Many people blame God for the pain and suffering in our world. They argue that if God is good, He would be able to remove all pain and suffering. Since He permits such evil to exist, they conclude that God can’t really be good.
Read the articles or watch the videos below about why a good God allows suffering:
Why does God allow evil to exist?
One of the most haunting questions we face concerns the problem of evil. Why is there evil in the world if there is a God? Why isn’t He doing something about it? Many assume that the existence of evil disproves the existence of God. [read more]
Purpose in Pain: An Interview with Joni Eareckson Tada
For years, I was one of those who insisted, “Handicaps happen to other people, not me.” But all that changed on a hot July afternoon in 1967 when my sister Kathy and I went to a beach on the Chesapeake Bay for a swim. [read more]
If God, Why Suffering?
In one of the first significant conversations I had on the topic of suffering, my Aunt Regina expressed to me how difficult it was to see her son Charles, my cousin, struggle with a serious mental illness. Being more concerned at the time with the question than the questioner, I started spouting some of my abstract, philosophical ideas about why God might allow suffering. But after listening very graciously, my aunt turned to me and said, “But Vince, that doesn’t speak to me as a mother.” [read more]
Why does God allow evil?
The Bible describes God as holy (Isaiah 6:3), righteous (Psalm 7:11), just (Deuteronomy 32:4), and sovereign (Daniel 4:17-25). These attributes tell us the following about God: (1) God is capable of preventing evil, and (2) God desires to rid the universe of evil. So, if both of these are true, why does God allow evil? If God has the power to prevent evil and desires to prevent evil, why does He still allow evil? [read more…]
Why does God allow sickness?
The issue of sickness is always a difficult one to deal with. The key is remembering that God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). When we are suffering with a sickness, disease, or injury, we usually focus solely on our own suffering. In the midst of a trial of sickness, it is very difficult to focus on what good God might bring about as a result. Romans 8:28 reminds us that God can bring about good from any situation. Many people look back on times of sickness as times when they grew closer to God, learned to trust Him more, and/or learned how to truly value life. This is the perspective God has because He is sovereign and knows the end result. [read more…]
The following videos address the question of why a good God permits suffering:
Why is there suffering in the world today?
The Bible tells us that we are under a curse because of sin. God created a perfect world and then gave Adam and Eve the gift of freedom of choice. But they chose to rebel against God. The resulting sin curse that came upon them also came upon their children and the entire earth.And we are still experiencing it today. [watch video]
Is GOD Good?
If God is good then why is there suffering and evil? This video illustrates how God is good and has designed each of us as unique humans with the ability to make free choices. “God is responsible for the fact of freedom, humans are responsible for their acts of freedom.” Those choices have brought about pain and suffering, and yet God being good, will one day put an end to suffering and evil. God doesn’t want us to suffer alone. So Jesus, His Son, came to Earth to suffer with us and pay the penalty for our sins. [watch video]
Who is responsible for evil?
How do you respond to a culture that says that evil is outside of us, rather than inside of us? Isn’t it just a case of social conditioning, in the sense that our environment has produced the conditions that have caused people to do evil? Are we not just a product of our upbringing or should we uphold a strong sense of personal responsibility? Furthermore, how do you deal with someone who says evil is external to us or that it is simply relative? These topics are dealt with by Ravi Zacharias and Os Guinness in a Q & A session. [watch video]