Why Do Bad Things Happen? - Lee Brainard
Perhaps the most common question in the world is, “Why do bad things happen?” For many, bad things are a stumbling block that hinders them from trusting God. “If God is good,” they reason, “why does he let bad things happen?” Is he powerless to prevent them? Is he mean? Maybe he doesn’t care. But blaming God for bad things is as unfair as a child blaming his parents for the bad things he suffers as the consequences of his poor choices.
God allows bad things because he made man a moral being, capable of faith and unbelief, good and bad, love and hate. He could have made us robots and programmed us to love him. But robot love is empty. Who could find satisfaction in that? He wanted real love from the heart. The only way to have real love is to allow real hate. The only way to have real good is to allow real evil.
The bad things, then, are the result of sin — the sin itself, the consequences of sin, and the curse God placed on the earth because of sin. These bad things are allowed because God is still holding the door of grace open for men, offering them the chance to repent and believe. This door will shut come judgment day. On that day all bad things will be removed — bad men, bad deeds, the consequences of bad deeds, and the curse upon the earth for man’s sin.
~Lee Brainard, September 13, 2014