WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN?

And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him.’  

Hebrews 12:5

In the preceding verse, the author of Hebrews reminds us, “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.” This is the ultimate measuring rod for suffering. As difficult as life may get, you are still alive! Jesus literally died in His striving against sin—not His own, but the sin of the world. He successfully resisted Satan and those operating under demonic influence. Today, we have Jesus as our perfect example of endurance. We also have a great cloud of witnesses testifying that they endured hardships by anchoring themselves to God’s promises in the famous “Hall of Faith” found in Hebrews 11.

The Greek word for discipline is paideia, which means the rearing, training, teaching, and education of a child. It does not simply mean negative punishment. Remember, Christians can never be punished for their sins because Jesus already endured that full wrath on the cross. Instead, God lovingly disciplines us as His children to protect us from further wandering, sometimes allowing us to experience the natural consequences of our choices.

The positive focus of paideia is education. Even when personal sin is not the cause, our heavenly Father uses difficulties to train us in godliness. This fatherly education takes four distinct forms. When we experience “bad” things, the Father utilizes His Word to explain our circumstances for our ultimate growth and edification. Second Timothy 3:16 reveals these four purposes: “All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

Ethan Kallberg