How do you reconcile the merciful goodness and love of God with pain, sorrow, sickness, and suffering?
The Blame God Game first started in the Garden of Eden when God commanded Adam to “work it and take care of it.” He then told Adam that he was “free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die" (Genesis 2:15-17 NIV).
God brought all the living creatures to Adam to name, but none of them were suitable as a helper for him, so God formed the women Eve. Undoubtedly, at some point, Adam had passed on God’s instructions about eating from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil to Eve (See Genesis 2:20-25).
As the infamous story goes, Eve chose not to believe God’s word and allowed herself to be beguiled by the serpent. She then ate of the tree, and Adam ultimately willingly chose to join in. At the moment they ate of the fruit their eyes “were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”
God, fully aware of what had happened, “called to the man, "Where are you?" Adam answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." God responded, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" Adam became the first person to play the “Blame God Game” when he told God it was actually His fault that he ate of the tree, "The woman you put here with me — she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it" (Genesis 3:8-12 NIV).
Since that day humans have been playing the Blame God Game, in one form or another. From the beginning of time on Earth, there have been countless natural and human-made disasters so horrendous that they have caused grief and suffering beyond belief. Every human on Earth has experienced suffering to one extent or another. It may have been through quiet tears shed in the silence of the night as they reflected on the wounds inflicted by another or an overwhelming experience they went through.
When tragedy happens, the first reaction is usually to ask an angry “Why?” Sadly, when people do suffer, the response is often, "It is not fair, I do not deserve this!” A loved one is brutalized - a child is abused - a natural disaster destroys whole cities - a family is wiped out in a terrible accident - a marriage breaks apart or disease takes hold of someone, and it is easy for people to quickly blame God for tragedy and calamity as they cry out in agony, "Why did you do this to me?"
Others, too afraid to be angry at God for fear of appearing faithless, play the Blame God Game when they indirectly accuse Him of causing their suffering by saying such things as; "It was God’s will”- "God allowed it" - “God is testing or pruning me” - “Everything happens for a reason”- “It was meant to be”- “It was fate”- “It was their time,” etc.
I have learned that casting blame upon God is one way a person attempts to justify their unwillingness to trust Him in (and through) everything because they are actually afraid of Him.
There are those who have had a loved one die, or had tragedy befall them while they were living a rebellious life, and have thought; "God is punishing me."
Two soldiers, who are Christians, face each other on the battlefield as members of opposing armies. Both pray for victory, only one army wins the fight. The one who has suffered defeat cries out ‘why?’ to God and the other thanks God for winning the battle. Whose side is God on - the winning side or the losing side? The answer is that God is on the side of both Christians and all He asks is to be trusted in the midst of struggle.
Some have said that natural disasters, pandemics, and acts of war are God’s judgment against a city or a country because of their rebellion and sin. A phrase often heard when immorality is exposed in a city or town is; “If God does not do something about (insert name/place here) He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!”
The truth is, God promised that if He found just ten righteous people, He would not destroy those cities (Genesis 18:32). It is hard to comprehend that there aren’t at least ten ‘righteous’ people in every city in the world.
The Bible tells us that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by their “pride, laziness, and gluttony” (Ezekiel 16:49 NLT). If that is the criteria for sending natural disasters as judgment, then there wouldn’t be one city or town left standing anywhere on the planet! As populations increase so will sin and its effects because more sinners equal more sin!
It is easy to feel betrayed and hard to reconcile “acts of God” with a God of love. That is especially true if one has been taught that His love would protect them from any harm, keep them from every hurt and pain, or protect them from every sickness.
TEACHING, TRAINING, and DISCIPLINE
God is love. He disciplines His children. Many believe that means He ‘punishes,’ or ‘scolds’ or ‘spanks’ with severe means in the best eternal interests of the Born-Again Christian.
“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:6 ESV)
The word translated ‘chastises’ above is the Greek word ‘mastigóo’ and means to “whip, flog (scourge) a victim strapped to a pole or frame" (Souter).
It is true that sin has consequences, even when a person repents and receives God's forgiveness for those sins. However, the Book of Hebrews was written to Jews who thought that somehow they were exempt from suffering which gave them a good reason to doubt their faith. Throughout the book of Hebrews, the divine principle is revealed that discipline is evidence of sonship. Earthly fathers discipline their children because they love them. As with any healthy and good parent, when God chastens or disciplines, it is also evidence of His love (See also Proverbs 3:11-12; 2 Samuel 12:13-14).
