If God is all powerful, then why does he allow suffering?

A recent controversial book on this matter was titled When Bad Things Happen to Good People. A common objection to religion is, How can anybody believe in God in light of all of the suffering that we see and experience in this world?

John Stuart Mill raised this classic objection against the Christian faith: If God is omnipotent and allows all this suffering, then he is not benevolent, he is not a kind-hearted God, he is not loving. And if he's loving to the whole world and allows all this suffering, then he's certainly not omnipotent. And given the fact of evil, or the fact of suffering, we can never conclude that God is both omnipotent and benevolent. As brilliant as John Stuart Mill is, I have to demur at that point and look at what the Scriptures say about these things.

Keep in mind that from a biblical perspective, suffering is intrinsically related to the fallenness of this world. There was no suffering prior to sin. I interpret Scripture to say that suffering in this world is part of the complex of God's judgment on the world. You are asking, How can a righteous judge allow a criminal to suffer? How can a just judge allow a violent offender to be punished? The question we should ask is, How can a just judge not allow punishment for those who have committed acts of violence or crimes of any sort? Behind that question always stands the holiness of God and his perfect righteousness. Our understanding of God is rooted and grounded in the teaching of Scripture that he is the just Judge. The Judge of all of the earth always does right.

In the ninth chapter of John, the Pharisees say to Jesus, "Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his sin or the sins of his parents? "Jesus said, "Neither one." We can't come to the conclusion that an individual's suffering in this world is in direct proportion to that individual's sin. That was what Job's friends did when they came to him and tormented him by saying, "Boy, Job, you're really suffering a lot. This must be an indication that you're the most miserable sinner of all." But the Bible says that we can't use such a formula. The fact is, if there were no sin in the world, there would be no suffering. God allows suffering as part of his judgment, but he also uses it for our redemption—to shape our character and build up our faith.

Why would a loving and holy God allow a child to suffer through a serious illness such as cancer?

We usually associate the love of God with the benefits we receive from him and the blessings that come from his kind and merciful hand. Because his love usually manifests itself in good things that happen to us, we sometimes fall back in shock and consternation when we see a child struck by disease or some other trauma.
Before we speak to the question of why God allows children to suffer, we need to ask the bigger question: Why does God allow suffering to happen to any person, whether he's two years old, two months old, or twenty years old? The Scriptures tell us that suffering came into the world as a consequence of the fall of man and of creation; that is to say, it is because of sin that God has visited judgment upon this planet. That includes the curses of pain, disease, sorrow, and death that attend the consequences of wickedness.

How could a loving and holy God allow a baby to suffer a debilitating disease? I think the answer is partly contained in that very question. God is holy, and in his holiness he exercises judgment against the wickedness that is prevalent in human nature. When we ask the question with respect to infants, sometimes lurking behind that question is the unspoken assumption that babies are innocent. Virtually every church in the history of Christendom has had to develop some concept of what we call original sin because the Scriptures teach us so clearly that we are born in a sinful state and that the curse of the Fall attends every human life. That sounds grim and dreadful until we realize that in that judgment on fallen humanity comes also the tempering of God's wrath with mercy and grace and his whole work of redemption. We believe with great joyous anticipation that there is a special measure of grace God has reserved for those who die in infancy. Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."

One warning that I have to raise at this point is that we dare not jump to the conclusion that an individual person's particular disease or affliction is a direct result of some particular sin. That may not be the case at all. As humans, all of us must participate in the broad complex of the fallenness of our humanity, which includes the tragedy of disease.

When we experience trials, how can we determine if they are the consequences of violating a scriptural principle, a test from the Lord, or an attack from Satan?

First of all, we need to recognize that any one of these possibilities exists when we enter tribulation, suffering, or trials of any sort. In fact, other things may be the cause of a trial we are called to endure. We may be the innocent victim of somebody else's unrighteous behavior, and we might ask why God allows us to be the victim of someone else's unkindness.

Sometimes trials and tribulations come to us as a direct judgment of God. It can be part of the corrective wrath to his children, or the punitive wrath to those who are obstinate in their disobedience toward him. Sometimes the Lord does send circumstances or people that will help us develop our spiritual muscles and character. It could also be that we are being besieged by the enemy, something Martin Luther frequently spoke of experiencing—what he called "the infection," the personal assault that comes from the prince of darkness.

It's not easy to discern between these causes. We need to begin by recognizing that God is sovereign over all tribulations. Whether it's a tribulation that follows as a consequence of my sin or God's putting me to a test or my being the victim of another person or the object of Satan's attack, God is sovereign over all of those things. In the midst of tribulation, instead of losing myself in trying to discern for sure what the cause is and trying to figure out why this thing is happening to me, it's important that I ask the deeper question, How am I to respond to it?

We can begin by searching our hearts to see if there are any wicked ways in us that could be legitimate reasons for God to be correcting us. We ought to rejoice that God does this because it is an indication of his love for us. The correction of the Lord is designed to lead us to repentance and to the full restoration of fellowship. When I enter into a trial or into some type of tribulation, I should be saying, "Lord, is there something that you're trying to say to me? Is there an area of my life that needs attention or cleaning up?" Our normal posture of confession should be intensified in the midst of tribulation. It may not be, as I said, an act of God's chastisement, but he may be in a sense complimenting us by calling us to suffer for righteousness' sake so that we can participate in the trials that were so much a part of Jesus' ministry.

It's good to remember that the very baptism we receive is, among other things, a sign of our willingness to participate in the sufferings of Christ. Again, we come before God and say, "I don't know for sure why I'm suffering. But God, I want to suffer honorably in a virtuous way, in a way that will show my loyalty to you." That's the important thing when these things happen.