Why Do We Suffer? & Does God Really Punish Us?

[Felicity]

We suffer because ........

1. Sin entered the human race through the disobedience of Adam.

2. We transgress the law and will of God.

3. God allows it to temper and train us and to make us aware of His grace and strength provided to us when going though times of trial and difficulty.

4. We have constant pressure and opposition from and are a target of Satan's goal of destroying and diminishing the children of God.

5. We are part of the human race. Good and bad happens to all. The human body, psyche and nature are all vulnerable and fallible. The rain falls on the just and unjust.

[Felicity]

Originally Posted by Felicity

We suffer because ........

1. Sin entered the human race through the disobedience of Adam.

2. We transgress the law and will of God.

3. God allows it to temper and train us and to make us aware of His grace and strength provided to us when going though times of trial and difficulty.

4. We have constant pressure and opposition from and are a target of Satan's goal of destroying and diminishing the children of God.

5. We are part of the human race. Good and bad happens to all. The human body, psyche and nature are all vulnerable and fallible. The rain falls on the just and unjust.

Suffering can also come as a result of .....

6. Doing the will of God. How many have laid down their lives and endured persecution and even torture because of their faith and unwillingness to compromise their stand for truth and godliness?! This kind of suffering can come from both the Godly and the ungodly.

7. Natural physical laws and forces beyond our control such as weather and disease, rise and fall of governments and economies.

8. We are not of the world but we're IN it and thereby subject to the forces that define it.

[OP_Carl]

Originally Posted by Daniel Alicea

I know there are many approaches to answering this age-old question asked by atheists and believers alike. Just this week one my Special Ed students asked me the same question .... If God is good, why does He allow bad things to happen to us?

Dan the man you have some good thoughts on this already, and quite frankly I'm about to pout because miss F stole my answer! :sshhh

Suffering and death are the human condition, bestowed upon us through the fall by Adam.

How do you approach this subject?

I start by gauging the audience. What are they going through that has prompted the questions? Do I know whether they are saved? Are they spiritually mature? Do they just need a hug? Basically I need to know how much they are able to receive.

What are the reasons why we suffer?

This one has been adequately answered already. I also believe that, from time to time, there are special cases - Daniel Alicea comes to mind here - where God has chosen one person or another, to mess with just for spiteful fun. Like a kid standing over an ant mound with a magnifying glass.

j/k

How do you answer this question when an unbeliever asks you?

A little less of the "self-inflicted" business and a little more of the "rains on the just and unjust" business.

Does your answer change when a believer asks you this question?

A believer tends to ask it, rhetorically, in their moment of pain. They need a hug, prayers, maybe they just need someone to sit there with them and listen to them think - even if they aren't thinking out loud. It is more likely to be an invitation for a philosophical discussion with unbelievers or new converts.

Why do you think some don't approach this question in a balanced way?

They are unbalanced themselves.



[/B]http://biblia.com/jesusbible/judges4.htm[/QUOTE]

[SDG]

Originally Posted by Felicity

Suffering can also come as a result of .....

6. Doing the will of God. How many have laid down their lives and endured persecution and even torture because of their faith and unwillingness to compromise their stand for truth and godliness?! This kind of suffering can come from both the Godly and the ungodly.

7. Natural physical laws and forces beyond our control such as weather and disease, rise and fall of governments and economies.

8. We are not of the world but we're IN it and thereby subject to the forces that define it.

9. Some love suffering and find it virtuous. Others find some gratification in others feeling sorry for them .... Psychologists .... I think call it co-dependency ... others call it masochism. Sick none the less.

[Scott Hutchinson]

Would not a lot of things we experience stem from the fall in the garden of Eden ?

[Felicity]

Originally Posted by Scott Hutchinson

Would not a lot of things we experience stem from the fall in the garden of Eden ?

That was #1 on my list of 8.

[Scott Hutchinson]

I missed the list.

[PastorDaniel]

Originally Posted by Daniel Alicea

Herein lies part of the dilemma ... Pastor .... when we are faced w/ other believers who are going thru tough times ... and even in our inner discussions w/ self.
Sometimes we know them, and our ourselves, well enough to know that one of the reasons for they're/we're suffering are their/our poor decisions ...but it's difficult to face the facts... yet it's so easy for us to convince ourselves we didn't play a role and uplift them/ourselves w/ stock answers such as:

The devil's is a liar!
The enemy wants to get you down.
This is just test of your faith.
It rains on the just and unjust.
God's just testing you.
etc.

Can it be, at times, all of the above is at work plus our poor decisions and disobedience?

The tough part is presenting and learning this in a right, uplifting and balanced way ....

Maybe you missed it on my first response. I'm in full agreement with you and feel that you covered it well and agree that it is rarely one thing alone. At times...it is all of the above.

And sometimes we have to face the fact that we do not and may not ever understand the "whys and what-fors"

The bible speaks of the rain falling on the just and the unjust. When I've heard this referred to, most of the time people bring it up they use this verse to relay that bad things happen to all of us. However, when we look at rain, it can be a good or a bad thing. We need rain to help things grow and stay hydrated. Yet too much of it can be just as bad as not enough. So the good and bad happen to the good and bad. That is just another way of saying life happens to all of us. A lot of what happens to us is a direct result of our own decisions. As I look back on my life and think about all of the times I could have changed my own circumstances by making a different decision, I know that my life could have been improved on that alone.
I think of Jonah and how he disobeyed the voice of the Lord. Did God punish him for that? or did God simply use the things that happened to teach Jonah a lesson. Jonah jumped overboard because of the guilt he felt from not doing what God had told him to. When you think about it, the whale became Jonah's greatest blessing. God, in his great mercy gave Jonah another chance to do what he should have in the first place. It was a hard lesson to go thru but God used the experience to teach obedience.

[SDG]

Originally Posted by MrsBOOMM

The bible speaks of the rain falling on the just and the unjust. When I've heard this referred to, most of the time people bring it up they use this verse to relay that bad things happen to all of us. However, when we look at rain, it can be a good or a bad thing. We need rain to help things grow and stay hydrated. Yet too much of it can be just as bad as not enough. So the good and bad happen to the good and bad. That is just another way of saying life happens to all of us. A lot of what happens to us is a direct result of our own decisions. As I look back on my life and think about all of the times I could have changed my own circumstances by making a different decision, I know that my life could have been improved on that alone.
I think of Jonah and how he disobeyed the voice of the Lord. Did God punish him for that? or did God simply use the things that happened to teach Jonah a lesson. Jonah jumped overboard because of the guilt he felt from not doing what God had told him to. When you think about it, the whale became Jonah's greatest blessing. God, in his great mercy gave Jonah another chance to do what he should have in the first place. It was a hard lesson to go thru but God used the experience to teach obedience.

Thank you for your insights, MrsBoom .... And a hearty amen.