Does God cause pain and suffering?

Quick Answer: Does God cause pain and suffering? While many see pain as an instrument given to us by God for spiritual maturation, God is not the cause of this fallen world. God uses pain for our good, but He does not send it (Romans 8:28).

Diving Deeper: Many view pain as a tool of God to cause us to grow. He sends death and calamity our way in order to grow us, they say. But this view is simply not Biblical. The truth is that death entered the world through Adam, not God (Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12). When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden (Genesis 3), they unleashed death and its manifestations into the world. We grow old because of death. We get sick because of death. We face tragedy because of death.

While none of these are from God, He does use these things for our good (Romans 8:28). It may be tempting to think of God as the author of calamity, but He’s actually our Counselor in the midst of it all. He does not cause all things, but He does cause all things to work together for our good. Planet Earth comes at us, but Christ works in us. Big difference. God is our Comforter in the midst of all turmoil (John 14:26).

It’s also worth noting that we’re not under God’s wrath (Romans 5:9). Believers have been set free from God’s judgment (John 5:24), so God never punishes us with calamity. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). This means God is not sending us pain to grow us up in Christ. It is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4), and it is the grace of God that teaches us to say “no” to sin and live uprightly (Titus 2:11-14).

Let’s Make It a Conversation!
1. What have you heard in religious circles about where trouble (natural disasters, disease, etc.) comes from?
2. Why is it problematic to believe God sends pain our way to grow us up in Christ?
3. React to this statement: Planet Earth comes at you. Christ works in you. Big difference.
4. React to this statement: God would not tell us to grieve with others if He were the one sending the grief.