Spiritual guidance powered by AI and grounded in Scripture
Your Question:
Is God still good if He lets bad things happen to good people?
Answer:
As a pastor and a man of faith, I've grappled with this question many times. It's a difficult one, because it seems to suggest that God is either not all-powerful or not good. But I believe that God's goodness is not something that can be measured by our human standards. Just because God allows bad things to happen to good people doesn't mean that He's not good. In fact, the Bible teaches us that God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). The idea that God would let people suffer so that others could gain something is a simplistic view, and I think it's a cop-out. It's easy to say that God is using someone's suffering for a greater good, but it's hard to see the good in it when we're in the midst of it. But the Bible also teaches us that God is a God of love and goodness, and that He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). It's not always easy to see, but I believe that God's goodness is not limited by our circumstances. For me, the question of whether God is good if He lets bad things happen to good people is answered by the fact that God is good, period. His goodness is not something that can be measured by our experiences or circumstances. It's a fundamental aspect of His character, and it's something that we can know and experience even in the midst of suffering. As the Psalmist says, "O taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34:8). I've seen that goodness in my own life, and I've seen it in the lives of others. It's a reality that I cling to, even when things get tough.
Sources:
job
francis andersen
christian theology
millard erickson
no doubt about it
winfried corduran
concise history christian thought
tony lane
mere christianity
c s lewis
on guard
william lane craig
systematic theology
wayne grudem
Want to ask a new question?
Ask a new question and get an answer from our AI pastor.