Expert: Cooper P. Abrams III - 12/29/2004

Question
My question involves the existence of suffering and is sparked by the recent earthquake and tsunami that, as of yet, has killed over 60,000 with reports of half the victims being children.

In a nutshell, why does suffering exist?  I've done a lot of research on the subject, and the general consensus from evangelicals, of which I am one, is that since the fall of Adam and Eve, we live in a fallen world.  At the fall, God removed much of his blessings from humanity and the planet on which they lived.  Since that time, we live in a fallen state spiritually, and a fallen physical world literally as God has removed Himself from the intimate fellowship He had with humanity (Adam and Eve) in the Garden of Eden.

I believe this is Biblical, yet it seems to raise more questions than answers.  Why, for instance, did God wipe from existence so many children whom we hold to be the most innocent of society?  This seems to be nothing new to God if you read sections of the Old Testament when Israel was commanded to wipe out entire populations.  This latter example takes us off course, though, and I'd like to get your opinion on that at a later time.  For now, my question deals solely with “acts of God”, natural disasters.

Another prominent idea I've seen maintains that God does not cause these events but merely permits them to take place.  I have a problem with this statement.  If God created the Earth, sea, beach, and later created the village and home of the people while knowing of the impending catastrophe, this would equate to active participation and not impassive observance.  Do you agree with this?

Why does suffering, specifically in the form of natural disasters, exist?  Thank-you for your response.


Answer
Hi Aaron,
  Thanks for being patient.    I will try to explain biblically your questions.   The answer can be understood theologically and seen scientifically.   It can be answered simply as you stated in your e-mail, but it is a little complicated, but understandable.

  You are correct that we live in a fallen world.    God created a perfect universe, but when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they brought two things to the earth which changed everything. They brought sin into the world,  which the Bible refers to as the “carnal nature.”   Man is born with a bent to do that which is wrong.     Babies and children are an example.   You do not have to teach a child to do wrong.....they do it naturally because that is their nature.  Think what the world would be like without death.   We clearly see that sin is progressive and sin becomes worst and worst.  That is what happened on earth before the Flood.  Men lived long lives and sin progressed until God said that man's every thought was evil.   Before the Flood this world was a terrible place more than we can comprehend.   God destroyed the earth in the Flood and put a stop to this progression.   Because God is love, He limited man existence, and thereby limited man's sins.

  Romans 3:10-12 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

  Second, sin brought death.     The moment Adam and Eve sinned the process of death began in them and the whole of the universe.  The died spiritually being separated from communion with God.  Yet, in love, God provided skins for a covering and forgave their sin.

 But their sin not only effected them, it effected the whole of the universe which was created for man.  It is evidenced in the Second Laws of Thermodynamics.  This scientific law states that everything in the universe is running down or going from a state in which energy is localized and available to use, to one in which it is less concentrated and less available to use.    It is often related to what we call Murphies Law.   If something can go wrong, it will.  The earth has been in a state of change since the Fall of Man (Genesis 3), and especially since the Flood (Genesis 6).   This is why we have earthquakes, volcanos, floods, and natural disasters.  This was not so before man sinned.    The earthquake in the Indian Ocean and the thousands of other natural disasters  happening daily around the world are the result of this process of the earth changing and running down.   It began when man rejected God by not believing Him.    God clearly told Adam and Eve the truth and they did not have to do wrong.   He told them that if they rejected His warning they would die.

  So, the moment a child is born the dying process is working and in time it will die.   Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”      All sin is doing something that is wrong and is always destructive.   Even what we call little sins have a negative effect on us.   The Bible calls it unrighteousness.   Righteousness is simply doing what is right.  They refused to accept God's truth and love....yes His love for them in putting them in the Garden of Eden.  They willingly and knowingly sinned and became sinners.     Because they became sinners their children also were born with the sin nature.  A corrupted man cannot produce a perfect child.   Children will be like their father.

  Why did God let Adam and Eve sin?    The answer is that God is a loving and a just God.   He did not create us as robots in which He controlled our actions.   He created us in His image having intelligence, emotion and a will.    If He had not allowed Adam to sin, God would have violated Adam's will.  God respects all men and will not violate a man's will.  Man being intelligent can make choices to do right or wrong.  God through both natural and special relation (the Bible) tells man who He is and how he can be saved, so that man is without excuse (Romans 1:18-22).  God being just, then must also allow man to be responsible for his actions.   So when a man chooses to do wrong, he suffers the consequences of his wrong decision.

  God loved man and wants man to love Him also.    A robot cannot love.  Only a man who has intelligence, emotion and a will can return God's love and have  communion with God.    At the Fall of man, God promised a Savior (Gen.3:15) who would undo and allow man to overcome his error.    God's plan was the He would come to earth, incarnate in man and suffer and pay the penalty for man's sins....because man, being a sinner, could not pay the debt Himself.   So God's justice required a penalty and God's love provided Himself as the Savior.   So God provided the Savior and way that man can by simple faith, be forgiven of his sins and receive eternal life and spent all eternity communing with God.  But God does not force salvation on any man. Man must accept it by faith.

  It is certainly tragic that so many were killed in the tsunami.   But the reality is that good has come from it also.   These children are gone from the earth, but that is not their end.   Children before they reach the age of accountability are under the shed blood of Jesus Christ, which means that if they die the are taken to heaven.     Thousands of children went to heaven immediately in this disaster.    They were from nations where most of the people are unsaved believing in false gods and religions that cannot save.    Had these children lived they would have grown up worshiping idols as most of their parents did and died unsaved.   We have a hard time accepting that death is a good thing, but are they not better off now being in heaven?  Most of them lived a poor existence in poverty without proper food, shelter and medical care.  We do understand this principle when we see an adult suffering from some incurable disease and when they die we say they are better off because their suffering is over.   These children are suffering no more, but enjoying the joys of heaven.   Had they lived it is unlikely that many of them would have gone to heaven.

  The thousands that died were mostly unsaved people living in sin worshiping false gods who do not exit.   This is hard to accept, but even they are better off in the sense that because of their lives being cut short their judgment will be less than if they had lived long lives of sin.

  Those who were killed who knew the Lord as their Savior, were instantly taken to heaven to be with the Lord.    It has brought great sorry to their loved ones, but we have to accept the truth that they too are better off in heaven.  It is comforting to the living to know their loved ones are now with the Lord and as 1 Thessalonians 4:13 says, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”

  This same truth applies to the Old Testament when large numbers of men, women and children were destroyed.   To understand this we have to see things as God does and in the full reality of the situation.     Even though some have a hard time accepting this truth...it is an act of God's love that takes a child to heaven who would have grown up and died unsaved.   It is God's love that ends the life of a sinner and thereby lessens his judgment.

  God did not cause this disaster.    The ultimate blame rests with Satan who tempted Adam and Eve to sin, who is a liar and deceiver and who is still busy at work tempting men and destroying lives.   Yes, God allowed it and did not prevent it from happening.   The disaster is the natural result of the Fall of man and of sin.    God in His love, has taken a great disaster and brought good from it as shown above.  God promises that one day, He will return and purge the world of sin.   He promises salvation to all who will believe and that means the we can ultimately overcome all the death that sin has brought.

  I hope in some way I have pointed you in the right direction concerning this.    In human terms it seems like a disaster and in truth it is, but God is at work....and even in this we can see His loving hand.

  If you have further comments or questions please write.

Cooper Abrams
http://bible-truth.org