The  Aletheian  Christadelphian  Fellowship:

Dear Friends,

The Bible teaches that an all-wise, almighty Creator formed the marvellous universe in which we live by His infinite skills of wisdom, foresight and care. Yet humanity experiences continual difficulties, stresses and troubles, so that the evil of suffering and finally death is a problem in life that comes home to everyone. A child is born blind, deformed or mentally afflicted; and the question comes: Why? The child has done no harm.

A man or woman of fine character and in the prime of life is racked with pain in a hopeless disease that can only end in death. Why him? Why her?

Some see suffering as the unjust punishments of a disinterested God, who allows His creation to experience unspeakable traumas without reason — and therefore they turn from religion to seek their own solutions to life. Others believe in fatalism, assuming that every circumstance in life is predetermined, and cannot be altered; that we are the unhappy victims of a vengeful Deity. Others again refuse to seek for reasons, and prefer to indulge in an endless pursuit of personal happiness, hoping that nothing serious will ever happen to them.

A few look seriously at the facts, and discover the real meaning of life. And so, people with enquiring minds tend to ask: Why does God allow these evils, many of which end in death?

Questions, such as these, rise daily in the thoughts, as we see and hear the news, and on the surface seem reasonable: yet a candid look at them shows that they must, in themselves, carry certain implications. They imply that the evil and death caused by suffering in human life is inconsistent either with the power or with the love of God: that as a God of love either He has not the power to prevent the suffering, or if He has the power then He has not the will, and therefore, by implication, is not a God of love. It is assumed that the prevention of evil and suffering as it now affects the apparently innocent is something we should expect from a God of love who is also Almighty.

So we ask the question: "Are these assumptions justified?"

In order to answer this correctly we need to recognise some facts about life which must be taken into account before we try to form a judgement:

Firstly, man lives in a world of ... cause and effect ... and the consequences of certain causes are inescapable. Fire — burns, water — drowns, disease germs — destroy. These facts have moral implications. Men live in a universe in which the consequences of what they do are inescapable, and therefore their responsibility for what they do is equally inescapable. Without this burden of ‘natural law’ man could do as he liked without restraint, and there would be no responsibility. God made man’s surroundings this way because He is a moral God who makes men responsible for their actions, with the freewill to choose how they will act.

Thirdly, the consequences of man’s acts are not only directly physical. The social and political evils which they have created throughout history have left a gathering burden on the generations following. People today are caught in a net of the consequences of past history, and even when they try to right one evil, another is brought to bear.

Taking such facts as these into account, we must ask ourselves:

We are actually asking three things of God: that He should:

Have we the right to expect God to save men from the consequences of evil human acts? Would it be a moral universe if He did?

Now, these questions can only be asked of situations when the evil hand of man is involved. The evils of earthquakes, tempests, famines and floods are usually called ‘acts of God’ because there is no other explanation for their occurrence. So if we look beyond the evils of human acts to those of natural disasters, we find that it falls upon all, innocent and guilty alike. As soon as we begin to question the suffering of innocent victims of these disasters another dilemma is raised. Are we saying that the calamities should be selective in their working, searching out only those who we may feel ‘deserve to suffer’?

One basic mistake that is often made is that suffering is evil in itself. The Bible, which is the only place on earth where we can find "A Message from God" says that suffering is not evil in itself, but shows that the evil of suffering is a consequence of sin: not necessarily the sin of the individual who suffers, but sin in the history of man and in human society. The definition of sin, by the way, is the disobedience of God’s commands. The origin of evil and death is succinctly put by the Apostle Paul, when he reminded the first century Roman believers that:

That "one man" was the first man of God’s creation, Adam.

Turn over a page to Genesis chapter 2 and verse 16 where we learn that the failure of man to respect God’s law would result in death. Verse 16:

Adam and Eve failed to challenge and refute the suggestion of the serpent. They took the fruit, ate it, and brought upon themselves and their descendants the consequences of their sin.

Why Sin Brought Suffering

God’s righteousness required that the sinful pair be punished, and they were thereafter to experience difficulty and distress in life. They had to learn that none can freely reject, ignore or disobey the clear instructions of God without experiencing the results of their actions and the judgment that inevitably follows.

The angel that met them in the Garden revealed the judgment of God against the man, the woman and then the serpent.

Look at Genesis chapter 3, and verse 14, where the serpent, whose advice had caused the sin, was told . . . in verse 14:

The sentence pronounced upon the woman after the disobedience in Eden was given in verse 16:

Finally, God told the man, in the latter part of verse 17:

But who caused this change of condition? It was the decision of Almighty God, but He did not cause it. He had earlier told Adam that if he were to disobey the clear instructions of the divine law, he would suffer. Adam and Eve had brought upon themselves the awful results of transgression. Their own foolishness brought sin, suffering, disease and death into existence. There was no one else whom they could rightfully blame for the difficult situation in which they were now found.

