Why Do Children Suffer?

Jan, a longtime listener and promoter of Generation Word who lives in Australia, emailed this morning and asked this question:

Hi Galyn,
Hope you and Toni and boys are all well, all my best wishes for your holiday season.

I am enjoying your teaching on Ephesians and I am also doing Romans (from the blue tabs). I was asked a question by a new believer (friend) and I didn't really know enough to answer her sufficiently and wondered if you could help me. I know you are very busy and I don't want to encroach upon your time, but if you could send a reply I would be really grateful. Her question was "why does God allow little children to suffer e.g. being born with aids or drug addiction or being abused by adults" my friend is a nurse and works in hospitals where she sees the suffering of small children and wonders why these things are allowed by a gracious and loving God.

Jan,
Thanks for the email. It is always encouraging to hear from you and know you are still using the website. I have attached an audio clip from the series "30 Questions and Answers". In this message I answer the question "Do science and the Bible conflict?" then in the second half I address the question you are interested in: "How could God allow suffering and evil?"

http://www.generationword.com/on_line_audio/q_a_3_4.ram

This message may also be of interest: "What do I say to my patients? How did Satan come to be?" It can be heard at:

http://generationword.com/on_line_audio/q_a_16_17.ram

The basic answer to the question is that God created a perfect world for man and then God told man that he was free to eat from any tree in the garden but advised him not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

"You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." Gen. 2:17

In summary:
1. God made a perfect world.
2. God told man he was free.
3. Man choose to corrupt the perfect world.
4. The result: we live in a fallen world.

Adam choose to live outside of God's will back then which still effects us now. Today men, including me, often make choices that are in rebellion to God's will which continues to compound the problem. Realize though that even if we choose to do everything in perfect agreement with God's plan (live a sinless life) we would still face suffering since we live in a fallen world.

Galyn Wiemers
http://www.generationword.com