Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God allow bad things to happen at all? In 2 Thessalonians 1, Paul sent a letter to encourage the persecuted church, because they were probably asking similar questions. Paul masterfully crafted a letter that would both encourage the church during their affliction and address the reason God allows it.
I want to draw out some of those points to serve as an encouragement for those who are suffering hardships now as well as those who will inevitably face affliction in the future.
Be encouraged in affliction because God is just.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-7 “Indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels”
When we look at the fallout from conflict in the Middle East or think about tragedies like terminal illness or abortion, it can be easy to question God’s justice. We can quickly start to question whether God really sees us and cares about us. This can lead to questioning God’s goodness or even (in extreme situations) his existence.
In Psalm 73, David struggled with this very thing. He wondered why the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. He struggled with this so much that he almost stepped away from his faith. But then, in the presence of God, he was reminded of God’s justice in the end.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.4 They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. 5 They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills… 16 When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply 17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. 18 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. 19 How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!
God sees and knows everything.
Nothing goes under God’s radar. He knows the number of hairs on your head and the number of sands on the shore. Not a single ounce of injustice goes unnoticed by him. God sees you, and he sees the wrongs that have been done against you. He’s not missing something. But the time for justice is not yet.
Judgement is coming.
There can be no justice without judgment. He will repay evil for evil and good for good. The bad news for those who are not in Christ is that their suffering will only get worse when Jesus returns. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10) The good news for the believers is that Jesus already absorbed and paid 100% of our judgement. That means, the affliction we endure today is not because of the sins we committed yesterday. God is not getting back at us.
We should not cheapen God’s grace by thinking our sin is greater than his sacrifice. Jesus said it is done. Our sin, our guilt, and our shame have all been paid for by the blood of Jesus.
Be encouraged in affliction because God is making you worthy.
You are not striving to earn worth. God has already given us worth in Jesus. He is simply making us in practice what he has declared us to be from the cross. We are already valuable to Jesus, but now he is chipping away the dirt and the dross to make us worthy. It’s as if Jesus were holding a jewel completely covered by mud. The suffering and affliction is what removes the dirt so that the jewel will be worthy to be worn by him.
Romans 8:28-30 28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
God’s purpose for you is to become more like Jesus.
Therefore, be encouraged when you are afflicted. Not because affliction is fun or feels good. Because it doesn’t feel good. But neither does working out. It takes the lifting and resistance to create strength in us. We don’t get stronger despite the resistance. We get stronger because of it.
Paul says in Romans 5:3-5 “we glory in our sufferings because it produces perseverance, and perseverance character, and character hope. And hope will not put us to shame. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.“
When affliction comes, we have the chance to say, “not I but Christ in me.” Don’t lose heart. Don’t be discouraged. God is using this for your good. He is making you more and more like Jesus. And one day, God will make right all that is wrong. All sad things will come untrue. And Christ will be glorified in us and us in him.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you…“