Why does God let bad things happen to good people?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The question of why bad things happen to good people is rooted in a misunderstanding. Scripture teaches that no one is truly good, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The Bible also shows us that suffering is not always punishment, but a result of living in a fallen and broken world. Yet through all the bad things, God is still good and sovereign. The Psalms and prophets remind us that while the wicked may prosper for a time, God’s justice will prevail in His timing. Suffering and difficulties can also serve a greater purpose, such as revealing God’s works or refining faith. Further, trials are temporary, shaping believers into Christ’s likeness and pointing them toward eternal glory. Instead of asking why the innocent suffer, the deeper wonder is why a holy God allows sinners to receive mercy, blessing, and redemption through Christ. In the end, we can trust that God’s ways are higher than ours and that He works all things for the good of those who love Him.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Job’s suffering shows that trials are not always punishment; sometimes suffering is a test of faith and an opportunity to see God’s sovereignty (Job 1–2).
• Ecclesiastes highlights that both good and bad events happen to everyone, but meaning is found in fearing God and keeping His commands (Ecclesiastes 3:1–8; 12:13).
• Psalms often wrestle with the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous yet point back to God’s justice and care as the ultimate hope (Psalm 73).
• Prophets like Habakkuk ask why God allows suffering but conclude that the righteous must live by faith, trusting in His timing and justice (Habakkuk 1:2–3; 2:4).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The short answer to why bad things happen to good people is "there are no good people." Jesus said it best when He said, "No one is good except God alone" (Mark 10:18). There are only two kinds of people: bad people and bad people who have been redeemed. Bad things happen to people because we live in a fallen, sin-cursed world.
• The Bible tells us that all humans are, by nature, sinful and condemned and that no one is good (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8).
• Romans 3:10-18 clearly states the truth about people: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." When we think we deserve to escape the "bad things," we deny the fact that every second we are alive and every breath we take is only by the grace and mercy of God, who restrains Himself from giving us what we deserve, which is eternal separation from Him.
• Jesus teaches that suffering isn’t always tied to personal sin but can reveal God’s works, as in the healing of the man born blind (John 9:1–3).
• The Sermon on the Mount reminds us that persecution and trials can be a blessing because they refine faith and bring reward in heaven (Matthew 5:10–12).
• Romans 8:18–28 explains that suffering is part of a fallen world but God uses it for the good of those who love Him, shaping us into Christ’s likeness.
• 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 encourages believers that suffering is temporary and outweighed by eternal glory.
• 1 Peter 4:12–13 assures us that suffering for doing good unites us with Christ and will result in joy when His glory is revealed.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The real question isn’t why bad things happen to good people but why God allows good things to happen to bad people. Romans 5:8 gives the answer, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." In spite of the evil, wicked, sinful nature of the people of this world, and because of it, God provided a way to escape the penalty for our sins (Romans 6:23). God provided Jesus Christ to save all those who would ever believe in Him as their Savior (John 3:16; Romans 10:9), and by His blood, we are forgiven and receive an eternal home in heaven (Romans 8:1). By this miracle, bad people receive an entirely new nature and become good people because they exchange their sin for the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

But God still allows bad things to happen to these redeemed people for His reasons, whether or not we understand them. The Psalmist tells us "This God—his way is perfect" (Psalm 18:30). If God's ways are "perfect," then we can trust that whatever He does—and whatever He allows—is also perfect. This may not seem possible to us, but our minds are not God's mind. It is true that we can't expect to understand His mind perfectly, as He reminds us, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). Nevertheless, our responsibility to God is to obey Him, to trust Him and to submit to His will, whether we understand it or not. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). Romans 8:28–30 encourages, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

UNDERSTAND

• No one is truly good — the Bible teaches that all have sinned, so the question itself rests on a misunderstanding.
• Suffering comes from living in a fallen world, yet God can use it for refining faith and revealing His purposes.
• Instead of asking why bad things happen to good people, the deeper wonder is why God allows good things to happen to sinners.

REFLECT

• When you face suffering, how do you remind yourself that God can use it with purpose rather than punishment?
• How does remembering that no one is truly good change the way you think about bad things happening to good people?
• How can you choose to trust God’s higher ways when life feels unfair?

ENGAGE

• How does the Bible’s teaching that “no one is good except God alone” reshape our view of the question itself?
• What biblical examples show God using suffering or difficulties for greater purposes, and what can we learn from them together?
• How can we encourage one another to focus less on “why” suffering happens and more on what God is doing through it?