What is the role of suffering in the world? is it God ordained?

Question

Does God cause Christians to suffer? What about Job? What about the apostle Paul?

Answer 1

Why does God allow innocent people to suffer?

This is one of the most difficult questions for Christians to answer.
The "problem of pain," as the well-known Christian scholar, C.S. Lewis, once called it, is atheism's most potent weapon against the Christian faith.

All true science and history, if rightly understood, support the fact of God. This evidence is so strong that, as the Bible says: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalm 14:1).


Most atheists, therefore, without any objective evidence on which to base their faith in "no God", must resort finally to philosophical objections. And this problem of suffering is the greatest of these.

That is, they say, how can a God of love permit such things in His world as war, sickness, pain, and death, especially when their effects often are felt most keenly by those who are apparently innocent? Either He is not a God of love and is indifferent to human suffering, or else He is not a God of power and is therefore helpless to do anything about it. In either case, the Biblical God who is supposedly one of both absolute power and perfect love becomes an impossible anachronism. Or so they claim!

This is a real difficulty, but atheism is certainly not the answer, and neither is agnosticism. While there is much evil in the world, there is even more that is good. This is proved by the mere fact that people normally try to hang on to life as long as they can. Furthermore, everyone instinctively recognizes that "good" is a higher order of truth than "bad".

We need also to recognize that our very minds were created by God. We can only use these minds to the extent that He allows, and it is, therefore, utterly presumptuous for us to use them to question Him and His motives.


"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25).

"Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, why hast Thou made me thus?" (Romans 9:20).

We ourselves do not establish the standards of what is right. Only the Creator of all reality can do that. We need to settle it, in our minds and hearts, whether we understand it or not, that whatever God does is, by definition, right.
Having settled this by faith, we are then free to seek for ways in which we can profit spiritually from the sufferings in life as well as the blessings. As we consider such matters, it is helpful to keep the following great truths continually in our minds.

There is really no such thing as the "innocent" suffering.

Since "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), there is no one who has the right to freedom from God's wrath on the basis of his own innocence.

As far as babies are concerned, and others who may be incompetent mentally to distinguish right and wrong, it is clear from both Scripture and universal experience that they are sinners by nature and thus will inevitably become sinners by choice as soon as they are able to do so.

The world is now under God's Curse (Genesis 3:17) because of man's rebellion against God's Word.

This "bondage of corruption," with the "whole world groaning and travailing together in pain" (Romans 8:21, 22), is universal, affecting all men and women and children everywhere. God did not create the world this way, and one day will set all things right again. In that day, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain" (Revelation 21:4).



Learn about how much Jesus Christ suffered

The Lord Jesus Christ, who was the only truly "innocent" and "righteous" man in all history, nevertheless has suffered more than anyone else who ever lived.

And this He did for us! "Christ died for our sins" (I Corinthians 15:3). He suffered and died, in order that ultimately He might deliver the world from the Curse, and that, even now, He can deliver from sin and its bondage anyone who will receive Him in faith as personal Lord and Savior. This great deliverance from the penalty of inherent sin, as well as of overt sins, very possibly also assures the salvation of those who have died before reaching an age of conscious choice of wrong over right.

With our full faith in God's goodness and in Christ's redemption, we can recognize that our present sufferings can be turned to His glory and our good.

The sufferings of unsaved men are often used by the Holy Spirit to cause them to realize their needs of salvation and to turn to Christ in repentance and faith. The sufferings of Christians should always be the means of developing a stronger dependence on God and a more Christ-like character, if they are properly "exercised thereby" (Hebrews 12:11).

Thus, God is loving and merciful even when, "for the present," He allows trials and sufferings to come in our lives.

"For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

Answer 2

God has used suffering to turn the Jewish nation back toward Him. But to blame God for all the suffering in the world would not be right. Much suffering is brought on by our own actions. Sometimes God and Satan get the blame for things we do to ourselves. Sometimes we have "natural" disasters that are just part of our weather patterns. I guess the answer is no-it is not ordained.

Answer 3

Ok, I thought about it a long time, and since you did ask as a christian I'm gonna answer you as a christian: Mankind has matured, and maybe, he is old... Think: At first, when mankind was "young", he was in contact with God 24/7 then, man started growing up, until the Dark Ages (Medieval), that was, I guess, Man's teen-age years, when mankind was a rebel, and with what he learned from his parent(s) went into the world and used the teachings from his Father... but now, we are adults, mankind is an responsible adult, every action is His to make, no more God to help us now, cause we are on our own... SO, finnaly, since we are responsible adults, God thinks we can take care of ourselves so He does not intervine... so, why don't we visit God once in a while and start to live for ourselves instead of worshiping him? Do you worship your father or mother like you worship Him? OHH, and we are dying, I guess we are dying of old age and not poison or suicide... I guess :-?? YOU DO UNDERSTAND THE METAPHORE...

Answer 4

in my opinion people bring about their own suffering , subconsciously , genetically or otherwise
we live in a world that people turn to unnatural medicines before healers ,
where we would rather go by car and put all sorts of fumes into the atmosphere instead of walking 5 mile down the road
we see starving people yet throw away more waste than these people see in a lifetime
i could go on and on
but people cant blame the suffering of this world on anyone but them self

Answer 5

Suffering came to be because of man's sin. It is not God ordained, but God does relieve it.:) Praise the Lord!!

