The ultimate cause of suffering is sin, which has brought violence, disease and death into the world. All suffering, however, is under the sovereign purpose of God, who is able to use it for his glory.
The ultimate cause of suffering is sin
Genesis 3:14–19; Job 1:1; John 9:1–3; Job 5:6–7; Romans 5:12–14
Suffering as a result of human wickedness
Murder
Genesis 4:8 See also Genesis 49:5–7; 1 Samuel 18:10–11
Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
Injury
Cruelty
Psalm 71:4 See also Judges 1:7; Psalm 54:3; Amos 1:13; Matthew 2:16–18; Luke 10:30
Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.
Rioting
Warfare
Jeremiah 50:22 See also Genesis 14:1–2, Genesis 14:11–12; Exodus 13:17; Joshua 6:20–21, Joshua 10:22–26; Judges 1:4–7; 1 Kings 22:35; 2 Kings 17:5–6; Zechariah 14:2; Luke 21:20–24; Revelation 6:4
“The noise of battle is in the land — the noise of great destruction.
Injustice
Ezekiel 9:9 See also Genesis 39:19–20; 1 Kings 21:11–14; 2 Kings 21:16; Psalm 58:1–2, Psalm 64:6
He replied, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of perversity. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’
Oppression
Ecclesiastes 4:1 See also Exodus 1:11; 1 Kings 12:1–4, 1 Kings 12:12–14; Psalm 12:5; James 5:1–6
Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter.
Adultery
Theft
Matthew 6:19 See also Genesis 31:19; Job 1:14–15, Job 1:17, Job 24:2
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
Broken relationships
Job 19:14–19; Psalm 27:10; Proverbs 16:28; Acts 15:39
Hatred
Psalm 109:3 See also 2 Samuel 13:15; Titus 3:3
They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.
Jealousy
Genesis 37:4 See also Genesis 4:4–5, Genesis 16:6, Genesis 21:8–10; 1 Samuel 18:8–9; Matthew 27:18
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
Persecution
John 15:20 See also Jeremiah 38:6; Daniel 3:4–6, Daniel 6:7; Matthew 5:10–12, Matthew 10:35–36; Revelation 6:9–11
Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.
Suffering as a result of misfortune
Accidents
2 Samuel 4:4; 2 Kings 1:2; Luke 13:4
Sickness
Genesis 48:1 See also 2 Kings 20:1; Job 2:7; Psalm 42:10; Matthew 8:6; Acts 28:8; Philippians 2:27; 2 Timothy 4:20; James 5:14
Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
Hunger and want
Genesis 12:10; Job 30:3; Isaiah 5:13; Matthew 25:42–43
Natural disasters
1 Kings 22:48; Job 1:16, Job 1:18–19; Isaiah 29:6; Joel 1:4; Zechariah 14:5; Matthew 24:7; Acts 27:18–20
Suffering through old age and death
Ageing
2 Samuel 19:34–35; Psalm 71:9; Ecclesiastes 12:1
Bereavement
Genesis 23:1–2; Job 1:18–19; Luke 7:11–13; John 11:33–35; James 1:27
Suffering through anxiety
Proverbs 12:25 See also Deuteronomy 28:65–67; Luke 21:26
Anxiety weighs down the heart of a man, but a good word cheers it up.
Suffering through foolishness
Psalm 107:17 See also Judges 11:34–36; Proverbs 10:1, Proverbs 11:15, Proverbs 14:1, Proverbs 23:29–30; Luke 15:17
Fools, in their rebellious ways, and through their iniquities, suffered affliction.
Suffering through Satanic activity
The influence of Satan
Genesis 3:1 See also Job 1:12, Job 2:6–7; Luke 13:16; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 2:10, Revelation 20:7–8
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”
Demon-possession
Matthew 8:28, Matthew 12:22, Matthew 15:22
Suffering brought about by God himself
All suffering comes within his will
Some suffering is for his immediate glory
Jesus Christ's suffering produces salvation
Isaiah 53:10 See also Acts 2:23
Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
Christian suffering produces good fruits
Romans 5:3–4; 2 Corinthians 1:9; Hebrews 12:11; James 1:2, James 1:3
God's people must be disciplined
Hebrews 12:7 See also Exodus 32:35; 2 Samuel 12:13–14; Psalm 119:67, Psalm 119:71; Proverbs 3:11–12; Hebrews 12:8–11
Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
The wicked must be punished
Romans 6:23 See also Genesis 6:5–7; John 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Revelation 9:4, Revelation 20:15
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Suffering accepted voluntarily
By Jesus Christ
1 Peter 2:21 See also Isaiah 53:3–5, Isaiah 53:10; Luke 9:22
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps:
By his people
2 Corinthians 12:15 See also 2 Corinthians 4:10–12; Philippians 3:10; Hebrews 11:35
And for the sake of your souls, I will most gladly spend my money and myself. If I love you more, will you love me less?
For the good of others
John 15:13 See also Romans 5:7; Philemon 1:18
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.