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The general argument is that, if God is good and benevolent, He would not permit innocent people to endure suffering and pain. But the Bible reveals that God is good and that He allows suffering. There are several reasons the two are not mutually exclusive.
Yes, the innocent suffer (see Job 1–2), but God can redeem that suffering. Our loving and merciful God has a perfect plan to use that suffering to accomplish His threefold purpose. First, He uses pain and suffering to draw us to Himself so that we will cling to Him.
Though God does use suffering for good, the suffering comes from somewhere. “For the wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23 tells us. Not only Adam and Eve’s sin, but our own sin and that of everyone else on this planet bring further catastrophe upon us.
“Why Does God Allow the Innocent to Suffer?” The question is so utterly off the mark that I can only respond by asking: Why do humans evade responsibility for the suffering they themselves cause? Good and evil are sides of the same coin, so to speak.
Why does God allow evil and suffering? It's a good (and difficult!) question! Author Lee Strobel looks at how the Bible answers this tough question.
The purpose of this lesson will be to gain a better perspective of suffering and particularly what might be called “innocent suffering.” We shall seek to learn how and why God chooses to include “innocent suffering” in His sovereign will.
If God is love, how do we understand His seemingly lack of attention and intervention in tragedies involving innocent people?
