Why does God allow Suffering,

Created Date: 11-May-2016
and not stop it?

Last updated: 15-Apr-2022
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Sections
 

1 The Types of Suffering
2 Most People Are Aware
3 Two Questions Asked By Unbelievers
4 God's Perfection
5 Evil in the World
6 Does Suffering Have a Godly Purpose?

1. The Types of Suffering

This is an excerpt from the topic on Suffering:

There are three types of suffering we observe:

  • Our suffering.
  • Suffering we see of those we love and care about.
  • Suffering we see in the world to those we may or may not know.

This author would state that if we, as Christians, are not experiencing suffering then we are not a threat to the Satanic World. 

The MOST IMPORTANT points to ALWAYS KNOW:

  1. We absolutely have suffering based on our sins, but when we confess and make restitution then God applies Mercy based on our sowing and reaping.  The Christian often does not understand that making restitution is a form of positive sowing and reaping, that is not required by God for receiving forgiveness, but is what God requires us ALL to repair damages that we create and cause.
  2. For all other types of suffering, that are not based on our sins, then all suffering with difficulties are absolutely God filtered and God allows them because God will work with us to WIN over them when we act under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 
    (a) This gives Glory to God and has us love God more and more.
    (This author can give hundreds of examples of experiencing and seeing victories by God for the righteous actions in suffering and adversity by the Christian!!!)
    (b) This is one of the many ways that actually is a positive principle of having the Christian become a more righteous, knowing, understanding, patient and emulation of Jesus Christ!  If we do not experience suffering, then we cannot grow into a better and better person.
  3. All suffering, regardless of reasons why it occurs, will have the opposite affect on the Christian so that the Satanic Forces and Evil Actions of people against a Christian will have the Christian benefit absolutely every time even unto death (more explained throughout this topic)!
    Romans 8:28-30 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.   29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

As a further point, God absolutely and uses 100% of suffering for His Purposes that we may not understand fully until after the Judgment Seat of Christ and Great White Thrown of Judgment.

2. Most People Are Aware

Most people are familiar with the basic premises of Christianity.  In a very broad sweeping summary, Jesus Christ came to pay the price for man's predicament of separation from God.  The very high-level timeline of points is:

  1. First, Lucifer fell in a heavenly battle after deciding to be against God from the beginning.  See Revelation 12:7-10 and John 8:44.
  2. Lucifer took ownership of the Earth away from Adam stewardship when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. 
  3. Adam and Eve's sin, separated all of future mankind from God and introduced suffering and death into the world.
  4. Jesus Christ died on a cross to pay for the separation of mankind with God so that we could have eternity with God, which is called Salvation. 
    (See 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 and many other Scriptures.)
  5. Jesus Christ will take possession of the Earth in His second coming.
    (See Revelation 1:7, Matthew 25:31 and many others.)
  6. All human-beings will be judged to either eternal life in Heaven with God or eternity in the Lake of Fire. 
  7. Lucifer, Fallen Angels and Demons have the destiny of the Lake of Fire. 

The Gospel is the "Good News":  

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 1  Now I make known unto you brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye stand, 2 by which also ye are saved, if ye hold fast the word which I preached unto you, except ye believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 and that he was buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures;
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again. 
Romans 10:9-11 9 because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: 10 for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame.

3. Two Questions Asked by Unbelievers

There are predominately two questions being asked by those who do not believe there is a God or do not believe it is the God of the Bible:

  1. If God is perfect as described in the Scriptures along with being all powerful, all knowing then how does God permit the evil to continue without stopping evil before it started?  
  2. If God dealt with the situation, at the beginning, then there would be no suffering, death and eternal separation, so why did God allow it? 

Before continuing, a good preface is to see the topic on Kingdom of God.  There are many Biblical Commentaries that detail how God is perfectly handling

  1. Lucifer,
  2. Fallen Angels and Demons,
  3. Human-beings,
  4. The wrecked Universe (creation), and
  5. Tainted Heavens

where these three points are a summary:

By God handling perfectly all of these three points, then this is additionally showing absolutely every Angel and every human-being

This is an excerpt from the Purpose of all History topic:

The purpose of all history can be stated is how can God, who is:

  • Omniscient,
  • Omnipresent,
  • All Powerful,
  • Perfect, and
  • so much more

show Perfect Love to a world that is destined to eternal separation from God without a Savior?  The answer is given to us in Ephesians 2:4-7, and is often called the purpose of God in all of history and the purpose of eternity future:

Ephesians 2:4-7 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

In the next verse 8, we will understand that it was by nothing we could have done to inherit and deserve the rewards of Heaven, which will lead us to a greater love of God for eternity.

Ephesians 2:7-10 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;, 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

4. God's Perfection

When all of us, who have Salvation, when we arrive and experience so many wondrous things:

we will know in eternity that we did not deserve to be there except by the great sacrifice Jesus Christ did for us so we will always love Him for the gift given. 

Restating, as read above in this topic in a very broad ranging summary, this is how God can show His perfection in love.  We will spend eternity learning about God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

5. Evil in the World

In Matthew 13:24-30 there is the "Parable of the Wheat and the Tares".  This parable helps us to understand that God:

Matthew 13:24-30 24 Another parable He (Jesus) put forth to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares? 28 He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Do you want us then to go and gather them up? 29 But he said, No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.

In some other important possibilities that the scriptures elude:

  1. It is by God's mercy that the evil of some people is not allowed to persist when their lives are cut short in early death so that their punishments in the Lake of Fire are less severe.
  2. Many Biblical Scholars point out that many of the Parables that Jesus Christ spoke were not always easy to understand which is why the Apostles asked for clarifications.  Jesus Christ is showing mercy to those He knew would not accept him because the more knowledge of God without acceptance of God will incur greater guilt and punishments in the Lake of Fire.
  3. Many Biblical Scholars also state that by the death of many, at an early age, allows for the possibility of entrance into eternity with God by the "Age of Accountability:" principle in the scripture.  If there are godless people, who are having offspring, then these godless people will not be teaching their children about God so there is the possibility that God is giving the children the ability to accept Him by a death during the age of accountability period.

6. Does Suffering have a Godly Purpose?

Yes, suffering does serve a purpose in the Believer's life and for our benefits that leads to Rewards in Heaven which gives God's Glory.  See the topic on suffering for more detailed information.

This is an excerpt from the topic on Rewards in Heaven:

Everything done through faith that:

  1. Developed our relationship with God during our life,
  2. Activities in God's Service,
  3. Faithfulness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
  4. Righteously suffering, and
  5. Overcoming sinful areas and obstacles in life through the Holy Spirit.

will contribute to rewards in Heaven that includes our new glorified bodies.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

What to read next?

What is Salvation?  Is it possible to lose Salvation?  We have eternal life.  Evolution is not real.  When a Christian suffers is there benefits from it.  Rewards in heaven.  Do we Tithe?  What does the 3rd Commandment tell us?  What is Grace and Mercy?  Is there an Age of Accountability?  Is there a place of unending punishment and exile form God?