12^th Sabbath after Pentecost

August 17 & 19, 2007

Victor H. Nixon

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN?

Romans 8:18, 28, 31-39

Two more sermons remain in the Summer Series on Challenges for My Faith: What about My Doubt? and How Can I Serve God? Today we explore why bad things happen.

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When the electrical transformer here at the church fried itself this week, knocking out our power, we were forced to cancel activities while repairs were made. With four worship services and two weddings on the weekend I was a bit anxious, wondering if we would have to pull out the funeral fans again. I prayed: "God, why do things like this always seem to happen at the most inconvenient time? Can’t you see that we’re trying to do your business here? Surely you could cut us a little slack so we can concentrate on saving souls rather than repairing equipment!"

You see, I knew that the electrical transformer blew because of the high demand for power due to the terrible heat that was causing "brownouts," but I turned it into a theological question, an accusation, actually, holding God responsible for the problem. (Not good theology!) But God is forgiving, thank God!

Why do bad things happen? There is usually more to this question than logical, factual explanations. He died because he ran the stop sign and was hit by another car. Or she has cancer because malignant cells have started growing in her body. Their marriage ended because they could not communicate. He was wounded in the war. They lost their belongings in an earthquake. A support piece on the bridge gave way. He was not doing his job. It was caused by a gas leak. Hoodlums attacked them. There was a genetic abnormality. It was destroyed by a tornado, a freeze, flooding, drought, etc. When we question why bad things happen, mere factual, logical explanations are not satisfying answers.

What I am suggesting to you is that when it comes to bad things happening there is a question behind the question: Why does God allow bad things, evil to occur? Like earthquakes in Peru, innocent children dying of AIDS in Africa, war in Iraq, starvation and genocide in Sudan, destructive floods in India, racial division in Little Rock, and so on. It would seem that if God is in control, then a caring deity would not allow such things to occur. If God is not in control or does not care, then such a god is unworthy of the name and we must adjust our theology. So, you see this question about human suffering quickly becomes a theological question about the nature of God.

Some believers solve this problem by saying that God is in control of everything, down to the tiniest details, and though we may not understand why there is suffering, God has a larger purpose in mind and we just have to trust God. I must say that this is a very attractive, simple theology, sometimes found even in the Bible. The problems with this theological perspective are: it basically leaves the question of suffering or evil unanswered, doesn’t allow for human freedom and choice, and strongly implies that God is ultimately responsible for human evil and suffering, albeit in the interest of some larger, unknown purpose. A variant of this theological position holds that when bad things happen, God may be teaching us a lesson, developing our character or faith. I’ve actually heard parents use this explanation for the death of a child. Not a very good theology; not the God I believe in.

Others solve the problem of why bad things happen by a dualistic approach to reality that posits not only a good God but a bad one as well, e.g. Satan or the Devil. God is responsible for all that is good, Satan for the bad, and they are locked in an eternal battle over who rules the universe and human lives. An evil god causes all the bad stuff in the world with followers who are also committed to evil whose excuse is something like, "The devil made me do it." There are significant problems associated with dualism, one being polytheism, the belief in more than one god, one of which happens to be evil. Another problem with this perspective for Christians is that God defeated and destroyed the power of evil in Christ, as described in the Book of Revelation, once and for all. So, it isn’t good Christian theology either.

A third alternative is atheism. Just ditch all theology and belief in God. Bad things happen because that’s the way the universe operates, people make good choices and bad choices, natural disasters, accidents and disease just happen. Evil is just part of the landscape of life and the best you can do is embrace the good and attempt to eliminate or avoid evil. There’s no need for a theological explanation for evil or human suffering. While I understand this perspective, it isn’t an option for me given the God of the Bible, the community of faith and my personal faith.

In our text from Romans, St. Paul offers another understanding of the relationship between faith in God and human suffering that recognizes the reality of evil and suffering caused by humanity. But more importantly, Paul focuses on how people of faith confidently overcome bad things through promise. Paul sees the entire creation and the community of faith "groaning with labor pains" for the promise of rebirth and renewal. In the context of the persecution of Christians and Paul himself by the Roman Empire, suffering was very real. Yet, Paul claims that such suffering cannot be compared to the glory revealed in Christ, namely, that he suffered and died and rose again. Confident hope, then, is based upon the resurrection of Christ.

Then, Paul states one of my favorite lines in scripture: "All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God’s purpose."(9:28) While we may not understand all human suffering, nor it good, Paul says that when we love God and attempt to live according to God’s purpose, then by God’s grace bad things can lead to good things. That’s the first part of the promise for people who must endure bad things.

Every person who’s ever been in Alcoholics Anonymous knows this great truth about personal transformation from bad stuff to renewed life. Every kid who’s ever been caught doing something wrong, forgiven and given another chance, knows this truth. I was shocked when a person once told me that cancer was the best thing that had ever happened to her. By that she did not mean that the disease itself was good; rather, goodness came from a new appreciation for the gift of life, for the love and support of friends, and for the growth in her relationship with God that came as a consequence. "I’ve never felt so alive," she sang. Things working together for good for those who love God.

The second part of the promise is that through the intercessory gift of God’s son a relationship with God has been created that cannot be broken. Paul’s words cannot be improved upon. "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through the One who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."(9:35, 37-39) Nothing can separate you from God and God’s love. What incredible news!

When things go badly, remember: it is not an indication of God’s disfavor or desertion; rather, it is a time to remember that God loves you and doesn’t give up on you or abandon you, is present with you—come what may. Paul Achtemeier comments, "Armed with that knowledge, we can face the future with hope and confidence, knowing that the Lord of all creation is a lord of love and that [God] is for, not against us. There, laid bare, is the basis of our Christian confidence: the surety of grace." (1)

When things go badly, remember to pray: David Rensberger reminds us that in the presence of God we can be ourselves, the sufferers we truly are—or the joyful people we truly are, or the angry or lonely or contented or excited or guilty people we truly are.(2) Before God in prayer there is no need for pretense. Blessedly, we can share ourselves in whatever condition we may be at the moment, thus setting the stage for God’s grace that comes as new possibilities beyond sufferings, finding courage and hope.

When things go badly, keep faith. Being a person of faith may not remove the underlying causes of suffering. It may not cure cancer. It does not bring loved ones back to us. It may not settle the deep question why there is suffering, but faith does address the more focused question of how to endure suffering. The message of the Cross of Christ is not that God will shield us from suffering, but that we can encounter God in our suffering, even as God has encountered us in human suffering.

When things go badly, participate in the community of faith. Frequently, people pull away from the church during crisis, due to embarrassment or painful reminders. Yet, church is your greatest support where you can be nourished and fed by God’s grace, find comfort and strength from faith and friends for the journey through bad times. The church is always at its best in responding to human need. And sometimes we discover that our experience with bad times becomes a ministry to others in the valley of the shadow who are looking for a path to wholeness. "Wounded healers," Henri Nouwen called them, those who bear the scars of bad times but by God’s grace become instruments of hope and healing for others, as did our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am grateful to power company and our staff who worked through the night to restore electricity to our church. We worship today in comfort. Our ministries for Christ continue. When things go bad and God pulls you through, remember to give thanks.

Thanks be to God! Amen.

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