Why do bad things happen to good people? Have you ever heard anyone ask this question? It is a question that is at times asked by those who are blatantly opposed to Christianity as a way to try and prove that there is no God. It is also a question that is asked by those who are sincerely trying to discover who the God of Christianity really is. Many Christians have a difficult time answering this question. They resort to answers such as “God’s ways are higher than our ways” or “God is wiser than man.” As true as these statements may be, they do nothing to answer the posed question. So, why do bad things happen to good people?
There are several points that can be made in answering this question, but today I just one to mention one. One answer to this question is actually found in the inaccuracy of the question. We have to understand that there are no ’good people’. Those who ask this question are making the incorrect assumption that they are good enough and deserve to avoid all bad and evil that could possibly come into their lives. They are saying that they deserve nothing but good.
The Bible is clear that there is none righteous, and that we are all sinners by nature and by choice. The best we can offer is nothing more than dirty rags. There is no such thing as good people. You may not commit murder, but you hate. You may not commit adultery, but you lust. We each have attitudes, thoughts, and motives that are direclty opposed to God. None of us can ever meet God’s perfect standard. There is no such thing as a good person…there is no one that is good enough to earn God’s favor.
An accurate way to word the question would be “why do bad things happen to bad people?” But where is the injustice in that? Once we acknowledge that there are no good people and when we see ourselves as God sees us, we can see the inaccuracy of the question. And that is the first step in offering a meaningful answer. We will look at this question more in the weeks to come.
thinkingwithpurpose
Your answer is excellent. However, let me suggest a rephrasing of the question to reflect what the asker means: Why do bad things happen even to Christians? Put that way, I suggest two answers.
First, if God left a believer with a carefree life, then that believer would have no incentive to seek provision in the fatherhood of God. As our Father, God desires us to seek our needs and wants in Him, and is pleased by our doing so. Evil in this life drives us to our knees before His throne, creating an intimacy that would not otherwise occur.
Second, a carefree life would produce a carefree attitude, satisfied with this life. This world is fallen, and we are merely pilgrims in it. We should NOT be satisfied with it. Struggle and hardship in this world gives us a longing for the new earth and actualized kingdom of God.
Whether a believer or an unbeliever, every person will normally experience hardship in life. However, that same hardship serves very different goals and produces very different results.
By: Chris Cole on July 14, 2009
at 7:19 am
I usually turn that question around and ask: “why do good things happen to us at all?” There is no such thing as “good people” and the person asking the question needs an adjustment to his idea of good.
By: William Dudding on July 14, 2009
at 4:07 pm