Why Does God Allow Suffering? - NetBibleStudy.com

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1 Samuel 25:29 refers to this reality as "bound in the bundle of life."
While 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 speaks specifically of a Christian's relationship
within the Body of Christ, it, nonetheless, is a fitting illustration of the fact that no man is
an island unto himself...because each one of us...by virtue of being part, and parcel, of the
human race ...is involved in mankind as a whole.
A great deal of the pain and suffering in the world finds its explanation in this fact
of "organic unity" organic unity which was, originally, designed by God, for man's
benefit... however, when the fact of organic unity serves to hurt...rather than to
help...man, it is because man has perverted God's laws by his own stupidity and
rebellion...despite the fact that man complains that, "God isn't fair."
Therefore, this fact...of the "organic unity of the human race"...is one of the
explanations as to why the innocent suffer...because each and every one of us is affected
... "suffer"...because man irresponsibly frustrates God's laws and the intentions for which
God created man. God tells us in Deuteronomy 5:9, "I the Lord thy God am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate Me...however, we must remember that verse 10 goes on to
say, "showing MERCY unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My
commandments." God's purpose in the "organic unity of the human race" was for man's
advantage...not for his disadvantage... for man to receive MERCY...not His judgment.
At times it appears that the guilty man goes unpunished while the innocent man
suffers, however...according to 2 Thessalonians 1:6; Hebrews 2:2-3, and Romans 2:5-6...
one day God's retribution will catch up to the guilty man!
(D) Still, at other times, we do suffer because of our own...individual...sins and
mistakes. Proverbs 19:3 warns us that "a man's own folly ruins his life." A person unable
to find work, who was fired from his last position due to dishonestly, has brought his
present suffering upon himself. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that many among them were
"weak and sick"...and a number of them had died...because they had not properly
"discerned the Lord's Body"...Christ's body, the Church, that is, brothers and sisters in
Christ...[2 Corinthians 11:27-34]. Because of one's personal sin, that, God may
cause...either directly or indirectly...illness, adversities, and even death [Lamentations
3:31-48; Acts 5:1-10 and 12:21-23].
(E) We must keep in mind that there is a dimension of suffering that is ours as a
result of our being disciples of Christ...because part of the call to discipleship is the call to
"suffer vicariously"...is the willingness to suffer for others...as Christ suffered for others.
John 15:13; Luke 9:23; Philippians 3:10; Colossians 1:14; 1 Peter 4:12-19; 2 Corinthians
1:5-7; and 1 Peter 2:20-23 all give much insight into this subject of Vicarious Suffering...a
subject which will be thoroughly dealt with at another time.
(F) Finally, we frequently suffer because of the imperfect nature of the world in which
we live. Some philosophers speak of this imperfection of our world as "metaphysical
evil"...which makes suffering a fact of life in this fallen, defective, universe. Some bad
things happen to us...not because we have done anything wrong or stupid, or because we
are being persecuted...but, simply because this world is contaminated with the effects of