There are NO passages found in the Bible which state emphatically that God (or any loving father in or out of the Bible) teaches and disciplines by intentionally tying His children (aka His Bride) to a pole to whip, flog, beat, lash, flagellate or flail, in order to oppress, afflict, plague, torment, torture, curse, or cause sickness, disease and or suffering to teach and discipline those He loves as tools of discipline.
The root word in discipline is “disciple.” A disciple is a student. Discipline primarily refers to educating and training. When God “corrects” it is to redirect one's path by making course corrections as they travel on the road of salvation. Sometimes it can even be a complete paradigm shift.
The Bible says that Christians are not to:
“make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” (Hebrews 12:7-11 NIV)
The word “discipline” is the Greek word ‘paideuo.’ The primary meaning is tutoring, educating, training, or nurturing. The fundamental context of the Hebrews passages is that God is a GOOD and LOVING Father who educates and trains His children by nurturing them in love. The Bible admonishes earthly fathers not to provoke their “children to wrath but bring them up” (nourish them) in the nurture” (Gk: paideia) “and admonition” (mild reproof) of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). God does not use harsh or extreme corporal punishment as a way to discipline His Bride.
The multiple passages in Hebrews are teaching that God’s primary way of disciplining is by not supernaturally intervening on a person’s behalf when they step over into darkness by walking in pride and refusing to learn or rejecting His training. They initiate their discipline by opening up windows of opportunity for the enemy to gain strongholds. God is ready and waiting to supernaturally pull the person out of the darkness the instant they repent. The primary teacher and trainer of every child of God is the Holy Spirit, not sickness, suffering, or disease (Luke 12:12, John 14:26).
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Because God is sovereign, He can do anything He wants, how He wants, and when He wants. However, He cannot break His promises, lie, or contradict Himself. Free will lets people do whatever they please, even the most heinous of things. There are times when God will overrule the choice and keep a person from doing what they want to do. God gave human beings complete control and responsibility for their own lives. People can choose to walk with God or walk on their own. Although God is sovereign, it does not mean that suffering is either authored or allowed by Him.
Evil Leaders In the World
Some believe that it is God’s will for specific people to rule over countries and kingdoms on Earth, no matter whether they are evil or just plain bad at their job, and base it on the following verse.
“(God) removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21 ESV)
The Prophet Daniel was stating his understanding of the sovereignty of God and His wisdom and might overall. Daniel indicated his belief that God can set up and remove kings (rulers). Throughout the Old Testament, it is shown how God, the Father, was making the way for the Kingdom of the Son, Jesus, to come. Daniel was not stating emphatic facts God revealed to him, nor did he say that every ruler was in power because God ordained it. In the light of God’s merciful and kind goodness, it is absolutely inconceivable it was His will that millions of Christians and Jews have been killed throughout history because they would not bow down to Islamic rule or that Adolf Hitler, the ruler of Germany, slaughtered millions of His chosen people, the Jews.
PART 2 - COMMUNION CONCERNS
When a person partakes of Communion the Bible commands that they are to “examine” and judge themselves as David did (1 Corinthians 11:28).
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24 KJV).
This was the failure of the Corinthian church. A person must spend time on their knees before the Lord, seeking His face to search their heart for hidden sin, so that the Lord can reveal such things as unforgiveness, anger, rebellion, bitterness, fear, worry, anxiety, resentment, pride, envy, etc., in their life so that they can acknowledge it, appropriate the blood to it and repent. If the sin is against another person, then they must make it right with that person. Reconciliation is the ministry of EVERY Christian (2 Corinthians 5:18).
If a person does not seriously examine their heart BEFORE they take communion, and sin is actively present, it will open the door to negatively affecting the immune system and cause sickness and disease; “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:27-32 NIV).
After decades of study, it is my firm belief that this is the most significant reason why there is so much sickness and disease in the Church. The importance of this cannot be overstated.
LYING AND DYING
The Bible tells us about two members of the early church who were husband and wife named Ananias and Sapphira (See Acts 5:1-10). They decided to sell some land and give the proceeds to the church after they had seen how Barnabas was recognized and praised for a similar deed. However, they arrogantly decided to keep a portion for themselves. When Peter asked them what amount they had received for the sale, Ananias and Sapphira allowed their pride to open the door for satan to influence their hearts and yield to the temptation to “lie to the Holy Spirit" (vs. 3).
