ActiveChristianity® by Brunstad Christian Church aims to show how God’s word challenges and empowers followers of Jesus to live 100% according to God’s will, so we no longer need to fall in sin, but can come to a life of victory. He exalted himself, imagining he could be equal to or better than God. Satan is the author of sin. Not only can pain and love co-exist but when you choose to love you risk pain. Joy. But we do know that God loves each person who is suffering, and that He does have each person’s eternal best interests in mind. Paul said: “God will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle.” We all go through challenges, and you are not alone. Are there bible verses about pain and suffering that can strengthen my soul? When a person sinned, he reaped suffering, those around him suffered, the earth itself suffered. And the suffering a person goes through on earth is not necessarily proportional to the amount of sin they have committed. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. All of our problems and our suffering are a result of man’s rebellion against God. It’s an unavoidable chance you take if … One of the most pressing challenges to Christianity is the problem of evil. On the contrary, when people experience pain and loss and tragedy, the sin inside themselves shows forth and they are tempted to feel angry, bitter, discouraged. Even more important is to prove that living without sinning brings joy and peace and harmony. It’s important to make this distinction. In an interview, Governor Robert List talked about the … If life is purposeless, complaining about pain and suffering is ludicrous. Satan will be bound and thrown into the lake of fire forever. We will live together with God and Jesus and the saints. If we are obedient to God’s will instead of our own will that is tainted by sin, we are on God’s side and instrumental in carrying out His plan. Suffering does not have to have the last word in our lives. Many have been puzzled by the suffering we see in our world. Sin is the reason that we have afflictions, including death. If we make sure that we are living in righteousness then our prayers have the power to help. Instead, He uses your suffering to dispense His power. It is difficult to sit by and watch suffering spread over the world and not know what you can do. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Nevertheless, Satan was allowed access to the earth, and he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. Why Does God Allow Pain and Suffering? Why doesn’t our almighty God step in and stop the pain and suffering in this world? (Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 5:7-9) When Jesus was crucified and cried out, “It is finished!” the victory was total. We never ask that question about the pain and suffering of a life term sentence for someone who has committed murder — because, we understand it was a consequence of their actions, and we reason that they deserve it as a result of what they did. Can’t God step in and create a world where no suffering exists? The more people choose to suffer in the flesh (put to death their sin) and not obey the sinful lusts and desires within themselves, the sooner Jesus will come back and put an end to all suffering. Prayer is a tremendous weapon against the darkness of this world. There is no corner untouched by … They are choosing not to sin. God allows evil that leads to pain and suffering, but he is not the source of evil. Once this answer is given, the following question is commonly asked, “If God knew about the fall and … To start off with, God did create a world without suffering. Instead, He uses your suffering to dispense His power. Genesis 1:31 says God saw all that He had made and it was very good," he continued. So instead of forcing Satan back to the light God needed to prove that the way of sin would only lead to suffering. The nature of the world itself became tainted with thorns and thistles. So if suffering can be used for a greater good, if it’s a means to develop character, then it’s plausible that a loving God would allow pain. He wants all of creation to exist together in perfect harmony like it was at the beginning. Clearly, the Bible teaches that there is a God, and there is such thing as evil, pain, and suffering. The problem of suffering. Perfection. God knows it. Why Does God Allow Suffering? God’s intention with us is not just to prove that sinning brings suffering. But why does God allow suffering? An Example of Suffering that God Allows At the root of all suffering as we established is sin and evil. This tract tackles a very sincere and tough question, one that’s been called the skeptics’ “silver bullet.” If God is loving and all-powerful and could end suffering, disease, and death, why hasn’t He? All rights reserved. The Source of … There was peace. Can’t He take away the pain? When we are inclined to answer back with harsh words, we can put that sin to death and reply mildly and kindly. God Loves Me. Since Adam was mankind's first representative, Adam's punishment affected all of creation (Genesis 3:17-19, Romans 5:12, 8:22). Then God will finally be able to create a new heaven and a new earth in perfect peace and joy and harmony for all eternity. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Pain and suffering can only be questioned in the light of the existence of GOD. Cancer Patients say: God, use ME and MY struggles to show others your love. Read inspiring articles and testimonies about people who have experienced God’s strength and love in the midst of suffering on our topic page about challenges and difficulties, or in the selected articles below: Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, unless otherwise specified. God is love, so how can He allow anyone to suffer eternally? No temptation, no sin, no strife, conflict, or disobedience. That day is coming soon – the day when Jesus will return, ready to fetch His bride, clean and spotless, having chosen God’s way through it all. These cookies do not store any personal information. God hears those prayers. The cause of suffering on earth When God created the earth, His intention was that it would be an extension of the peace and harmony of heaven. So, Why does God allow suffering in the first place? His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 3:8-11. But those who are faithful to God have the power and the responsibility to ease suffering and make the world a slightly better place where they are. We see it in the daily headlines and the evening news. But if He did that, He would never be able to prove beyond any shadow of a doubt, that Satan was wrong. (Revelation 20:10) Never again will he be able to tempt people to follow his way and cause misery and suffering. This is a difficult question and also a very common one. