Good people, bad people

“If you were pure and upright,
Surely now He would awake for you,
And prosper your rightful dwelling place…
Behold, God will not cast away the blameless,
Nor will He uphold the evildoers.” – Bildad (Job 8:6, 20)

“Truly I know it is so,
But how can a man be righteous before God?” – Job (Job 9:2)

When suffering befalls a person, we struggle to understand why. Is it because that person has sinned in God’s eyes? Well, sometimes yes. Sometimes no. The cause of suffering can’t be explained away as easily as that.

Nevertheless, it is true that sometimes, God allows suffering to befall us because of the sins that we’re unrepentant of. Bildad argued that if Job was “pure and upright,” God would deliver him from his suffering. Bildad’s logic was simple. Good people will not suffer, but bad people will suffer.

Of course, Job knew that well enough. He is familiar with the concept that God punishes evildoers, but delivers the blameless. Therefore, we will be spared from suffering if we are blameless.

However, if only those who are blameless will be delivered from suffering, who can escape from it then? “But how can a man be righteous before God?” Job retorted. How then, can anyone be spared from suffering?

The simple answer is, nobody. No man can ever be righteous before God. Therefore, nobody can be spared from suffering.

Very often, we hear the nagging question, “If there is God, how come good people suffer just as much – if not more – than bad people?” Well, it’s because there are no good people. There is no such thing in the first place.

Therefore, if everyone is considered bad before God, then every suffering that befalls us is, in that sense, deserved. Every good thing that comes our way is only by the grace of God. It is an undeserved favour from a gracious God.

So, how does God deal with us when we sin? God chastens us in our sin. However, even in dealing with our sin, God is still merciful. Zophar said, “Know therefore that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.” (Job 11:6)

When we deserved none of His goodness, God is good to us. Even when we are punished, He punishes us for less than what we deserve.

How then, can God not be good?