Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

27 May 2016

This is a JTMR Ministries & Outreach E-Book Author: Julene Bosman

This e-book is the property of Jesus to my Rescue Ministries & Outreach and may not be copied or published in any way without written authorization.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

PART ONE

This is the question we have all asked quite a few times. "Why did my mother have to pass away at such a young age, she was such a good person, but bad people live long and happy lives." "Why did this happen to me, I never hurt anybody? These statements bring forward a very difficult question we all need to ask ourselves. Who exactly are these bad people we so easily refer too. Are we "bad" when we are different from the norm or are we considered a bad person when we commit sin? This again brings the next question. What sin do you have to commit to be considered a bad person?

We need to realize that every single person on this earth will and have sinned in their lifetime. 1 John 1:8: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. When we look at what the bible says, we are all bad. Ecclesiastes 7:20: surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. We so often hear about horrible events that occur in the lives of those we love, those good people we all know. But over the last couple of months I have come to the conclusion that according to the human race, we are all "good people". This becomes evident when we look at any funeral.

Have you ever been to a funeral where the deceased person was depicted for whom he really was? Have you ever heard the pastor say "Billy was a bad man, he spoke ill of those around him, stole money from innocent people, never set an example for his family and disregarded the way of Christ...?" I for one have never been to such a funeral. Everybody is "good" in our eyes once they pass on, and everybody goes to "a Better place" when they go.

This brings me back to the question I asked earlier; what sin do we have to commit to be considered a bad person? For us humans, someone is only bad if they murdered or raped your loved one, stole from you or hurt you, but God loves us all the same. For Him there is no distinction between someone who lied and someone who murdered. All sin is equal in the eyes of God. Romans 6: 23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. James 2:10: For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

We need to understand that having good intentions does not make a good man. The sad part about this is none of us are good. Luke 18:19: "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good, except God alone. Romans 3:10: "As it is written, there is no one righteous, not even one. Ephesians 2:8: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.

This brings me to my actual point of this article. Why do bad things happen to good people - Because there are no good people? Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. As difficult as this is to except, no matter how "good" we try and be, we are still bad. We were all born into sin. 1 John 1:8: We have all sinned at some point, even on a daily basis. Even the quickest fleeting bad thought about your friend, family or stranger is sin in God's eyes. That sin makes you just as guilty as the murderer on death row. God hates sin and there is no distinction between sin in God's eyes. We serve a mighty God that is always fair. Psalm 7:11: "God is a judge who is perfectly fair".

But this alone holds a problem for us, which we so eagerly overlook. God is not only fair towards us, but He is fair towards all. This includes angels, demons and satan. Our selfish nature (also sin in God's eyes) wants us to believe that God is only fair towards us. We forget that when we sin we open doors in our lives, even if we are a born again Christian. The problem we have is that when we allow sin in our lives, we are in actual fact giving satan a rightful place in our lives, as we know nothing bad comes from God. All the bad things that happen in our lives (finances, marriages, work, family, etc.) comes from satan. But then we ask why God would allow satan to touch those parts of our lives and the answer is, God is fair!

When we open doors in our lives by committing sin, satan has a legal right in our lives. And he will petition God for it. As we serve a just God, he will allow satan his legal right. Only once we confess

our sins to God, ask Him for forgiveness, will God deny Satan such a request. Those doors we open need to be closed and sealed by the blood of Christ in order for Satan not to have a legal right in our lives. We are so quick to say "we serve a God that is Just", but we so eagerly forget that He is just in all he does. Hebrews 13:8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

This is also why sometimes we pray and pray for areas in our lives to change without success. We them become dismayed and ask if God can hear us and wonder why He has not answered our prayers. But here we need to take a step back and look at our lives. Ask God to show you which doors have been opened in your life that needs to be closed, confess your sins and ask God for forgiveness. 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We know that the bad things that happen to us are from Satan and not God, but this is why God allows it. Because we live a life of sin. We are taught that God forgives all, He is a loving God that knows our hearts, but we ignore that God hates sin. He spits out the lukewarm. Revelation 3:15-16: I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. In the above statement lies our biggest challenge, God knows our hearts, He knows every part of your heart, the good and the bad. Those secret parts that we hide from the world and think only we know are there. Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