Therefore, man's disobedience had introduced into the arena of God's work the cause of all the suffering, evil, bloodshed, disease, anger, impediments, and iniquities that the long and sad history of the world ever since has witnessed. It was all the result of human failure in the beginning.

Today, the result of six thousand years of wilful rebellion against God is clearly evident. Instead of improving his condition, by the careful observance of God's instructions, mankind has wantonly continued in the sinful path of his forefather. It is not God’s fault that so many terrible and sad incidents occur. He does not force us to act against His will, displeasing His righteous character. In fact, the Scriptures indicate that mankind generally is determined to oppose the wisdom of God. In Ecclesiastes chapter 8 we read that:

Again, in that same book, chapter 9:

The wise man Solomon, who was inspired to write those words, observed that, notwithstanding the presence of God's laws found in His Scriptures, mankind chooses to perpetrate evil, and to indulge in continuing wickedness. He does that, not only to his own hurt, but to that of all who are affected by his actions.

Today the world is full of evildoers. Even those who think that they are morally good, who endeavour to benefit their fellowman and are prepared to sacrifice their own pleasure that others might profit, do not please God if they refuse to heed His Word, the Bible, or seek to change the meaning of the divine instructions. Should we wonder at the presence of evil and suffering when humanity despises the very means of its solution?

So the story of suffering continues to mar the pages of history. Ignoring the advice of God, the nations persist in warfare, driven by the lust for power, inflicting bloodshed, injury and death, with misery, homelessness, devastation and disease following in its path. The mental and emotional conflict in the hearts of those affected continues for generations, and so history repeats itself.

Then there is the incident of disease: terrible blights can move through the cities and towns of nations.

The Black Death swept through Europe from AD 1347 to 1349, ravaging families with a combination of bubonic and pneumonic plague — which was followed over the next fifty years or so by repeated outbreaks, making rapid recovery almost impossible, and further exhausting a population already on the verge of starvation.

What caused this devastation? It was caused by the bite of an infected rat flea, and was aggravated by the lack of sanitation and cleanliness. The careless and inadequate hygiene of the people during those times and the unhealthy conditions of life caused the effects of the plague to continue long afterwards, and extended the sickness through Europe and Asia.

Modern diseases are just as devastating. Stress, heart failure, cancer, the increase in mental illnesses, respiratory ailments due to pollution, and such curses upon humanity as AIDS, brings trauma and distress even to innocent families and communities. God did not cause the Black Death, nor does He infuse AIDS upon the present generation. It results from the waywardness of man, suffering the consequences of sin.

Then there is the incident of severe disabilities that can occur at birth. Why should some innocent babies be inflicted with terrible deformities, and face a life of tragedy, bringing distress to their parents and difficulty to themselves? Is it God's fault that such abnormalities occur from time to time? Certainly not. There are hereditary laws which govern our physical condition, and which can be upset by abuses such as alcohol and drugs; internal injuries may affect the unborn — accidents can happen to any one at any time under the present conditions of sin, disease and death; therefore, as the wise man Solomon wrote:

Why Doesn’t God Intervene?

Without an understanding of God's Word, men do not acknowledge divine instruction, and are not prepared to accept God's teaching. They will not naturally follow the way of righteousness. The prophet Jeremiah declared:

Jesus declared:

These evil characteristics are the cause of much of the evil of humanity's suffering. A society that throws off the restraint of the Scriptures, causes the glaring injustices against their fellows which are so evident today. If God were to remove all the causes of suffering from society, He would open the floodgates for personal gratification, complete ruthlessness and selfishness, threatening the destruction of all His creation by those who see no need to honour God, and His ways. It would be a self-centred, spiritually shallow civilisation.

The Bible invites us to separate from such a society; to recognise the evil condition of life about us; to acknowledge that we are no longer "very good", but inherently "desperately wicked", and therefore to seek for the means to raise ourselves above sinfulness, and seek for righteousness.

The Bible is the key to such a positive attitude. It clearly shows the way in which men and women can find real satisfaction in life, and obtain answers to the perplexing questions that otherwise seem to have no solution.

A Godly Man’s Experience

Turn to the Book of Job, chapter 1, in the Old Testament, where the answer may be seen in the example of a man called Job.

The Scriptures tell of a man of great wisdom and righteousness. His name is synonymous with suffering, even today. The phrase, a Job's comforter, describes one who aggravates a person's distress under the pretext of comforting him. Job, the Bible says, was a servant of God, and that:

One would imagine that he, at least, would be protected by the God he served, from the evil experience of suffering. But it was not to be.

In this book of Job we have the record of a devout man who experiences the evil of several disasters: in the loss of his flocks and herds — the source of all his wealth; with terrible bereavement in the loss of all his children at one stroke; and then is stricken with a tormenting disease which separates him from men. The great test had begun. Would anguish, extreme trial and distress cause the faithful Job to turn from his worship of God? Would his outstanding obedience be forgotten under the pressure of evil and extreme suffering?

