How Can a Loving God Allow So Much Suffering in the World?

Some people view human suffering as proof that there is no God. If there is a God, why does he allow so much suffering in the world? Some go to the extent of saying that God is cruel and sadistic.

There is always cause and effect. The law of science says every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Similarly, the cause for human suffering and death is sin.

The term "sufferings" can be either external suffering such as persecution, sickness and death or distress resulting from external events affecting the human spirit.

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—” (Romans 5:12)

Sin entered man through Adam. That sin has contaminated not only mankind but the entire universe. Hunger and poverty, wars and strife, sickness and death, natural disasters and calamities like earthquakes, cyclones, floods, etc., good and honest people suffering whilst the corrupt prosper, innocent children dying and still born babies, and so on.

Paul said from experience that for us even suffering is a cause for joy because it produces godly character like humility and perseverance (the spiritual stamina to carry on in spite of all odds). Worldly things are temporary and we are told to fix our eyes on heavenly things. In Christ we have peace of mind in a troubled world, we have an inner joy and hope for eternal life with God.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

We have so many problems, some personal and some universal. But death is our greatest problem. No one can avoid physical death. From dust we were made, and sooner or later, we return to dust. Yet spiritual death is far worse than physical death. But through Christ, we can overcome spiritual death, separation from God. Through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we can be reconciled with God.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Selie Visa

(The writer can be reached at: selievisa@rediffmail.com)