.1-3). We don't know why God permits Satan to be active, but we do know that God will execute justice against him in the future.
Biblical Reality #2: God uses hardship and suffering to forge us into the people he wants us to be. God's desire for us in the present evil age isn't our happiness or comfort; rather, he aims to 'train us up in righteousness.' God's will for our lives is that we become the sort of people he wants us to be. This isn't just for our benefit in the here and now (which it certainly is!) but also for our benefit in the future. In a very real sense, God is teaching us so that we will flourish in the new heavens and new earth. In this vein, God will cause or permit suffering in our lives for at least two key reasons: testing and discipline (both of which are geared towards training us up in righteousness). The Apostle Peter speaks of testing in 1 Peter 1.6-7, though we must bear in mind that the 'testing' of which he writes isn't like our standardized school tests. God isn't testing us to see if we have the right answers. Peter's analogy revolves around how ancient people 'tested' gold by putting it through the fire. Rough gold was put under pressure in fire to remove the impurities; the fire purified the gold. When God tests us through suffering, he isn't giving us an exam. He's purifying us. This is another way of looking at 'training in righteousness.' Hebrews 12.5-11 tells us that God disciplines those who belong to him. This means that he will not allow us to blatantly continue in sin. He will discipline us with unpleasantness, and he can do it in a myriad of ways. He can thwart our plans; he can take stuff or people away from us; he can plague us with sickness and melancholy; and sometimes, if our sin is very great, he may even take our lives. Such discipline calls us to repent of cherished sin, after which God promises healing. Discipline doesn't feel good, but it - like testing - is for our own good and geared towards training us in righteousness. Thus God allows (or even causes) suffering and hardship in our lives to 'train us up in righteousness.'
Biblical Reality #3: There is a future in which all things will be made right. The Bible tells us that after the 'present evil age,' there will come a 'consummation' in which justice will be served, evil will be dealt with, and all things will be made right. Christians will be rewarded for their faithfulness and recompensed for that which they lost in the present evil age. The Bible talks a lot about the 'rewards' awaiting God's people in the new heavens and new earth:
2 Corinthians 5.10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Matthew 16.25-27 Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done
Luke 6.35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Luke 12.33-34 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 18.22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
1 Timothy 6.17-19 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
2 John 1.8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.
1 Corinthians 9.24-25 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
1 Corinthians 3.12-15 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
1 Peter 1.4 To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you...
Colossians 3.23-24 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
What do these heavenly rewards look like? The main reward is our 'inheritance' (which speaks to our presence and activity in the new heavens and new earth), but God will dish out rewards on top of that. We don't know what these will be, but we can make guesses by the Bible does tell us. We know that we will have homes in the new world. We will have jobs in the new world. We will even have authority in the new world. Authority is a good thing; God designed it into his universe before the fall. Though authority has been warped by sin, it will be reshaped in the new heavens and new earth. Some people will have authority over others. The ultimate reward, of course, will be unhindered fellowship with God. Even now our fellowship with him is hindered by sin and our non-glorified state. In the new world, our intimacy and communion with God will be unbroken and full. It will overwhelm the high of any drug - natural or artificial - known to man. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13.12, 'For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.' When hard times come, we are to endure and be trained in righteousness; and when God's new world finally breaks in, we will be rewarded for our diligence. More poignantly in regards to enduring hardship and suffering, the Bible also teaches we will be recompensed - or repaid - for that which we lost or suffered for our devotion to God. A few verses will suffice to highlight this reality:
Isaiah 40.10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
Revelation 22.12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done."
Matthew 19.29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[e] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
When hard times come, we need to bear in mind that (a) we live in an evil world where suffering and evil is promised, (b) God intends suffering for our good (and thus we should intelligently and prayerfully consider how God wishes to train us in our suffering), and (c) we need to practice hope, for we know a day is coming when the sorrows of the world will pale compared to the goodness and beauty of what awaits us. This should always be before us. The Apostle Peter tells Christians suffering persecution in Asia Minor, 'Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that you have.' (1 Pet 3.15) The early Christians' hope in God's promised future was so vibrant and evident that non-Christians recognized it and inquired about it. How many of us have been asked, 'Why are you so damned hopeful all the time?!' But as Christians, that is precisely how we should be. And Peter, remember, is writing this to Christians undergoing (or about to undergo) persecution. Even then they were optimistically hopeful!
We are like kids going on a cross-country vacation. En route we stop at gas stations for microwave churros. Along the way someone steals the churro we bought and paid for, and we're livid! How dare that man steal my churro when I wasn't looking! Our dad tells us, "Don't worry about it, we'll eat when we get to the seaside resort." The rest of the way we're fuming about the lost churro. When we roll up to the seaside resort to a fresh buffet of steamed crab, buttery boiled lobster, fried fresh clams and steaming hush-puppies, do we sit at the table and fume about the churro? Absolutely not! We're enthralled with what lies before us, a feast to which the gas station churro cannot compare. And when we're nice and full and go out to sit on the beach at dusk with sea turtles in the sands, thankful to no longer be confined in the beat-up hoopdie, we receive word that the man who stole the churro was caught and arrested. Our bellies are full and justice has been served. Who cares about a damned churro? That is what our first day in God's new world will be like. We'll be shocked we gave so much weight to such a small loss compared to what was awaiting us. We will no doubt be reminded of Paul's words in 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.'
But how many of us actively hope in the future God has promised us? Very few of us do, and this is often because (a) we are short-sighted, living as atheists who believe this world is all there is, and because (b) we don't comprehend the hope God has for us. Our images of God's future of the world have more to do with children's stories than what the Bible actually says. We need to be reminded of what awaits us - and when that happens, hope can't help but blossom.
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