QUESTION OF THE WEEK 9.2 - "If there is a God why is there so much suffering in the world?
Cordial greetings friends of the "ecoTrain" community, I am pleased to participate in the interesting question of "Week 9.2" related to "If there is a God, why is there so much suffering in the world? The question is very interesting and in my condition as a Christian and my faith founded in God, I will try to answer according to God's wisdom embodied in the sacred book called "The Holy Bible". I want to begin by making a brief reflection on how wonderful it is for parents when their children are obedient. When children obey their parents' advice, certainly, everything in the family flows with love, respect and a lot of communication. Otherwise, parents get upset when children are not obedient and have to resort to some kind of punishment or discipline. In my particular case as a parent, my greatest desire is that my children obey and respect me and correspond with the love I show them. Expressing all this idea, the primordial reason for human suffering on earth begins precisely with the disobedience of the first couple of humans that God created, called Adam and Eve. These people, at the beginning enjoyed many privileges that God had given them by placing them in a paradise, called "The Garden of Eden". In that paradise God had given them an order to eat of all the fruits of the trees that were there, except of the fruit of a tree that was in the middle of paradise, called "The tree of the knowledge of good and evil". These characters, influenced by an evil spiritual being, in the form of a serpent, called Satan, led them to disobey God and urged them to eat from the forbidden tree. From that moment on, man entered into rebellion with God, which was counted as sin.
But the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made; and he said to the woman, "Did God say to you, 'Do not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman answered the serpent: Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 But God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband, and he did eat, and did eat. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; then they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. "Genesis 3: 1-7"
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All the time the man and the woman were inside the "Garden of Eden" they were very happy and had all things at their disposal, just as God had blessed them. In paradise they lacked nothing and God always came down from his throne and talked with them. However, God had given them free will, so that they could choose to obey God or disobey. God did not make these first humans as if they were robots that He could manipulate them to always do good, but gave them free will for them to choose. As soon as they disobeyed God, the Lord took them out of paradise, and from then on, they began to lead a hard and painful life, where they had to grow their own food for sustenance and live in nomadic conditions, exposed to the cold and the wild beasts of the field. When God took them out of the "Garden of Eden" He placed cherubim at the gates of the "Garden" so that the man and the woman would not return and eat from the other tree that was in the middle of the garden, called "The Tree of Life", because if they ate from that tree, they would remain forever in the condition of sin and would not have salvation.
22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is as one of us, knowing good and evil: now therefore let him not put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever. 23 And the LORD brought him forth out of the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. "Genesis 3: 22-23"
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The suffering of humanity begins with this first couple "Adam and Eve", to whom their first two sons were born, named Cain and Abel. The first murder in the history of mankind was committed by Cain when, out of jealousy and envy of his brother Abel, he took his brother's life. Then, God had to discipline Cain for what he had done and claimed him for the lack of care for his brother. With the death of Abel, the tragedy of humanity began as Adam and Eve multiplied as God had commanded them.
8 And Cain said to Abel his brother, Let us go out into the field. And it came to pass, while they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9 And the LORD said to Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother's keeper? 10 And he said unto him, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the earth. 11 Now therefore cursed be thou from the earth, which hast opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood at thy hand. "Genesis 4: 8-11"
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From the days of Adam until Noah, the earth had been filled with so much violence and wickedness that God decided to wipe out the human race and every living thing on earth. However, Noah led a life of righteousness and holiness, so God had mercy on him and did not allow him to die in the great flood of water that he brought to wipe out the human race. Noah and his family were saved, a total of 8 people and all the animals that God commanded Noah to take on the "Ark". The suffering of mankind was a product of their wickedness and sins, for which God punished them with the flood.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. 7 And because of the waters of the flood Noah went into the ark, and with him his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives. 8 And of the clean beasts, and of the beasts that were not clean, and of the birds, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, 9 Two and two went in with Noah into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass on the seventh day that the waters of the flood came upon the earth. "Genesis 7: 6-10"
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If there is a God, why is there so much suffering in the world? Simply because man has been disobedient to God's commandment and has had to bear the consequences of his sins. However, God has given the key for man to pass from suffering to happiness, and this key is Christ as the savior of the world, who came to die for the sins of mankind and provide to the believers in Christ, eternal life, which is a spiritual life that will develop in heaven before God and his angels. All the time that man is apart from God, wrapped in his sin, he will lead a life of suffering, whereas, the person who believes in Christ will have the great hope of eternal life, where there will be no suffering or pain.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. "John 3: 16"
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Undoubtedly mankind is corrupted that is why we see so much evil in the world, God loves us but the world has turned its back on God. Good answer greetings.
Thank you friend for your valuable and important comments. Blessings for your life and family.
Thank you @elpastor I was blessed reading your post.
Man's refusal of God makes him suffer.
Thank you friend for reading and concluding as the Bible says, that the farther man moves away from God, the closer he will be to suffering. Blessings for your life and family.