In our third blog post answering the big questions of suffering, Brianna McClean looks at the complex relationship between sin and suffering.
When we suffer, we want to know why. ‘Did I do something to deserve this?’
I wonder if Joseph asked the same thing, when he was attacked by his own brothers, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, and imprisoned unjustly for 11 years.
Our teaching series, The Dreamer, has introduced us to the suffering of Joseph, as told in the book of Genesis. It’s not difficult to imagine him sitting in prison, thinking, ‘Am I being punished for something?’
Suffering and sin are connected. But it’s important that we think carefully about how they are connected.
We can fall into the trap of under-emphasising the connection, forgetting the tragic consequences of sin. Equally as dangerous is wrongly assuming all our suffering is caused by something specific we have done.
Like most tricky theological questions, the relationship between sin and suffering is complex. When we look at what the Bible has to say about this, we see several complementary ideas which together paint a picture.
John Piper, on the topic of searching for balanced truth in seeming biblical tensions, says this: ‘What we’ll find is not a contradiction, but a deeper root that feeds both truths.’
Together, let’s seek that deeper root to feed our knowledge of God and his Word.
1. SUFFERING IS A SYMPTOM OF SIN
All suffering is the result of sin.
In the last blog, we were reminded that God created this world as perfectly good. Adam and Eve’s sin was the initial cause of suffering, invoking the curse of God’s judgment on his world.
We live in the aftermath of the Fall—which means living in a world broken by sin. Romans 8:20 tells us that due to the impact of sin, the physical creation (not just humanity) is in ‘bondage to decay’.
Suffering is a symptom of this reality. We experience cancer, mental illness, betrayal, and lost opportunities because the world is broken.
2. SPECIFIC SIN DOESN’T CAUSE GENERAL SUFFERING
Your suffering is not punishment from God.
In general, it is not a biblical pattern for suffering to arise directly from an individual’s sin.
Sam Allberry, in a helpful article about the relationship between sin and sickness, writes this: ’Most sickness does not arise from personal sin, and Scripture cautions us against making glib connections between the two.’ The same goes for other kinds of suffering.
Consider the life of Jesus. The one who ‘committed no sin’ (1 Peter 2:22) suffered greatly. Isaiah 53:3 calls Jesus, ‘a man of suffering, and familiar with pain’. The innocent one died a terrible death at the hands of sinful humanity.
Jesus’s suffering shows us that while suffering is a symptom of sin, you don’t need to sin in order to suffer.
3. SIN MAY BRING ACCOMPANYING SUFFERING
Sin is living outside of God’s good design. It’s not what we were made for.
So, it should come as no surprise that sinful habits and patterns may directly result in suffering.
Porn habits cause relational breakdown. Lying and cheating result in job loss. Gluttony causes bodily suffering. Idolatry brings heartbreak.
Our own lives can testify to the effects of sin. When we choose to disobey him, we suffer the natural consequences.
JESUS HAS TAKEN SIN’S PUNISHMENT
It’s true that sin deserves punishment.
But the good news of the Bible is that Jesus has taken our punishment on himself, paying the price our sin deserves through his death. God’s justice has been satisfied. Romans 8:1 says, ’There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus’.
Next time you find yourself wondering, ‘Am I being punished for something?’, remind yourself of Jesus—his life and death. This is the ‘deeper root’ of truth we can cling onto.
Jesus’s death reminds us that God doesn’t let sin and suffering slide. He knows that it is wrong and has dealt with it justly at the cross.
Jesus’s victorious resurrection is an assurance that we can be freed from sin’s ultimate consequence—death and judgement—by trusting him. We can be sure that one day there will be no more suffering, because the God who punishes sin is also the God who saves us from sin.