Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

We'll look at this question 2 different ways. First, technically there are no good people. Romans 3:10-12 says that "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." The reason why no one is good is because God is the only one who is actually good. Jesus said "Why do you call me good?... No one is good—except God alone." (Luke 18:19) God is the standard or righteousness that we are compared to, and as Paul said "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Thus, there really aren't any good people and bad things happen to us.

Secondly, as humans, we perceive some people as better than others; that there are decent, nice people. We see these people as honest, they don't lie, they don't steal, and they treat others well. Though these people they aren't perfect, they are trying to do what is right. We think that God "should give these people a break." Why would God allow bad things happen to these who are sincerely trying? The best (and easiest) answer lies in the effect of sin. Sin is in the world and it effects everyone differently. Think about this. If a grenade was thrown into a group of people, some people will get hurt more than others. Some people might even walk away without a scratch. No matter what the outcome is for each individual, we will all agree that it is best to not be in the crowd in the first place, that it's best to stay away from the danger. The same holds true with sin, even if some people walk away from it without a scratch, the safest place for us to be is as far away as we can be. That's why the Bible says "Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace." (2 Timothy 2:22)

So I pose some questions to you, if we want God to stop bad things from happening to good people, where is the line to be drawn? How good must a person be? Also, what would make someone "bad?" The more we look at it, the harder it gets for us to determine who is "good" and who is "bad."

I think the best way for us to view this is to understand "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." (Romans 8:28) No matter what bad comes your way, God has a good plan to come out of it.