Kas

Answer 6

During Old Testament times, suffering was viewed as a sign of sinfulness. That's because suffering entered the world through sin. However, everybody suffers - even the most holy (Jesus). Suffering is one of the effects of original sin, but is not an indicator of personal sin.

Because of the presence of sin in the world, every person deserves to suffer eternal damnation. But Jesus redeemed suffering and made it holy. When Christians suffer patiently, offering their pain to Christ as a spiritual sacrifice in expiation for sins, their suffering is joined with the suffering of Christ on the cross and it is sanctified.

Paul wrote, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church (Col. 1:24)."

Paul offers his suffering on behalf of the church. Since Christ's suffering was an expiation for sins, the church's (his Body) suffering is also expiatory. Most Protestant churches do not teach this because they think it means that Jesus' suffering was insufficient for man's salvation. This is not what it means at all. It means that by being joined with Christ, Christian suffering has been transformed into something that has power. We need not fall into despair in times of great suffering. It doesn't mean that by 'works' we can gain salvation. You need God's forgiveness first. Then, when you are in communion with Jesus, your suffering becomes expiatory (you suffer some of the punishment that you deserve).

Besides, it says so in the Bible.

Paul, speaking of the church as one body writes, "If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it (compassion); if one part is honored, all the parts share it's joy (1Cor. 12:26)." This is called the communion of saints. All the parts are one body; they are in communion with one another. When one suffers, the whole suffers. Jesus, being the head of the body, suffers as well - and his suffering is always expiatory for sins.

BTW:
This is why the Church is one (one body), holy (it is the Body of Christ), catholic (universal - for all people, not just one nation or people), and apostolic (it came to us through the apostles).

Answer 7

Suffering is caused by your own mind. There is nothing outside of you that "causes" suffering. Suffering is always a mental and emotional reaction to past conditioning.

Answer 8

Why does God permit suffering?

Who really is to blame for it?

Humans are to blame for much of the suffering. They fight wars, commit crimes, pollute the environment, often carry on business in a manner motivated by greed rather than concern for their fellowman, and sometimes indulge in habits that they know can be harmful to their health. When they do these things, they hurt others and themselves. Should it be expected that humans would be immune to the consequences of what they do? Is it reasonable to blame God for these things that humans themselves do?

Satan and his demons also share responsibility. The Bible discloses that much suffering is because of the influence of wicked spirits. The suffering for which so many people blame God does not come from him at all.

How did suffering get started? Examination of the causes focuses attention on our first human parents, Adam and Eve. Jehovah God created them perfect and put them in paradise surroundings. If they had obeyed God, they would never have got sick or died. They could have enjoyed perfect human life forever. Suffering was not part of Jehovah’s purpose for mankind. But Jehovah clearly told Adam that continued enjoyment of what He had given them depended on obedience.

Obviously, they had to breathe, eat, drink, and sleep in order to continue living. And they had to keep God’s moral requirements in order to enjoy life fully and to be favored with such life forever. But they chose to go their own way, to set their own standards of good and bad, and thus they turned away from God, the Life-Giver. (Gen. 2:16, 17; 3:1-6) Sin led to death. It was as sinners that Adam and Eve produced children, and they could not pass on to their children what they no longer had. All were born in sin, with inclinations toward wrongdoing, weaknesses that could lead to illness, a sinful inheritance that would eventually result in death. Because everyone on earth today was born in sin, all of us experience suffering in various ways..

Ecclesiastes 9:11 says that “time and unforeseen occurrence” also have a bearing on what happens to us. We may get hurt, not because the Devil directly causes it or because any human does it, but because by chance we are in a place at the wrong moment.


Jesus performed many miracles to demonstrate that he was the Messiah. He even raised the dead. Those works attracted the crowds, but Jesus did not come to earth merely to do a social work. He came to bear witness to the truth. He knew that any material benefits he provided were temporary. Even the resurrected ones would die again. Only by bearing witness to the truth could he help some to gain everlasting life. (Luke 18:28-30) Today, some individuals try to imitate Jesus’ good works by opening hospitals or performing other services among the world’s poor. In some cases, they do this at great personal cost, and their sincerity is commendable; but any relief they supply is temporary at best. Only the Kingdom a Heavenly Government that Jesus talked about when He was on the Earth will bring permanent relief.

Answer 9

NO, GOD is a GOD of love. adam and eve were created perfect,and were gave the choice of free will. If they had obeyed GOD we would not have to grow old and die. suffering was not part of GOD'S PURPOSE FOR MANKIND. He wanted us to live a long and happy life. once adam and eve sinned, they interduce sin to their offspring. AND BECAUSE EVERYONE ON EARTH TODAY WAS BORN IN SIN, ALL OF US EXPERIENCE SUFFERING IN VARIOUS WAYS. READ GENSIS 8:21 AND ROMANS 5:12.

Answer 10

God, if there is one, causes everyone to suffer. Some more than others, and the hand is never dealt out fairly or evenly, so, what then?

Answer 11

Excellent question !
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Role of suffering.

1) to build character

2) to be a consequence of sin

3) to be a consequence of rejection of God

4) to remind us that the earth is not our permanent home

5) to remind us that heaven is a place for us to aspire towards

6) to develop other-orientedness in us

7) to develop empathy in us

8) to develop a character of sacrificial servant-leadershp in us

9) to develop god likeness in us

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God permits suffering for the purposes listed above. In that sense, yes suffering is God ordained, for a limited period of time.

In the Christian heaven, God promises us, there will be no suffering, no evil, no sorrow.

Cordially,
John