Rise Up Message Series – Renovate Church
By Greg Russell
A Biblical Perspective on Pain, Evil, and Faith
Here it is. We’re addressing the question that’s supposedly dreaded by every Christian teacher:
Why does God allow suffering?
Whether someone is searching after personal loss, global tragedy, or deep doubt, the question is both emotional and spiritual. For many, suffering becomes the biggest obstacle to believing in God—or trusting Him.
Questions like:
- Why do bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people?
- Why doesn’t God stop evil?
- Why would a loving God allow people to be born with disabilities?
- Why would God take my loved one?
These are honest questions. And the Bible does not ignore them.
Understanding the Question Behind Suffering
When people ask why God allows suffering, they are often not looking for a theological explanation—they are expressing pain.
Grief, trauma, and loss don’t follow logic. They demand compassion before answers. Scripture reminds us that healing doesn’t begin with explanations, but with presence.
Still, the Bible does offer clarity—not to erase pain, but to bring meaning and hope within it, once we’re ready for it.
Why Suffering Challenges Faith
Many people walk away from faith because they believe Christianity cannot explain suffering. But the reality is this:
The Christian worldview explains suffering more honestly than any alternative.
How we understand God shapes how we interpret pain. And misunderstanding God can increase suffering rather than relieve it.
What the Bible Says About God and Suffering
There are two common beliefs about God:
1. God Controls Everything
This view assumes God directly causes every event—good or bad.
2. God Gave Humanity Free Will
This view teaches that God created humans with real freedom—the ability to choose love and obedience, or rebellion.
The Bible consistently teaches the second view.
Free Will and the Existence of Evil
In verses like Matthew 19:16-17, Job 24:12, James 1:17, Deuteronomy 32:4, and Mark 10:18, the Bible teaches that:
- God is good
- God is loving
- God created humans with free will
Love cannot exist without choice. And choice always carries the possibility of evil.
Suffering exists not because God causes it, but because freedom allows it.
From humanity’s earliest rebellion, sin entered the world—bringing broken relationships, injustice, disease, death, and suffering. This brokenness affects creation itself.
This does not mean suffering is always personal punishment. It means we live in a fallen world.
Repentance Means Rethinking God
In Scripture, repentance means changing how we think.
When suffering convinces us God is cruel or indifferent, our pain deepens. But when we repent in order to see God as Scripture reveals Him—loving, present, and redemptive—suffering no longer has the final word.
God Is Not Distant from Pain
Christianity stands apart from every other worldview in one crucial way:
God entered suffering.
In Jesus Christ, God experienced betrayal, injustice, physical pain, and death. He did not remain distant. He stepped into human suffering willingly.
God does not ask humanity to endure pain alone—He goes with us through it.
Why Doesn’t God Stop All Suffering?
This is the hardest question.
God allows suffering because love requires freedom. And freedom means the world is not controlled like a machine.
But God remains sovereign—not as a puppet master, but as a loving Father who works within freedom to redeem, restore, and heal.
The Bible repeatedly shows God bringing good out of suffering—not causing it, but redeeming it.
Is There Hope Beyond Suffering?
Yes.
Scripture promises a future where suffering does not exist—not because it never happened, but because God’s goodness fully overcomes it.
The Bible teaches:
- Death is not the end
- Pain will not last forever
- God restores what was broken
For followers of Jesus, suffering is real—but it is temporary.
Finding Healing in Community
Suffering was never meant to be endured alone.
God designed healing to happen in community—through prayer, support, love, and shared faith. The church is meant to be a place where people can wrestle with hard questions and experience God’s presence through others.
If you are hurting, doubting, or searching, you are not alone.
Final Thoughts: God Is Still Good
Suffering does not disprove God’s existence.
It reveals the depth of humanity’s need for Him.
God is good.
God is sovereign.
God is present.
And God is working—even when pain feels overwhelming.
If you are asking hard questions, that doesn’t mean your faith is weak. It means you are searching honestly.