why do bad things happen to good people, or people who are trying to do good?

Question

and good things happen to people that do bad?

Answer 1

Because we are trying to live right and that is going to bring on test and trails to test our faith.

Answer 2

This is not a new question. It's been asked for thousands of years.

For Jeremiah 12:1 (in which a similar question is asked) the Geneva Study Bible comments, "This question has been always a great temptation to the godly, to see the wicked enemies of God in prosperity, and his dear children in adversity, as in (Job 21:7; Psalms 37:1,73:3; Habakkuk 1:3)."

Read Psalm 73.

Job 12:6 -- The tents of robbers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure-- In what God provides by His hand.

Job 21:7 -- Why do the wicked live and become old, Yes, become mighty in power?

(Also read:Job 21:7; Job 12:6; Psalms 37:1,35; 73:3; Malachi 3:15; Psalms 51:4; 37; 73)

But the answer to this question...
Ezekiel 33:11 -- Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord God, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'

2 Peter 3:9 -- The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Answer 3

We must remember that we live in a fallen world, where good behaviour is not always rewarded and bad behaviour is not always punished.

We need to realise that God is all we ever really had. We should not demand that God explain everything. God gives us Himself, but not all the details of His plans. It is important to remember if your a Christian, that this life, with all its pain, is not our final destiny.

Answer 4

There is only one good being and that is God! He had to send His Son to earth as a living sacrifice for our sins! So to me their is no good person that is physically living on this earth, only God is good!

Answer 5

the bible said that this would happen. we are living in Satan's world, in his system of things...so why would he reward the good and shaft the ones doing what he wants them to do?

and sometimes girl, "time and unforseen circumstance befall us all"

Answer 6

YHWH has allowed humans time to figure things out and return to doing His will. Unfortunately satan is able to influence most humans (see Matthew 7:13-23) only a few humans have figured it out.

As an intelligent and unbiased human resident of the planet earth, I recognize that every naive political member of every naive political party/system of government has both good ideas and bad ideas.
But as a Christian, I know the true source of every political party/system of government. if you have a Bible in your house, learn from the following Scriptures; you will be very surprised at the truth!

Luke 4:5, 6
1 John 5:19
John 14:30
John 16:11
Ephesians 2:2
2 Corinthians 4:4
Daniel 2:44
James 4:4
John 15:19
Acts 5:29
1 John 2:15
Romans 12:2

No true Christian supports *any* government
true Christians know the Scriptures and do not mix with this world system of politics and war and hate and division. Pretend christians use god as a political club to beat their enemies with. The Scriptures I cited show up the false christian majority for the hypocrites they are. True Christians are "no part of this world" and do not support the hatred and division of the political pawns of "the ruler of this world".
Read the Scriptures I cited before you try and accuse true Christians of any of the world's problems... granted, true Christians are such a tiny group of people that our peace loving ways can not have any effect on this world system of political division, hatred and war; but we know from the Scriptures that "the ruler of this world will be cast out" before this ignorant system of mankind reaches the point of no return.
Do not look at the majority of those that claim to be "christian", those hypocrites are condemned by Jesus himself at Matthew 7:21-23!
Read the Scriptures I cited and know the truth.

YHWH (Jehovah in English) has given humankind 6,000 years to figure out that he *can not* rule himself. He has provided His only-begotten son Yhshua (Jesus in English) as an example of how to do His will. The first humans chose self-rule and ever since that day, things have gone from bad to worse. There are very few people who have used their free-will to be "no part of this world" of politics, nationalism, hate, prejudice and war (Matthew 7:13, 14) but as few as there are, the number is increasing rapidly and there is a very comforting thought in 2 Peter 3:9 and Isaiah 48:18. Therefore, the choice is the same as it always has been; choose self-rule (politics, nationalism, war) or choose God's rule (peace, unity, love)
Evolutionist conjecture states that all matter just happened to at some point in time pop out of nowhere with no explanation. Then that matter that unexplainably came from nowhere exploded and became the universe and then life just all of the sudden popped up with no explanation; you call that science? I call it conjecture.
There is no more scientific proof for evolutionist conjecture than there is for God (though I will say that every house has a builder and so does the universe)
so, in the end it still comes down to the choices presented in the Bible:
Self rule (politics, division, hate, greed, war)
Gods rule (Jesus as Jehovah's appointed King, unity, love, compassion, peace)
I put faith in that which God has inspired men to write in the Bible, namely that if you choose His rule, he will restore His original purpose for the earth and mankind, namely the paradise and eternal life that the first humans lost when they chose self-rule, and he will restore it *before* man finishes destroying the environment, which I believe scientists estimate will reach the 'point of no return' by 2050 at the present rate of destruction (not to forget that hate-filled radicals are likely going to create a nuclear arsenal and use it before 2050)
so thanx but no thanx, I'll choose
Gods rule (Jesus as Jehovah's appointed King, unity, love, compassion, peace)

