Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

When we speak of "good people" it is a relative term. There are, in fact, none good but God (Luke 18:19 and Romans 3:12). So the question might be re-stated, "Why do bad things happen?"

There are several reasons:

1. Time and chance happens to all (Ecclesiastes 9:11). None of us know when we will die (unless we have a terminal disease). Death may come as a surprise: in an accident, as a victim of violence, as a victim of disease, or in other ways. Or we may die of old age. We could die when we are awake or when we are asleep. Time and chance happens to all.

2. God may allow something negative to happen to us as He did with Job (Job chapters 1 and 2). The negative in this case resulted in positive character development.

3. God may punish someone who happens to be his servant. For example, he punished Jonah, the prophet, for refusing to prophesy (Jonah chapter 1).

4. We may receive negative events in our life (pain, death, sorrow, etc.) as a natural consequence of what we do. Smokers may get a lung disease. Alcoholics may ruin their liver. Terrorists will find themselves with a price on their head. Parents who fail to discipline their child take a chance on raising a psychotic son or daughter.

5. Those who God loves will be chastened so they can become the children of God (Hebrews 12:6-8).

-- wilyelder .