Why does bad stuff happen to good people?
Yes that tired cliche. Why does bad stuff happen to good people?
Firstly I find the language of this question of itself problematic. If we go by the secular reasoning that most people are 'good' at least in some way, then we must also follow the relativistic approach to determining if something is 'good' or not. As relativism does not allow for any absolutes, nothing can ever be ruled out as purely bad. So everything must be at least a little bit good.
Eg. The person who has their car stolen is upset, stranded and out of pocket. - Bad outcomes.
However, the thief who steals a car is now able to sell it for money to use on something he/she wants or needs, or at least has fun driving really fast for a while. - Good outcomes.
So steering clear of that definition of 'good people' what am I left with?
Scripture tells us that "all have fallen short of the glory of God" and that "There is no one righteous, not even one" so no, one is 'good.'
Christians are however counted as righteous based on Christ's sacrifice, in spite of the fact that none of us are even remotely deserving of salvation. Hallelujah for Grace!
So I can define 'good people' as Christians, not good on our own but 'good' because of Christ.
Why then, does bad stuff happen to Christians?
Scripture says that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Now I believe this Scripture to be WAY over-quoted and misused. For starters people often ignore the last bit. What this verse says is that "If you are following the will of Jesus for your life, then even the trials will be beneficial." It does not say "Everything that happens is good, or will lead to something better in this life."
I do not subscribe to the idea that Jesus uses trails simply as 'character building' exercises for us. I can think of two reasons that our Sovereign Lord allows bad stuff to happen to His children.
1: To give us the opportunity to be able to relate to those around us who are hurting and suffering and in need of someone to share the Gospel to them. But more importantly need someone who understands their pain, and not someone who means well but just does not 'get it.' Jesus became a man to reveal Himself to mankind, to allow mankind to be able to relate to their Creator. God is no longer out of our reach and understanding, He became like us so we could come to Him. People who are suffering need people around them who are not only supportive, but who are also able to relate to their experiences. Ultimately this brings glory to Jesus by our testimonies of His faithfulness, strength, grace, patience, wisdom, comfort etc. in our own times of need.
2: To draw us closer to Him. If life was peachy all the time then who would need God? If life was always perfect then why would we need to rely on Him and live by Faith? As Christians we are to be in this world but not a part of it. The bad stuff of this world is to remind us just how much we need a Saviour and just how much we need Jesus in our lives. Ultimately this brings glory to Jesus by reminding Christians of His faithfulness, strength, grace, patience, wisdom, comfort etc. in our times of need.
Firstly I find the language of this question of itself problematic. If we go by the secular reasoning that most people are 'good' at least in some way, then we must also follow the relativistic approach to determining if something is 'good' or not. As relativism does not allow for any absolutes, nothing can ever be ruled out as purely bad. So everything must be at least a little bit good.
Eg. The person who has their car stolen is upset, stranded and out of pocket. - Bad outcomes.
However, the thief who steals a car is now able to sell it for money to use on something he/she wants or needs, or at least has fun driving really fast for a while. - Good outcomes.
So steering clear of that definition of 'good people' what am I left with?
Scripture tells us that "all have fallen short of the glory of God" and that "There is no one righteous, not even one" so no, one is 'good.'
Christians are however counted as righteous based on Christ's sacrifice, in spite of the fact that none of us are even remotely deserving of salvation. Hallelujah for Grace!
So I can define 'good people' as Christians, not good on our own but 'good' because of Christ.
Why then, does bad stuff happen to Christians?
Scripture says that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Now I believe this Scripture to be WAY over-quoted and misused. For starters people often ignore the last bit. What this verse says is that "If you are following the will of Jesus for your life, then even the trials will be beneficial." It does not say "Everything that happens is good, or will lead to something better in this life."
I do not subscribe to the idea that Jesus uses trails simply as 'character building' exercises for us. I can think of two reasons that our Sovereign Lord allows bad stuff to happen to His children.
1: To give us the opportunity to be able to relate to those around us who are hurting and suffering and in need of someone to share the Gospel to them. But more importantly need someone who understands their pain, and not someone who means well but just does not 'get it.' Jesus became a man to reveal Himself to mankind, to allow mankind to be able to relate to their Creator. God is no longer out of our reach and understanding, He became like us so we could come to Him. People who are suffering need people around them who are not only supportive, but who are also able to relate to their experiences. Ultimately this brings glory to Jesus by our testimonies of His faithfulness, strength, grace, patience, wisdom, comfort etc. in our own times of need.
2: To draw us closer to Him. If life was peachy all the time then who would need God? If life was always perfect then why would we need to rely on Him and live by Faith? As Christians we are to be in this world but not a part of it. The bad stuff of this world is to remind us just how much we need a Saviour and just how much we need Jesus in our lives. Ultimately this brings glory to Jesus by reminding Christians of His faithfulness, strength, grace, patience, wisdom, comfort etc. in our times of need.
posted by Modern Day Magi @ 9:40 pm
4 Comments:
At 10/12/2007 02:38:00 pm,
Theophilus said…
MDM,
Edifying, as always.
There is also the consideration of God establishing His glory. Here's how it works.
Christian goes through good times, God is praised (sometimes) for it. Suppose a Christian exhibits the fruit of the Spirit through enormous hardship. (The extreme example is martyrdom, but a more common one is how my mother-in-law consoled her brothers- and sisters-in-law at her husband's funeral) Non-believer cannot account for such expressions of grace in any other way but to give Glory to God.
Similarly, if only good things happened to Christians, God's glory would be diminished. We saw in scripture how people came to Him just to have another free meal (feeding of 5000), and did not seek HIM. Bad things can, and often do, happen to Christians, AND YET we count such 'loss' as small in the light of eternity.
At 10/12/2007 04:21:00 pm,
Modern Day Magi said…
Thanks for your comment Theophilus,
In fact, we do not even count it a small loss at all. Anything, even hardship for the sake of Jesus Christ and His glory should ALWAYS be counted as gain.
MDM
At 10/17/2007 08:12:00 pm,
Unknown said…
I think you pulled apart the question too much in this one. It's a simple question that the Wisdom literature in the Bible (and some of the Prophets) asks frequently. And it does not define good people as just Christians. It's a valid question for all of us. And you're very wrong if you say that only Christians are good. Good is such a broad term.
In response to the question itself...
It all comes from the assumption that: if we do good, good will result; if we do bad, bad will result. Actually, this is a faulty assumption. Job deals with this, and the conclusion is "God causes rain (and other good things) to fall on the evil and the good". That is: the formula is wrong.
And when you discard the formula, everything makes more sense. Life hurts, but there are also beautiful bits.
For all of us.
At 10/18/2007 05:57:00 pm,
Modern Day Magi said…
As always ben thanks for you insight.
This was a little musing I was doing the other day and not a post I had invested heaps of time into.
As always you are on the point, excellently put.
MDM
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