I want to write some brief thoughts on the issue of suffering.
1. The origin of evil remains a mystery:
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our children for ever . . . (Deut. 29:29). The Bible does not claim to answer all the questions that we may ask concerning the issue of evil. We are told a little about the fall of the Devil (eg. Jude 6, 2 Peter 2;4, Rev. 12:7-9) but we are not told why angels were allowed become so evil. We are not told why God created some angels who were going to rebel. We are not told why he gave angels the ability to rebel. God, in his wisdom, has chosen not to reveal all things concerning the origin of evil.
2. The origin of human evil lies in the fall (Gen. 3):
In Genesis 3 the serpent is pictured as tempting Eve. Again there is some mystery. Why did God create humankind with the capacity to rebel? After all in heaven God's people will be contented and complete, yet I don't think there will be the possibility of rebelling. After the rebellion in the garden we see disharmony between people and God, between brothers and indeed in the whole of human society.
3. Most human suffering is the result of the evil actions of people:
We tend to ask questions of God when we see human suffering. 'How could a loving God allow that to happen?' Yet God might ask humankind some questions too. 'Why do you put up with a global system where the rich are over-eating and the poor are starving?' 'Why do you not do more to eradicate preventable diseases?' 'Why do you have military strategies that inflict so much collateral damage?' 'Why do you speed in your cars when you know that increases the likelihood of killing someone?' Even where suffering begins with 'natural' events often the selfish actions of humans make the outcome worse.
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