As a result of their prideful lying, they dropped dead. Some have even suggested that this was a punishment from God, who is love. Others have said that it was the devil that killed them. It is a scientific fact that great fear can lead to death as a result of the parasympathetic system overloading the body. The Bible does not explicitly say how they died, but it does clearly show us that Ananias and Sapphira brought it upon themselves. It could be argued that they were not yet Born-Again Christians and that they were among those who joined themselves to the church rather than being added to it by the Spirit, but the fact remains they were at the very least churchgoers (See Acts 5:13,14). The deaths of Ananias and Sapphira was not the work of God or satan but fallen human nature at work as their sinful hearts were gripped by such tormenting fear that it caused instant death.
GOD WORKS FOR THE GOOD
The Bible declares that “in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28 NIV).
Historically, this verse has been used to teach that every situation, no matter how terrible, will turn out “good” if a person loves God. The verse actually says in the Greek text that God enters into every life circumstance to come alongside us and work it out for our best no matter what has happened. That doesn’t mean He will supernaturally change the circumstances or the outcome the way we want it to be.
The context of the verse is the fallen world, and that the entire world is subject to the bondage of corruption (Romans 8:21). This bondage is so widespread the whole world is groaning in pain, the Born-Again Believer groans in pain and even the Holy Spirit groans in pain (Romans 8:22-23,26). The groaning in this context is worldwide and appears to cover all of creation itself.
The Bible and life itself show us that everything does not always work for good for those who love God. God wants everyone to come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved. He wants people to obey and love Him, but not all people will. It is clear that things do not work together for good for God either.
God cannot make everything that happens good, but in every situation, He works for the good of those who love Him by His sovereign power, just as He chose to enter into the world as human flesh in the person of Jesus. God’s great promise is that He will enter into every life circumstance and put forth His sovereign power on behalf of every Born-Again Christian and work together with them to produce what He knows to be the very best possible because He is a good God and only wants the best for them.
God does not create horrible circumstances so that He can provide 'opportunities' to prove He is faithful or so that people can prove they trust Him during hard or trying times or grow spiritually! Nor does He use or allow suffering as ‘loving’ correction of His children. He does not cause or allow bad things to happen so that He can test or try one's faith to make them a 'better' or 'stronger' person or to discipline or punish them.
The word “allow” is defined as “to forbear or neglect to restrain or prevent.” God desires only the best for His people whom He calls His Bride because He is head over heels in love with her (Revelation 21:9)! He desires to pour out (not restrain!) blessing upon blessing to those who trust Him with their entire being. He will never neglect His Bride or prevent her from experiencing deep intimacy when she cries out in desperate longing for more of Him. He has blessed her with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). He only gives her gifts that are good and perfect (James 1:17). Pain, suffering, and tragedy are diametrically opposed to good and perfect.
THE FATHER'S HEART
The heavenly Father knows each person intimately.
"Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30).
He desires only what is in their best interest. Here are just a fraction of His promises:
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17 NIV)
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19 NIV)
“He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber." (Psalm 121:3 NIV)
SATANIC INSINUATION
When satan spoke to Eve in the Garden, he insinuated that the Lord was trying to hold back something good from Adam and her. "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.
"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5).
Since then, satan has been trying to make mankind believe that God does not want them to be happy or to enjoy life to the fullest, so he makes them think that sin is good and following God is bad. Just the opposite is true:
"For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world" (1 John 2:16 NIV).
The Bible tells us that God “has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy" (Acts 14:17 NIV).
The heavenly Father is always seeking the welfare of His people.
"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (Psalm 84:11 NIV).
The Lord’s ultimate purpose is to prepare His people to become His possession:
"Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:14 NIV)
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9 NIV)
On an even more intimate level, He calls every Christian His Bride:
"Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb" (Revelation 21:9 NIV).
Not only are Christians His Bride, but He has promised to have a most intimate one on one relationship with them:
"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a Bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2 NIV).
The Creator of the Universe became human to walk among humanity and ultimately to die for them. He sent the Holy Spirit and gave the Bible to prove His love and help prepare them for the day when they will see Him face to face. Jesus said that He causes “the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45 NIV).
Christians have been bought and paid for by Jesus’ shed blood and adopted into the family of God. Their relationship with the Creator is more intimate than a parent and child. No loving, caring parent would intentionally or directly cause a terrible accident to happen to their child. It is absolutely inconceivable that such a thought could ever cross a loving parent’s mind. If someone was accused of what God is most often blamed for, they would be arrested for child abuse! Why then do so many accuse the heavenly Father of the very things they would never do or conceive of? God’s nature and character are directly opposed to it!