When we commit our entire life to Him, we also need to realize that we have to stop doing sin, confess our sins when we do, and thank God as it is by Grace that we are saved. We do not deserve Gods love or forgiveness and yet we act as if we do when things don't go our way. Ephesians 2:8: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. We are all born with a sinful nature. I ask that God help me every day to turn away from sin, confess my sins to our Almighty God, repent and ask Him to close the doors that I opened for satan.

Romans 5:12: Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Matthew 12:33-37: "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the Day of Judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

PART TWO

In my previous piece, I wrote about why bad things happen to good people. To give you a short description; it was to say that if we compare ourselves with what God says about us, we are not all that good. We think we are, but we commit sin, which opens doors in our lives, allowing Satan to petition God for that portion of our lives and then we stand amazed when we are attacked and suffer loss. We get angry with God because how could He allow this to happen.

However, there comes a day that we have to take a step back and look at our own lives and take responsibility for what we do to ourselves. So today, I want to move one step further. I want to look at the lives of devoted Christians. Those who truly are saved, delivered and free. Those, whom by the grace of God, received a revelation of whom God truly is and what it truly means to be a born again Christian. Those people who understand what is meant with being born again. People who left their old lives behind the day they became a follower of Jesus Christ. Please know that there is a difference between knowing about Jesus Christ and Following Jesus Christ.

So why do bad things happen to Followers of Jesus Christ. As true Christians, we are by no means spared from the heartache in this world. We still commit sin because it is in our nature, but as true Christians, we are just acutely aware of the sin we commit. We do have the added advantage of the working of the Holy Ghost, who points out to us all of our shortcomings daily, in order for us to be able

to repent and to try and not commit sin again. 1 John 5:18 "We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them."

However, evil is in this world and evil will still touch our lives every now and then. So why would a God who loves us and died for us still allow this to happen? Because all things work together for the Glory of God. Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." This sounds terrible if we look at this out of a selfish viewpoint, but what I am saying is, that bad things will happen because we live in a world where Satan is the master, but it is in how we react to the bad things that sets us apart. 2 Corinthians 4.4 "Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News."

When a true Christian is touched by evil, we should not waiver in our faith. We need to understand that God uses all these things as a testimony for HIS greatness. This sounds so corny, but once you have been touched by Jesus, no touch of evil in your life can ever change the revelation you received from God. If we can stand in a place of faith, where we realize that no matter what happens, our Living GOD will use every situation for His Good. If we can stand in a place of grace, where we realize that if God will bring us to it, He will bring us through it.

It might sound like empty words, but we need to realize that if we can stand in a place of our faith, where we truly submit our entire life to Christ, the sting of evil on our lives are not so deep, because we understand that although it might hurt, the blessing God has for us is bigger than the hurt that is on us. If we can stand and keep our focus on God instead of the hurt, God has an amazing way in which He makes the pain fade. The blessing we receive far exceeds our expectation.

Please understand that it is not to say that God is going to raise your loved one from the dead, (although He could if that is His will). It is to say that if you refuse to take your focus off of God and Gods plan for your life, you WILL get through it, because God will carry you through, but then you as a Christian have the obligation to use that as testimony for the grace of God. John 5:11. "This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son." 1 John 5:10. "The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him. The one who does not believe God, has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about His Son."

