Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

This question was asked me this past week. And many other times before. I get the question. I get the perplexed sentiment in it. I get the consternation and confusion that compels it. In fact, I’ve asked it myself—many times. It is the Christian’s rendition of the problem of evil. The world asks, “If there is an all-powerful, loving God, how can there be suffering in the world?” Christians ask, “If a person is intently serving God, why would his God allow bad things happen to His servant, a good person.” I have spent much time in ministry trying to answer that question. Then it occurred to me that there is something very inherently wrong with the question itself, and I don’t like seeing what’s wrong with it. No one does who sees the error. The question seems so valid: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” What is wrong with the question? It makes the erroneous assumption that there are “good” people. (Don’t read further if you don’t want to be upset). To talk of “good people” is like talking about round squares, short giants, and nice-smelling skunks. I told you we wouldn’t like it. There is suffering in the world. Undeniably. God is good. Unalterably so. But, are people good? Many people are moral. They adhere to a moral code. Many people are polite, even apparently kind. A whole bunch of them are altruistic and caring. Why, yes, I can say there are many moral, polite, kind, nice people. That is certainly how it appears. But, are they good? Evidently not. Not intrinsically. Not at the core. The Bible x-rays human nature and reveals this: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9); “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” (Rom 3:10-11). If you really want to be dismayed, read the verses following the last one. To think we are good because we are moral or kind is to make the same mistake as the rich, young man who came to Jesus wanting to find the way to eternal life: He addressed Jesus as the “Good Teacher,” and, immediately got a lecture from that Teacher: “Why do you call me good?” There is NONE good but God.” Of course, the young ruler was still correct. Jesus was God and, thus, good. But, that is not the point. The point is that no one except God is inherently good. No one. The young man then makes his worst mistake: He begins to try to refute Jesus’ declaration that only God is good by declaring, “No, I’m good too.” He insisted that he was good because he had kept all the commandments that had to do with treating people “good.” The rich young ruler wasn’t the first nor last to make this mistake. I just heard the pastor of the largest church in America say, “Ninety-nine percent of people are good. They have good hearts.” Really? No wonder he does not preach the true Gospel. If people are good, they don’t need a Savior. Jesus Himself noted this. He said, “I didn’t come to save the righteous, the good. I came to save sinners, the bad.” The point is, the good don’t need Jesus. The bad do. When we are contemplating why “the good” get suffering, should we not also be contemplating why the bad get Jesus? What greater blessing could one get than Jesus? There are lose ends to tie up in all this. There is the fact that each human is created in the image of God. That’s good in us. There’s this that the born-again bear the image of Christ. That’s good in us. But that's the point: If people see good in us, it is the God-good they see--not our goodness. There is only one truly good Person, and He suffered most—and for our badness. Jesus on the cross is the only One to whom the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” applies. In fact, a good question is “Why did the worst of things happen to The Best of Persons?” But, back to the original question: Why do bad things happen to good people? The question is dangerous because it concludes that we should not suffer because we are good. This implies that if we are good, then we deserve not to suffer--being good, we don’t deserve to have bad things happen to us. This is the converse of the truth. Actually, being bad, we don’t deserve good things happening to us. But good things do happen to us. There is a better question. Instead of “Why do bad things happen to good people,” what about “Why do such good things happen to bad people—like me?” Good things like God’s mercy, grace, and love. Things like salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life. Things like the many blessing, benefits, relationships, etc., He heaps upon us. “Why do such good things happen to bad people?” is the better question.

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

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