Biblical Answer

The Mystery of Suffering

Suffering is a universal human experience that has puzzled people for centuries. Many have questioned why God allows suffering when we are doing everything right. The Bible acknowledges the existence of suffering and offers various explanations for it. According to the Bible, suffering can be a result of living in a sinful, fallen world, and sometimes it is because God is disciplining us (for our good). However, in all cases, we are assured by Romans 8:28 that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28).

God's Sovereignty and Purposes

God's sovereignty and purposes are beyond human comprehension. He works in mysterious ways, and His reasons for permitting suffering may not be immediately clear to us. Job, a righteous man, underwent incomprehensible suffering for no apparent reason. However, in the end, God revealed to Job that His purposes were greater than Job's understanding. Similarly, when we suffer, we may not be able to discern God's reasons for permitting it. However, we can trust that God is working all things together for our good, even when we cannot see it. God's love for us is not limited by our understanding of His ways.

The Purpose of Suffering

The Bible teaches that suffering can be a means of grace, allowing God to work in our lives and transform us. If God rewarded us immediately, we would be destroyed, for our inherent depravity would lead us to become users of God. Suffering that appears pointless within our limited framework may be seen to have been justly permitted by God within His wider framework. By undergoing suffering, we can come to know and trust God more deeply. As the Bible says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Rom 8:28). Ultimately, the goal of our existence is relationship with God, and finding Him in our suffering is the point. Suffering and sin are closely related, and recognizing the role of suffering in our relationship with Christ helps us to understand its purpose.