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to … He is longing for it to end; He is aching to reach out His hand and help us. That’s why He tries so hard to get us not to do it. Jesus did this so that He could show the way for others. But finally the time for peace will come. This is the church, by whom God’s manifold wisdom will be revealed to all creation. And His power cannot rest upon you unless you’ve abandoned the idea that you’re big enough to go it alone. If we turn to Him, there is strength we never thought we had. It was exactly as God wished it to be. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Suffering is real, but is also very personal. As a result, suffering entered the world (Genesis 3). We can also pray. He is almighty, after all. When God created the earth, His intention was that it would be an extension of the peace and harmony of heaven. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. He knew that sinning brought suffering. No crying, no tears, no sorrow. What we’ve just stumbled upon is known as The Problem of Evil and it’s been around ever since the first human stubbed their toe- maybe even before that! God never allows pain without a purpose. And this joy is not simply a reward we get in eternity. He wants you to be healed because that is His will, not pain and suffering on account of diseases. It Reminds Us of the Reality of Sin. And the more we live in righteousness, the more we put to death our sin, the more we fight against the darkness, then the faster the day of judgment will come when all sin and suffering is finished forever. By sending His own Son Jesus to earth as a man, He was able to prove once and for all that it was possible to overcome Satan and his trickery. But a disciple does what his Master, Jesus did: he takes these thoughts, denies them, and puts them to death. But it didn’t stop there. "The answer is He did. Your email address will not be published. Why would a good God allow so much pain and suffering- or for that matter, why would a good God allow any pain and suffering at all? Now God is forming a bride for Jesus Christ who will show, by living a pure and holy life like He did, that victory over sin brings true, eternal joy and peace. But he did show us that suffering can be embraced and offered back to God the Father as a kind of atonement for sins. It has been proven time and time again, you have no ground to stand on!”. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Because of His immense respect for free will, God had to step back and let Adam and Eve reap the consequences of their actions. On Nov. 21, 1980, when the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas burned, survivors were brought into the Convention Center, where our Crusade meetings were being held. “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” 2 Peter 3:11-12. It is undeniable that pain and suffering surround us. God’s creation was perfect. God Doesn’t Cause Pain and Suffering, But He’s By Our Side Through Every Step. When the question is raised, “why does God allow pain and suffering?” it’s usually because we feel pain and suffering is unjust. But this time He needs to make sure that nobody can bring sin into the new creation. Adam and Eve, the first people, received a free will, but they were pure and therefore had direct contact and fellowship with God. And it became worse and worse as time went on. Dr. Charles Stanley offers a biblical answer to this question. However, Satan, one of the angels, chose to go against this and make his own way. Last and most importantly, in God our pains and failures aren't … Each of us knows firsthand what it means to suffer as a result of … And that bit of sin that became apparent dies. Sin only leads to suffering, but some people are choosing my way. In order to understand some of the big questions that surround this topic we have to look at God’s plan as a whole. Used by permission. All God wanted was for people to be happy and He knew that the only way to that was for them to be obedient. Sometimes, people suffer as the direct result of their own poor choices, sinful actions, or willful irresponsibility; in those cases, we see the truth of Proverbs 13:15, “The way of the treacherous is their ruin” (ESV). When we are tempted to selfishness, we can practice generosity. Suffering transcends all class, race, ethnicity, culture, privilege. It was his opinion that, given the choice, people would rather sin than obey God. Purchase or download Christian literature at Christian BookShop, the online bookstore for Hidden Treasures Foundation Publishers (HTFP)/Stiftelsen Skjulte Skatter Forlag (SSSF). In order to address the reasons why God allows pain and suffering, we need to consider the source of evil. God could just have shut him up, or even changed his mind forcibly, but He has too much respect for free will, even the free will of those who choose to disobey Him. God’s end goal is to stop all suffering for eternity. “… this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. Why does your god allow suffering? Without purpose, both pain and pleasure are meaningless because they meet at the same end and become one in the finality of death. We can be a blessing to those around us by denying the sin that so easily tempts us, and which causes strife and unhappiness. This Sunday is Question #3: Why does God allow pain and suffering? This is called “suffering in the flesh,” because denying the flesh to carry out its desires is the same as denying your self-will, and that is painful. This wasn’t a spiteful God going overboard on the punishments. (See Romans 8:20-21) Sin tainted everything. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. He could hold out His hand and save us from the pain. God has existed from eternity past as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in perfect harmony in relationship, the relationship of love that … All suffering, all pain, and every tear that has been shed on earth is either a direct or an indirect result of sin. When we see unrighteousness and cruelty, we can be champions for righteousness and compassion. Why would a powerful and loving God allow suffering, evil and death? All the angels and everything that had been created lived in harmony with God. Jesus never promised to rid the world of suffering. Nevertheless, Satan was allowed access to the earth, and he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. Suffering is the result of mankind’s sin and rebellion against God (Genesis 3). So even though God has to let the earth reap the wages of sin, He is actually far more interested in letting those who choose to serve Him reap the benefits of that. You need to realize that you’re not big enough; you’ll never make it without depending utterly upon Him and going in His strength. It begins now. My suspicion is that the best answer to this question is that your god probably doesn't exist. And there is hope for today and tomorrow. 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