The Doctrine of Suffering
Life in a broken world brings pain in many varieties. Our human experience can involve physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual distress. Suffering entered the world when Adam and Eve fell into sin, and sin’s curse corrupted the natural world, including the people of earth. Some suffering is the direct result of personal or societal sin. Much pain, however, represents the natural consequences of sin’s broad damage. Life on planet Earth includes natural disasters, aging bodies, global pandemics, and strained relationships. Grief and anguish regularly invade human lives. Like Elijah, even God’s faithful servants suffer.