Even in the face of such terrible devastation, he, declared in verses 20 and 21 of chapter 1:

The comment in this ‘Message from God’ declares in verse 22 that:

Wisely, Job did not condemn God for the losses he endured because he realised that all he possessed originally came from God and belonged to Him. We must avoid condemning God for any trouble that might come our way, which may, in fact, be His means of perfecting our character, preparing us for the greater purpose He has in store for faithful worshippers.

For as Job declared in verse 10:

Job recognised the important principle that he could not claim good as a right: it was not for him to decide what God shall do.

The following chapters in the Book of Job describe the additional trials that he had to face. Not only were his possessions and family affected, he was overcome by a most painful affliction. He suffered, in chapter 2 verse 7:

When the friends were silenced and Job had made his final speech, a young man named Elihu came into the argument. He showed that Job in his extremity had challenged the righteousness of God, but he also threw a new light on the problem. God speaks to men in two ways: firstly, through revelation in His "message from heaven", given to us in The Bible, and secondly, through suffering. God, by this means, is communicating with men and women and bringing them to Himself.

This description of suffering perfectly fitted Job, and Elihu was saying that even he needed the chastening, reproof and discipline of the Lord — not for the specific sins alleged by his friends, for Elihu does not mention them, but for a more subtle fault. Elihu had already hinted at it, for it was the sin of spiritual pride, and only the experience of suffering could bring it to light so as to convict Job of it.

The evil of suffering can, therefore, be part of the ways of God’s working with men for their own development and to bring them to a knowledge of Himself; and the outcome for Job was a new and intimate knowledge of God. Turn to chapter 42 and verse 5, where Job’s experience of evil resulted in these words from his lips . . . Job 42 and verse 5:

The conclusions to be drawn in our considerations of this "Message from God" is that with man’s disobedience there came a dislocation in the relationship between the Creator and the created as the relationship between God and man was put out of joint. The first sin brought a fundamental change which affects us all with the evils which are common to man. Death is universal: God does not modify it for the particular individual. The Bible teaching is that men are left to their own ways and the working of natural law, though there may be times when natural disaster is divinely directed as a judgement upon man and for the cleansing of the earth. The outstanding example is the flood in the days of Noah.

So, we have discussed the fact that man lives in an ordered universe of cause and effect and therefore must accept its consequences; and since sin entered into human life these must involve the evil of suffering and death. The suffering, however, may not be directly related to the sin of the sufferer but may result from the acts of former generations.

Likewise, we live in a world created by a God of wisdom and love and He can guide and control the suffering of those who seek Him in order to bring them to a deeper knowledge of Him.

It was for that reason that Job submitted to the indignities and bitterness of his trials. Even in the midst of his great sufferings, Job prophesied of better days ahead when he declared:

That same reward is offered to those today who are prepared to worship God, not withstanding what ever difficulties come their way in life. Paul says, speaking of the lord Jesus Christ, that:

Paul refers to the possibility of suffering that would follow baptism — and a faithful life in Christ represents a challenge to the attitude of society generally. The suffering that comes from discipleship might include physical persecution, as was occasioned against the believers in times past, or it might be in the form of antagonism, ridicule or rejection from one's contemporaries, as occurs today. Whatever form it might take, it strengthens faith and conviction, and identifies a believer with his Master.

So it was that, nearly 2000 years ago, God intervened in the lives and history of man by giving His Son Jesus Christ to share in human suffering to the uttermost in order to bring about their redemption from sin and death. He is the author, the source, the cause, of a salvation that men cannot achieve for themselves, since because of his sacrifice men and women who come to him for life are by God’s grace accepted as members of Christ. And so, as Christ rose the third day, there is spiritual resurrection to new life now for those who are baptized into him, and the hope of physical resurrection and a change to immortality in the day when he returns.

For those who answer the call of God’s love, the way of suffering evil and death may be the way to life, and that is the ultimate purpose of the existence of all this evil and suffering in the world. The call is still going out; there is still opportunity for all who are looking for hope beyond this present evil world, to find it — in God’s Message to us — The Bible.

• (This article is placed on the web by The Aletheian Christadelphian Fellowship, Bible Students in the U.K. to draw attention to the true teaching of the Bible).

• Web Page Edition: April 2008

The word Christadelphian is a Greek word, and translated, it means the brethren of Christ (Heb. 2:11), We are a body of people associated together by a belief in the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12); and by immersion into Christ (Gal. 3:27) for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38) and a part in his resurrection (Rom. 6:5).

We do not profess to have received any new revelation, but hold that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are able to make wise unto Salvation (2 Tim. 3:15,17). Believing in the Divine Authorship of the Bible, we think it only reasonable to reject any interpretation thereof which fails to harmonise all the testimonies of the Holy Scriptures; and finding that the creeds of the various sects around are, in a great variety of ways, opposed to the direct teaching of the Bible, we feel compelled to stand apart, making appeal in all such matters to the statements of Scripture, and testing all creeds thereby.

We believe in the personal, visible return of Christ to the earth, to set up his power and reign thereon, and we seek to share this knowledge with others. We offer our services in expounding the message of the Bible without cost of any kind.