“God & Human Suffering”

Ben Bailey

We live in a world full of suffering and pain. But why does God allow suffering to exist? Is God not God because suffering exists? What value does human suffering have? Let us examine several reasons human suffering exist.

Human suffering helps us to realize this world is not our home. The great Apostle Paul said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18). When a friend or relative dies with cancer or some natural calamity occurs in the world, it should make us realize that this earth is our temporary dwelling place. As Peter said, “…the heavens will be dissolved being on fire and the elements will melt with fervent heat…Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:12-13).

Human suffering may be a direct result of the work of Satan. To deny that Satan is an active foe today is to set oneself up for an attack by him. A perfect example of Satan causing human suffering is the man Job. One will note that from the beginning of the account of Job, Satan had been “going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it” (Job 1:7). From this we learn that Satan is very active in searching for those whom he can destroy. It is also important to notice that Satan was allowed to harm both Job and all that he owned (Job 1:12, 2:6). In the New Testament era, Satan is also very active trying to destroy souls. Peter warned us to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8). In fact, the human suffering of Jesus can be largely attributed to the work of the Devil (John 13:2; Lk. 22:3). Who is to say that Satan is not the cause of much of the suffering in the world today?

Human suffering can also be caused by the sins of others. The reason that a young child is born into a life of suffering may be because the mother had unprotected sex and passed the AIDS virus along to her baby. Or, the reason that many people suffer at the hands of a mass murderer may be because his parents failed to train him properly or they did not have a proper relationship with one another in the home. Throughout Bible history, people have suffered due to others sins (John. 7; Num. 16). Everyone suffers due to the introduction of sin and death into the world by Adam and Eve. Today, many good and noble people suffer because sinful lifestyles often have damaging results on all of society.

Truly, God is not to blame for the suffering we incur. God loves us and has provided us with the best of everything. But all too often we come along and mess up a good thing. May God help us to never blame Him for our sorrows but ask Him to help us through them.