Humans were given the free will to choose.
Every human has a choice.
they can choose to continue to be part of this worlds self-rule politics, which fruitage can be charted and observed over the past 6,000 years
or they can choose to follow the direction of His son whom He sent to show us the way and who repeatedly warned us to be "no part of this world" of human self-rule
To reiterate; the entire Bible message really comes down to this
Self rule (politics, division, hate, greed, war)
Gods rule (Jesus as Jehovah's appointed King, unity, love, compassion, peace)
when those in charge of the self-rule of mankind soon bring us to the brink of inevitable extinction through poisoning the environment and nuclear war, it will be too late to change your choice. One must choose before that moment is upon us. Jehovah will step in at the last moment, before those who choose self-rule destroy the planet, having given every human every possible moment to make up his or her mind. Which choice will you have made?

Free will and choice. Choose self-rule and get the fruits of self-rule (death by ecological and/or nuclear self-destruction if God does not stop it) or choose not to have anything to do with this world of human self-rule politics and put your trust in Christ's Father Jehovah and live under His world government when His "Kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven" meaning a restoration of the paradise and eternal life that the first humans threw away when they chose self-rule. If you support self-rule human politics you have set yourself up in opposition to God's rule (Daniel 2:44; James 4:4) every human is given the free will to choose his own future.

I'd love to see everyone choose God's government and follow the loving teachings of Christ, which would render all politicians unemployed, all nations obsolete and all hatred and wars extinct but that is coming very soon; in fact it will come immediately before mankind renders the earth a ruin. When do scientists predict the ecological point of no return? Is it 2050??? Most likely, a radical like Hitler will build a nuclear arsenal and bring the world to the brink of a nuclear holocaust before 2050. Therefore, barring an unforeseen fatal accident, I will live to see God install His Kingdom! I am glad I stopped believing in and supporting the failed system of man's self-rule/politics years ago

However, this brings up a point:
does the creator of anything have the right to eradicate that which he has created when it serves no redeeming function?
I know if I created something that did not function the way I created it to function and I could not find any good use for it, I would not keep it around just because my neighbor thought I did not have a right to get rid of it!
Please consider the following 3 passages before passing judgment against the Creator;
Genesis 18:22-33
Jonah chapter 3
2 Peter 3:9

Allow me to clarify that my love for Jehovah drives me to tell you what the Bible message about the beautiful future of humankind is and to try my best to follow the example of His son Jesus. I am happy to answer questions from the Bible based on my thorough study of it and of all the major philosophies & religions of man. If you ask me what is to become of anyone on the last day of this age of self-rule when Jehovah installs His global government with Jesus as the appointed King, I can not tell you because only Jesus has been appointed to judge each individual. He does clue us in by telling us "he who is not with me is against me" and that he and his Father Jehovah are in complete agreement and purpose, which would seem to indicate that we must pay close attention to what God instructs us in the Bible. That is many things among which His people are to be "no part of this world" not supporting mankind’s failed system of self-rule/politics on any level. And to keep our worship of Him clean, without spot, abstaining from rituals and festivals originally designed for pagan gods. And to love those who make themselves enemies of you and to do to them what you would want them to do to you. I have chosen this love and true Christians do not get involved in the politics of this world in any way shape or form. They love and obey God's direction found in His Word the Bible and tell everyone around them about the coming Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven so that everyone will have made a choice before the last day of human self-rule.
I beg you to please study the Bible and the example of Jesus and do not judge Christianity by observing hypocrites (Matthew 7:21-23)

self-rule is what the first humans chose (Romans 5:12) God's Kingdom is what He has patiently and lovingly waited for 6,000 years for humans to conclude they need (2 Peter 3:9) Before those who choose self-rule finish their greedy destruction of the planet with their politics (James 4:4; Revelation 11:18) the Almighty Father will restore what was His original intention for mankind and the earth to those who reject self-rule and choose His government (Daniel 2:44)
6,000 years of evidence of human self-rule going from bad to worse is the first choice; after 6,000 years we are on the brink of irreversibly destroying the natural environment and/or global nuclear war triggered by some radical hate-monger claiming to believe in God. If you choose politics/self-rule then that’s your destination; I.e. a “return to the dust from which you were made”

The alternative choice is God's global government wherein He has promised to restore the original purpose for the earth and mankind to those who want a world of peace and love without divisions.

agape!