It’s one of the most heart-wrenching and honest questions people ask, especially in times of pain or injustice: “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
When tragedy strikes someone kind, faithful, or innocent, we’re often left searching for answers that don’t come easily. It shakes our sense of fairness and can even challenge our faith.
The Bible doesn’t shy away from this question—it actually wrestles with it openly, offering both raw honesty and surprising hope.
A Broken World Doesn’t Play Fair
At the very beginning of Scripture, we’re told that God created the world and called it good. But when sin entered through human disobedience, it fractured everything—relationships, creation, health, peace, and justice. Because of this, we now live in a world that’s not as it should be. Pain, suffering, and injustice are the fallout of a broken system, not necessarily a punishment for individual wrongdoing.
Jesus confirmed this when He said, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). Good and bad experiences fall on everyone.
Bad things don’t always mean God is absent or punishing. Sometimes, they are simply a result of living in a fallen world. It’s okay to grieve that. It’s okay to question it. God can handle your heartache.
God Is Not the Author of Evil
God is sovereign, but He is not cruel. The Bible is clear that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). He does not delight in our suffering. He doesn’t orchestrate evil or tragedy to “teach us a lesson.” Instead, He weeps with us. Jesus wept at Lazarus’s tomb. God is present in our pain, not distant from it.
It’s also important to know that we have an enemy—Satan—who works to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). While not every hardship is a direct spiritual attack, we are in a spiritual battle, and suffering is part of that reality. But the promise of Christ is that evil never gets the final word.
Jesus Suffered Too
When we ask why bad things happen to good people, we must remember that the most “good” person who ever lived—Jesus—suffered unjustly, cruelly, and publicly. He was mocked, betrayed, beaten, and crucified, all while living a completely sinless life.
The cross tells us two powerful truths:
- God understands suffering.
- God can bring redemption out of even the worst circumstances.
Because of Jesus, our suffering is never wasted, and it’s never endured alone. He walks with us through it, and He promises that one day, all pain will be wiped away (Revelation 21:4).
There Is Purpose in the Pain
This doesn’t mean we always understand the “why.” Sometimes, we won’t have answers this side of eternity. But in Romans 8:28, we’re told that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” That doesn’t mean all things are good, but it does mean God is able to redeem them.
We often meet God most deeply in our struggles. Our character is formed, our priorities shift, our compassion grows, and our trust is deepened. The pain may never make full sense, but God promises it will never be pointless.
