Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

• The main problem with this question is that there are no good people, we are all the bad guys (Romans 3:10-12, Psalm 14:1-3). Human suffering and sin are directly linked to Adam committing the original act of rebellion toward God. God created man “upright” but Adam chose his own path (Genesis 1:26-27, Ecclesiastes 7:29). The apostle Paul specifically points out that all mankind fell with Adam because “all sinned” with him (Romans 5:12). Since that initial rebellion, all of Adam’s descendants have been born corrupted “children of wrath,” sinful and worthy of death (Ephesians 2:3, Psalm 51:5). Because of the rebellion of all mankind, God has no obligation to reduce or eliminate human suffering and death. Martin Luther wrote, “Original sin itself, therefore, leaves free choice with no capacity to do anything but sin and be damned.”[1] Commonly, people will claim that they are “basically good,” but they fail to appreciate the depravity of their sin and fail to recognize that doing a good act does not make them a good person; it makes them someone who did something good (Isaiah 64:6).   --Jason Camorlinga