Why Does God Allow Christians to Suffer?

by Chuck Ness

“Why didn’t God just create us so that we would never have to experience pain, suffering, or sadness?”

The best way to answer this question, is to start at the beginning where original sin began. Now the best description I have ever read that describes sin is, anything that falls short of the perfection of a perfect GOD. When we refer to sin we also use the word evil, which is the opposite of what God embodies. Now we know that God has the power to make the world free of evil, yet to truly stop evil from ever happening is to deny one the free will to do as one desires. However, God wanted a creature that was as close to being like HIMSELF, without being HIM. Thus when HE made man, HE made man in HIS image with free will. 

With this free will came the possibility that Adam and Eve might disobey God of their own volition, and partake of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. Thanks to some coaxing from Satan, Eve was deceived into consuming the fruit and offered some to Adam. Adam, choosing Eve over GOD, also ate of the fruit. Thus, the first two humans exercised their God given right of free will, and they chose unwisely. 

Adam and Eve’s disobedience ushered into the universe pain, suffering, lust, greed, envy, wrath, pride, calamity, gluttony, laziness, and death. Their desire for that which was forbidden put an end to a perfect creation, while creating a wall of separation between man and GOD. Instead of a perfect World where a perfect God could have a perfect fellowship with a perfect man, they chose the opposite. This rejection not only destroyed the perfect fellowship of man and GOD, but it destroyed the perfect universe.   

Like Adam, every human has been given the right to freely choose between right and wrong. While Adam did sin, he was not created with a will to sin, Yet, because he ate of the forbidden fruit, all men now have a sin nature handed down to them from Adam with a will and a desire to sin. Since that moment, all humans have a 50% chance that we will choose to do the wrong thing and thus we will inevitably suffer the consequences of our sins. OH, God could have made us perfect without the ability to sin, but then we would be nothing more than Chatty Cathy dolls repeating and doing whatever was programmed into us. However, is that the kind of life you would wish to live? 

Well obviously, God did not want man to be a puppet. So the short answer as to why pain and suffering exists is because God gave us free will. Now this does not mean we can blame GOD for sin, because HE gave us the rules to obey. Adam and Eve broke them, and mankind has been doing so ever since. I did write a commentary about who the author of sin is. However, that is not my concern for this commentary, but if you would like to read it, it’s titled, “Who Created Evil”.

Thus, Adam and Eve sold us into the slavery of sin, so that all believers and non-believers wrestle with the daily struggle within us called original sin. Which is the moral corruption we possess as a consequence of Adam's sin, resulting in a sinful disposition manifesting itself in habitually sinful behavior. Paul eloquently explained that struggle in his letter to the Romans,

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. (Romans 7:15-20)

I for one praise GOD daily for giving us a way out of our predicament. For HE sent HIS Son, Jesus Christ, Who lived a sinless life, was crucified on the cross, died, and then resurrected back to life, so that if we believe in Him we can gain forgiveness and have eternal life. However, just because we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior does not mean we are immunized from the pain and suffering of this world. This is why so many Christians inevitably ask the question, “Why am I suffering God? Why do my loved ones suffer?” What if on the day we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we were given God’s total and complete protection, so nothing bad ever happened to us again? Satan believed GOD did so with Job.  

“Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.  (Job 1:9-11)

Can you imagine what would happen if God did put a hedge about us on every side? Would not the people of the world who do not know Christ, say: 

“So what if you love your GOD. Anybody would love a God if He protected them the way He does you. I’m not impressed. Besides, your God doesn’t offer me anything, because He doesn’t let you enjoy life. I live in the real world.”

What if those who suffer, saw the way we dealt with pain, suffering, and disappointment? This may or may not be why God allows tragedy and mishaps to come upon Christians. Mind you, we live in a fallen World, and thus we are all subject to the same laws of probability for troubles related to calamities as the next person is. Yet as a Christian, we should take our tragedies and use them as an example of how our Father in heaven gives us the ability to live beyond our sufferings and disappointments of life. His loving mercy allows us to be free enough to learn and grow through our trials and tribulations, just like the Apostles did.

When I go through trials and tribulations, I try to think of someone I know who is going through worse things, and I consider how they deal with it. For me I don't have to look too far, because my wife is a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair. She has been in one since 9:10 pm October 26, 1987. See, I know because we were in the same car with two other girls that went off a 35 foot embankment. The girl driving the car died, one girl lost the use of her arm, and my future wife ended up in a wheelchair. Unlike my wife, I walked away from that accident with scratches and bruises. 

The car we were in. Click the image if you
wish to read what I wrote about the accident

Now this happened quite a few years before we both gave our lives to Christ, but she still has many trials and tribulations related to it. Seeing her dealing with the consequences of our drunken road trip gives me the strength to get through difficult times in my life. I’m reminded daily, “But for the grace of God there go I.” 

Unlike my wife and I, the Apostles did not go through trials and tribulations because of the consequences of their sins. Their trials and tribulations came about because of who they followed, Christ Jesus. One day Peter and John were flogged and ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus. When they were released, they considered it worthy to be able to suffer for the name of Christ.

And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name (Acts 5:40-41)

They Apostles said this because they were told by Jesus,

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  (Matthew 5:11-12)

James tells us that we should consider it all joy when we encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance. 

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  (James 1:1-2)

These and other passages describe rejoicing, not in spite of the suffering, but because of it. Paul tells us not to lose heart over the fact that our flesh is decaying with age and infirmities:

“because our trials will renew our spirit daily…………for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal,”  (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

A few short paragraphs later, he described the many trials and tribulations he went through.

in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness   (2Corinthians 11:23-27)

Paul even suffered from a lifelong malady that he prayed to GOD about. Yet each time the answer was the same.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)

It’s been said that Paul’s faith in God was persistent, consistent, and profound. He may have started out as a persecuting serial murderer of those who followed Jesus Christ, but after his conversion he became a tireless worker for the Gospel who finished well. He was the greatest and most successful evangelical missionary preacher the world had ever seen. It’s without a doubt that in times of struggle and hardships we can shine the brightest and reach the lost better than at any other time. We just need to face our pain and suffering like Christ did. It was Christ who set the example for Apostles to follow, and eventually it changed an empire. Tertullian who wrote in 197 A.D., 

  “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”  “The Apology of Tertullian for the Christians”

Like many, most of my suffering comes from my own selfish desires to live my life my way, instead of His. I feel unworthy to complain about the trials and tribulations I face because of my sins. Yet, I know that regardless of the reason for my trials, He is there for me, and will give me comfort in my time of need. If one day I am honored to suffer the ultimate price for Him, then I pray I will do so proudly by standing tall and walking the walk that many have walked before me. 

I stated earlier that we all have a 50% chance of choosing what is right and what is wrong in this fallen world. However, that’s only if you put your faith in the World. If your faith is in the One who died for your salvation and you always go to HIM when you make important, and even some non important decisions, then you can be assured that your choices can be 100% correct all the time. 

Yet even if you do stumble and fall into a season of pain and suffering, remember to use the comfort you get from God in your suffering as training so you might comfort others. Be an example to those whose faith is weak, by showing them how you love and trust in Him. Knowing that His strength is made perfect in our weakness, we must boldly approach our infirmities and hardships with the knowledge that we will receive a greater prize than this World has to offer.  This is one of the greatest lessons we can teach those lost in the World. So ask not why you suffer, but praise God for the chance to shine and be an example as our Lord was for us. 

I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the lord Jesus Christ.