Based on the date of this post you can probably tell that the topic has been on my mind based on the earthquake in Haiti, but I’m not going to address that specifically, so apply this as you see fit.
1 John 4:18, There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love, when read by even the most legalistic believer, would seem to imply that when we understand God’s love for us we no longer fear punishment, and really have no reason to be captive to fear period. It seems to say that the more we are “made perfect in love” which I take to mean the more we understand the depth of God’s love for us and what He’s done on our behalf as a result, the more we are able to let go and trust God because we no longer fear that if we make a mistake He’s going to bring the hammer down. We are able to then relax in His presence, come as we are, be ourselves without pretense, etc. However we read that verse and it sounds very comforting, but if you’re anything like me what immediately springs to mind is, well if this is true why did that thing happen…? And sometimes, even though part of us believes that God does love us and does work everything to good on our behalf, we slip into trying to obey out of legalistic reasons, just in case.
So let’s address that… if there is no punishment in perfect love, and the fullness of punishment for our sins was paid by Jesus on the cross (Col 2:13-14) why do bad things happen? The Problem on Pain by C.S. Lewis answers the question better than I ever could, and much more intellectually, so I’d advise you to read that for a deeper analysis, but I’ll attempt to answer as well.
I believe the answer lies in a few separate things that integrate and operate to various degrees depending on circumstance. The first is free will and consequence. If a man cheats on his wife, the destruction of his relationship with her and his children is not a punishment from God, it is a consequence of his choice. Now God could have intervened and stopped the man from cheating (and sometimes He does intervene in situations) but if He did it would inhibit the man’s free choice. And, if God did that on a large scale and intervened every time anything we chose to do would cause harm we would be nothing more than robots. I believe this is why some of our actions grieve God. It’s not because He is mad at us, it’s because He can see the result of our bad choices and He only wants the best for us.
The second is the enemy. He does prowl around like a lion, we know that from the Bible, and he will do harm when he can, but most of us are probably aware that God is more powerful and that the devil can’t do anything without God allowing it. That is to say, he can’t overpower God. Notice however, that I said God’s allowing it, not without it being God’s will. I’ll get to that later though.
The last thing is the fallen state of the world. Most of us take “fallen world” to mean the depraved state of man without God, and it does mean that, but it also means that the Earth itself is “fallen.” When sin entered the world there were biological and environmental consequences as well as spiritual ones. In the garden, which was a picture of right relationship with God, there was no sickness, no discomfort, no pain, but when Adam and Eve were removed God tells Eve that she’ll have pain in childbirth and Adam that he’ll have to toil to bring forth food from the land (Gen 3:16-19). Something changed. The Earth changed, not just the people in it. Romans says that creation is groaning, and Isaiah 11 even points to the changes in animals that will be brought by the restoration of God’s kingdom on Earth.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
I believe this is why the Earth now has the capacity for things like natural disasters, and the human body things like miscarriages, sickness, etc. And, yes I know that at times God sent natural disasters or disease to accomplish his purpose, but that was part of pointing creation to the need for a savior and that happened before Jesus died on the cross. I’m also aware of Revelation and the wrath of God being poured out, but I believe that is for the ultimate vanquishing of evil and defeat of the enemy, not punishment for the sin of mankind.
So, if those three things intermingle to produce all pain, and it isn’t caused by God’s punishment is that really even any comfort? We still end up in an uncertain and fearful position don’t we? Yes, until we realize that our lives here are just a small slice of our existence and that God’ perfect love, justice, and grace do operate on a temporal basis, but operate much more on an eternal one.
No matter what happens to a believer, our eternity can never be taken away. Our rest is secure not matter how many years we live on Earth before getting there. We will be with our families again. There will be reunion. In this world we will have trouble but He has overcome this world (John 16:33). The only comfort in tragedy comes from fixing our eyes on what is eternal.
So is it His will that we suffer here? No. The garden is the picture of His will. Yes, things will happen to us and we will hurt. He doesn’t stop all pain, but He can still work all things to His good, and we hurt only for a time, but we rejoice eternally.