“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.’”
Daniel 3:16-18
Where do evil and suffering come from? The Bible shows us five causes.
- This broken world
- Sinful people
- Spiritual warfare
- Natural consequences
- Punishment for sin
First, we live in a fallen, broken world.
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:17-19
Due to the rebellion of Adam and Eve sin entered the world with all of its consequences. “Cursed is the ground.” Guilt, shame, sinful desire and conflict damaged human relationships with self, others, God and creation. So the first and most significant reason for evil and suffering in the world is the fall of man. We brought this upon ourselves. In the original creation there was no evil or pain or suffering or death.
Second, people are selfish and cause harm to one another.
“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
James 1:13-15
Temptation and evil never come from God, who is perfectly good. Rather, conflict and pain come from our own selfish hearts because of “the desires at war within us” (James 4:1). Wickedness and violence got so bad in ancient times that God had to wipe out everyone with a global flood and start over (Gen. 6:5). This second cause of suffering is what we see in Daniel 3 where an evil king demands worship and punishes three faithful Jews who refuse to bow down to his statue.
Third, the devil and his demons cause as much chaos and evil as they can.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 10:10
Satan is the great deceiver and the great accuser. He is the one who deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden, and he continues to whisper lies and lead astray as many people as he possibly can. The book of Job shows us that the devil’s works are limited by God’s merciful goodness and that God has purposes even in our temptation and suffering that is caused by the enemy (Job 1:8-10). Above all, suffering endured through faith in the Lord honors Him above our own comfort and even our own lives.
Fourth, much suffering is the natural result of our own poor decisions.
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
Galatians 6:7-8
Some addictions and illnesses are the result of our fallen world, but others are caused by poor diet and exercise habits or other lifestyle issues. The primary consequence of selfish, sinful choices is that you become a more selfish, sinful person. Character formation works both positively and negatively. We are always becoming. No one can remain in the same place. You are either sowing good seed and growing in godliness or sowing bad seed and growing in worldliness. Often the greatest suffering in life comes from damaged relationships, almost always from both parties, and healing will not take place until at least one person humbles themselves to apologize and seek reconciliation.
Fifth, some pain and suffering is the direct result of God’s judgment or discipline.
“Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
1 Corinthians 11:28-32
Jesus corrected those who believed that all suffering is due to divine judgment (John 9:2-3; Lk. 13:1-5). That was the mistake of Job’s friends, compounding his suffering with their judgment upon him. But some suffering is the direct intervention of God. Increased pain in child-bearing was the first consequence for sin (Gen. 3:16) followed by the curse upon the ground. The flood was a worldwide judgment of God. Sodom and Gomorrah were so immoral God vaporized them (Gen. 19:23-25). There were various immediate judgments of God upon Israel for their grumbling (Num. 21:5-6), disobedience (Num. 16:31-32) and idolatry (Is. 1).
It is true that there is “no condemnation” (Rom. 8:1) for followers of Jesus in terms of eternal punishment for our sin, but that does not mean there is no discipline.
“And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.’ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”
Hebrews 10:5-7; Prob. 3:12
This is just a cursory sketch of the causes of pain and suffering. Much more could be said about the purposes and outcomes of our sorrows. The problem of evil is both philosophical and personal. As you consider the challenges in your life right now it is probably difficult to discern which of the five causes above are involved. It is possible, at times, that all five have contributed to a specific situation.
In our pain and sadness we can remember the infinitely greater suffering and pain of our Lord and Savior, who was born as a baby, lived as a servant and gave up his life to purchase our peace.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33