Why do bad things happen to good people, and what will eventually happen to the bad people?
Someone very dear to me sent me a text a couple of months ago and asked me to send scriptures on this question. Little did I know that this seemingly simple request would lead to me conducting some serious Bible study, even late into the night and early into the morning hours. Over the course of at least a week, up as late as 1AM with work just a few hours away, and with much prayer to the Lord for direction and words, I believe the Holy Spirit led me to write this essay in response.
To begin to answer this question, it’s necessary to state
what the Bible says about “good” people. Here are scriptures that tell us clearly that there are no “good” people, and contrary to what many
people believe, we cannot work our way into heaven based on the good deeds we
do. Jesus said to the Pharisees in John 3:3, “Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (Read John 3:1-21 for full context.)
“As it is written, There is none righteous (right standing with God), no, not
one:” (Romans 3:10)
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; v.24 Being
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
v.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (sacrifice of atonement) through
faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that
are past, through the forbearance of God;” (Romans 3:23-25)
“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth
not.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as
filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind,
have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)
“For by grace (God’s unmerited favor, loving us even though we don’t deserve it) are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Ephesians 2:8)
God sent His only begotten son (John 3:16) to die for our
sins. Those who have accepted Christ are justified by faith (Romans 5:1). It is
up to each person, given free will by God, to decide whether to accept Christ.
God does not force Himself on anyone. Those who reject Christ reject the
salvation that He offers through the Blood that He shed on the cross, and have
no part in eternal life with Jesus.
Based on the above, if a person is not in Christ, that
person has no promise of God’s protection in bad or difficult times. Personal
choices and decisions to live a life outside of Christ can open that person up
– make that person vulnerable – to attacks of the enemy (the adversary, Satan,
the devil). God, through Jesus Christ, offers protection, guidance, direction.
Why do bad things happen to followers of Christ?
God allows
trials, or “bad things” to happen to His children in order to help develop
character in us (believers). He doesn't promise that once we give our lives to
Him that everything will be trouble-free. He does promise, however, that He
will be with us during those times of trial and tribulation. God says in Hebrews
13:5 that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. Read the book of Job in its
entirety to see how Job dealt with the most severe trials imaginable, yet he
still praised and reverenced God. As a result of his faith and trust in God,
God blessed him with even more and better than Job had initially.
Another reason that God
allows trials in our lives is for the purpose of working patience in us. He
tells us in James 1:2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into
divers [different] temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith
worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect [complete] work, that ye
may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
Romans 5:3-4 tells us that
we are to “glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh
patience; v.4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope.” The
Amplified version of this scripture offers a clearer translation:
v3 “Moreover [let
us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph
in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing
that pressure and affliction and hardship
produce patient and unswerving endurance.
v4 And endurance
(fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful
and confident hope of eternal salvation.”
The trials and tribulations of our lives can be compared to
precious jewels, in order to help with understanding what pressure does. Take
the diamond, for example. Diamonds start out as carbon, deep within the earth’s
core. The carbon is heated (2,000-2,700 degrees Fahrenheit), put under intense
pressure then quickly brought to the earth’s surface where it cools. Once
mined, cut and polished, it is considered “precious”, and worth is attributed
to it.
What will eventually happen to all the bad people?
Since the Bible tells us that there are no “good” people, I
won’t use the term “bad” people, but rather “sinners”. The Bible tells us
clearly that all sinners will suffer spiritual death, which is defined as
“eternal separation from God” and will be condemned to hell. Hell is referred
to as eternal fire, outer darkness, a place of weeping and torment, lake of
fire, the second death and unquenchable fire. It is a place of complete,
unending separation from God. (About.com/Christianity).
Here are just a few of the many scriptures, both Old and New
Testament, for reference:
Reference
|
Scripture
|
Romans
6:23
|
“For the wages of sin is death; but the
gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
|
Matthew
25:46
|
“And these shall go away into
everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
|
Matthew
10:28
|
“And fear not them which kill the body,
but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to
destroy both soul and body in hell.
|
2 Peter
2:1-9
|
“But there were false prophets also among
the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily
shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and
bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And
many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth
shall be evil spoken of.
3 And
through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:
whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation
slumbereth not.
4 For if
God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and
delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
5 And
spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of
righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6 And
turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an
overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
7 And
delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
8 (For
that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his
righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
9 The
Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the
unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”
|
Isaiah
66:24
|
“And they shall go forth, and look upon the
carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall
not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring
unto all flesh.”
|
Jude 7
|
“ Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the
cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and
going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the
vengeance of eternal fire.”
|
2
Thessalonians 1:8-9
|
“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them
that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of his power;”
|
Matthew
13:41-42
|
“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them
that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of his power;
|
Revelation
20:15
|
“And whosoever was not found written in
the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
|
Psalm 9:17
|
“The wicked shall be turned into hell,
and all the nations that forget God.”
|
Prayer of Salvation
God loves us--no matter who we are, no
matter what our past. God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son
for us. The Bible tells us that “…whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life” (John 3:). Jesus laid down His life and rose again so that we
could spend eternity with Him in heaven and experience His absolute best on
earth. If there is someone you know who would like to receive Jesus into his or
her life, have them pray the following prayer out loud and mean it wholeheartedly:
Heavenly Father, I come to You
admitting that I am a sinner. Right now, I choose to turn away from sin, and I
ask You to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I believe that Your Son, Jesus,
died on the cross to take away my sins. I also believe that He rose again from
the dead so that I might be forgiven of my sins and made righteous* through
faith in Him. I call upon the name of Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Lord of
my life. Jesus, I choose to follow You and ask that You fill me with the power
of Your Holy Spirit. I declare that right now I am a child of God. I am free
from sin and full of the righteousness of God. I am saved in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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