Expert: Spirit Sword - 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,

Thank you for this excellent question.   
What you have found in your research is absolutely true.  We are in a fallen universe that is tainted with sin and since this is so the earth is subject to natural disasters, diseases and so forth.
This is the consequence sin brings forth, however, there is more to say.    

I've pondered about this subject of suffering a long time ago and I've come to believe one reason why suffering exists is to teach mankind a lesson.   How can we understand and know what the wrath of God is and what judgment is without suffering?    Without suffering we will never completely understand God's mercy and grace and what Christ came to save us from.    Christ came to pay the wages of sin and saved us from an eternity of suffering and torment!      

Now to be more specific and answer your question, there may be many millions of different reasons why God brings forth natural disasters, however, there are times they are specifically used by God to annihilate wickedness.    If we take a look at scripture the worst natural disaster in the history of mankind is Noah's flood.   The reason why God destroyed almost all of mankind is because the wickedness of mankind was great and because the heart of man continually thought of evil.   (Gen 6:5)    It is a very similar reason to why God destroyed the entire city of Sodom and Gomorrah through a natural disaster.   The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah was great and their sin was very grievous.  (Gen 18:20-21)  Natural disasters which result in a mass destruction of human lives are brought forth many times by God to administer immediate justice and wrath.   Some human actions must be stopped immediately and cannot wait until judgment day.   

In the book of Exodus we read about how God sent Moses to deliver plagues throughout the land of Egypt.   Some of these plagues were quite severe like the plague of hail/fire and the death of the first born son.   All these natural disasters occurred because God saw the cries of Israel, their afflictions, and decided to deliver them from Egypt.   In this case disasters and suffering were used to liberate a group of people.    From a different perspective, natural disasters can be used to unite people together.  

Survivors of those who live through a great calamity/suffering can be a source of inspiration to others.    Let's take a look at Job for instance.   God allowed Job to suffer and through Job's suffering we have the book of Job which is source of inspiration to countless millions of believers throughout history.   

 Of course there are several other reasons why God brings forth natural disasters.   Ultimately though, God is a very Holy God and His name is Holy and His name will be magnified and glorified in the earth.  He is the creator of this universe and He has the divine right to give life and to take life at His own free will.        


Spirit Sword


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