"Why do bad things happen to good people?" There are many questions like this that may cause us to doubt our Christian life. It is not always easy or comfortable to live out the tenants of the Gospel, but our reward will be greater than anything we can possibly imagine.
To address the initial question, the Bible teaches us that “none is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Everyone receives individual consequences for collective sin (Romans 3:23). For example, death is an individual consequence of sin that everyone endures.
Our individual punishments are both from Satan and allowed by God who lets Satan operate for a few reasons. The biggest reason: "What you meant for evil, God meant for good" (Genesis 50:20). Yahweh is the God that gives and takes away (Job 1:21), the God of justice (Acts 10:34), and the God that turns every situation for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). With this assurance, we can face our trials with confidence. God is our champion!
This leads into another common question: “Why did Jesus have to die?” It doesn’t take a smart person to admit that there is a ton of evil in this world. Many people have started revolutions or became devoted to humanitarian work to try to rid the world of evil, yet it still remains. Even Jesus, who bore all of the collective sin of mankind in His death, did not stop evil from existing. Jesus died and was resurrected from the dead so that we may have eternal life in the midst of this evil world. Our mission is to reach out to the lost, the broken, and the possessed to heal them with the wonder-working power of salvation through Jesus alone. God is allowing this “present darkness” to persist so we can wage war against the spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:12). If you’re upset about the way the world is going, like I am, God has given us the mission of rescuing people out of it.
“But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:25).
~Mason Edmiston
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