You see, everything that happens to us should be used as testimony. Luke 21:12-13 "But before all these things, people will arrest you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake, in order to give you an opportunity to testify." That is what it is all about. If you can take a step back and realize that the more that bad things happen to you, the bigger your testimony is for Christ. The more you go through these things, the more people you can reach. (It all works together for the Glory of God). Philippians 1:12 "So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

See the world has pride in their hearts, the world thinks that someone can't understand something unless they themselves have been through it. You will find people saying things like: "You can't understand what it is like to be touched by death if you have never lost anybody." or "You don't understand what it is like to worry about your future if you have everything." And "How can you tell me to let go of this, if this has never happened to you." God says we are stiff-necked people (Exodus). We won't listen to someone who has not been through something similar. Now, because God knows this He says, okay, so let's allow some bad things in the lives of My people, because I know them and they are My people, because they know Me and know My love for them, they will stand in the midst of the storm, still praising Me.

Philippians 1:12 "Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel." Psalm 71:15-16 "I will declare your righteousness and your salvation every day, though I do not fully understand what the outcome will be. Lord God, I will come in the power of your mighty acts, remembering your righteousness--yours alone."

So There, TADA!! There you have a testimony for God. A testimony where someone cannot say "you don't understand" because you do! Philippians 1:27-30 "Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I

come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Don't be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it." But those people will be left breathless, because how is it that, in the midst of this terrible event, you stand and praise your God. What is it that you know that they don't?

You know that your joy comes from the Lord. You know your strength is renewed by God. You know that your heart is healed by Jesus. You know that all of this is temporary. You know your Purpose in Gods Kingdom. That purpose you have been praying to God to give you. The purpose you long for. Your purpose is to lead people to Christ, your purpose is to TESTIFY of GODS love for us and in allowing this Bad thing to happen, God has just answered your prayer, He has just handed you Your Testimony! He has just given you a whole lot of people who can now listen to you and relate to you because of the bad that happened to you. Because of your testimony.

1 Peter 2:21 "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." Mark 5:19 "But Jesus said, "No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been." Psalm 22:22 "I will praise you to all my brothers; I will stand up before the congregation and testify of the wonderful things you have done." Psalm 66:16 "Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me." 1 John 1:2-3 "This life was revealed to us, and we have seen it and testify about it. We declare to you this eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us. What we have seen and heard we declare to you so that you, too, can have fellowship with us. Now this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus, the Messiah" Psalm 35:28 "My tongue will declare your righteousness and praise you all day long." Daniel 4:2 "I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me."

If only you can see that it not about you. It is not about your happiness, or wellbeing or joy. It is about your happiness IN Christ!! Your blessings in Christ. You see a testimony speaks to a need. Something bad happened, and in the midst of it you held on to Christ and gave Him Glory (be joyful in the midst of tribulation). You became happy in the middle of it all because you realized that you are now just in front of a miracle of God. An opportunity for God to work in your life, to make something of this disaster. Let me tell you, if you are a Christian that should get you excited, that should make you happy, ecstatic, to know that you are standing on the edge of a miracle, because that which should break you, didn't. That which should steal your joy, made it more. That which should break your faith made it stronger. And there you stand healing other broken hearted ones by the grace of God. There you stand as living testimony to the Glory of God. There you stand as the one God set apart from the rest, to speak to the need in others. 2 Timothy 1:8 "Therefore, never be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, his prisoner. Instead, by God's power, join me in suffering for the sake of the gospel." Only then do we realize that nothing in this world is about us! Even the bad things that happen to us is NOT about us! It is ALL about God. It is all about His glory and how He led us out of our Egypt, freed us from our slavery, freed us from our oppression and led us to victory, freedom and glory. John 15:2627 "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father-- the Spirit of Truth, who comes from the Father--he will testify on my behalf. You will testify also, because you have been with me from the beginning."

None of this can happen if your focus is on the bad thing that happened. None of this can happen if you think it is about you. None of this can happen if your joy comes not from the Lord. You see, spreading the gospel is what we are here for, all of us. If you believe in Jesus Christ and you believe He saved us, your job on earth is to make disciples. Your job is to spread the good news to people.

Although spreading the gospel to unbelievers might not, in itself do the trick, but testifying, testifying might! Testifying speaks to a need. You have a need, which God answered to. If you testify, you speak a universal language to tell of how God provided for your need. Matthew 5:14-16. "You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on

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