BUT WHAT ABOUT JOB?
God did not commission the enemy to afflict Job (See Job 1:12, 2:1-10; 42:1-6, 10-17; Psalm 91). He actually placed a hedge of protection around him even though he was not under the New Covenant with God that excluded satan from causing affliction (Job 1:10). Job didn’t have the Old Covenant promises, let alone the New Covenant promises, to stand on. He did not have any promise he could claim to keep the enemy away because the promises of protection were not yet given to God’s people. Because God is love, He permitted Free-Will, which has many consequences, however, that does not mean the many consequences are directly allowed, authorized, commissioned, permitted, or willed by Him to happen.
Job made many foolish and untrue accusations against God but he did not accuse God of wrongdoing. God rebuked him and implored him to repent (See Job 38:1-42:1-6). God said that Job had "darkened counsel without knowledge" (Job 38:2, 42:3). Job said that he had: "uttered that I understood not, things too wonderful for me, that I knew not...Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:3,6 KJV). Once Job repented of his accusations against God he was healed and restored.
Job was a man who was “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1 NIV), but he had to repent for speaking things about God that were not true. He lived a morally pure life, but his understanding of the character and nature of God was distorted, and way off base.
Job was blessed, and financially secure, but he walked in constant worry. He offered sacrifices in the event his relatives did something wrong, without even knowing for sure that they had actually done something wrong! This can be seen in the numerous 'insurance' offerings he made on behalf of His children (See Job 1:5). Job was the only one in the Bible who did this. He said:
"For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me." (Job 3:25 NIV)
The real story of Job is that he was a man of truly extraordinary patience who honored God even though he did not understand the why(s) of what happened to him.
“Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (James 5:11 KJV)
One of the great lessons of Job is that God does honor patience, but nowhere in the Bible is Job commended for being a man of great faith. He is not the perfect example of patient suffering. The book of Job teaches that sickness does not come from God for He is the one who heals.
Job was afflicted by the enemy in many ways for a season (See Job 7:30). His sickness and troubles were just a fraction of his life, perhaps lasting only seven months. Job never asked God to heal and restore him.
However, this simple fact remains - even though Job didn’t ask to be delivered, God healed and delivered him completely! There is no record of him ever getting sick or afflicted again for the rest of his life up to the day “he died, an old man who had lived a long, good life” (Job 42:17 NLT).
Job did not know there was a ‘devil’ and attributed both good and bad to God. Jesus said to Peter that the enemy “had demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat.” Jesus then told Peter, “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-21 ESV). Jesus “is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make INTERCESSION (i.e., prays) “for them” continuously (Hebrews 7:25 ESV; see also Romans 8:26).
Job did not know the mediator - the great Redeemer.
“If only there were a mediator who could bring us together, but there is none. The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment. Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength” (Job 9:33-10:1 NLT).
The Bible speaks of only one “Mediator” between God and man and that is Jesus Christ (See 1 Timothy 2:5). Job believed that if he had a “Mediator”- if he could just meet his “Redeemer” - he would be free from his troubles.
“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.” (Job 19:25 KJV)
Jesus Christ is the great “Redeemer” and He broke every curse on the Cross with His precious shed blood and promised to deliver, heal, and restore. God has placed a hedge of protection around every Christian that is made impenetrable by His blood. He will never 'allow' the enemy to terrorize His children with sickness and disease, or heartache and sorrow. Jesus is faithful and true to His promises!
The Bible portrays the enemy as a liar and father of lies who comes only to steal and kill and destroy people without obtaining specific permission from God because he is the ruler of this world and given the authority to operate by tempting people to sin because the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (John 5:19). The enemy even tempted Jesus in the wilderness, but He resisted him (John 10:10; Matthew 4:1-11; John 12:31; 14:30). The enemy was also able to work through Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus without any mention of obtaining specific permission from God.
The Bible teaches the Born-Again Christian to, "give no opportunity to the devil" (Ephesians 4:27) and to set their mind on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5) so that they can "be sober-minded; be watchful” because their “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” which is why they are commanded to be prepared and stand firm, wearing “the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil" by SUBMITTING “yourselves therefore to God. RESIST the devil, and he will FLEE from you" (1 Peter 5:8-9; Ephesians 6:10-20; James 4:7 - emphasis mine).
The Born-Again Christian can rest in God’s promise, "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
Nothing, including the enemy or his minions, can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37-39). In the end, the enemy and father of lies will be defeated, and his power will end (Revelation 20:10).
