Here is an inquiry that I received from a college-aged young lady:
There’s this question I have been struggling with for a while
now. I understand why people grow old and die naturally but why do young
people have to die? I know a 21 year old girl who was driving home for a
friends house at 3 am and was disoriented and flipped her car and died.
She was a wonderful girl. My cousin’s best friend was on meds, it did
something to his heart and he died randomly at 21.
I just don’t understand why young people have to die. My dad was
telling me that he believes that the sin that brought our world to
imperfection makes these things happen, that God will help sometimes but
not always. What makes Him choose who dies and who lives?
First, I don’t propose to have any clue on why or how God chooses to
do what He does (who lives, who dies in this case) unless the Bible
clearly declares His reasons for all of us to know. In the case of a
young person or baby dying, or a “good person” having bad things happen
to them, that belongs to the secret knowledge of God and there it shall
stay with my comments. Now, on to what we can know based on the Bible…
Your Dad is correct. God chooses for His own reasons when to
intervene in human events but regardless, God will make all things right
for eternity. That’s what we base our hope on as Christians. That’s why
the “unfairness” of this existence does not cause us to despair like
those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). That’s why injustice,
suffering and bad things do not steal our joy as Believers.
A fact of human existence is people of all ages die and bad things
happen to “good” people because of one reason: SIN. Not necessarily
specific sin they’ve committed individually (though that can often be a
factor), but the overall sin of humanity.
Sin is what caused God’s creation to be cursed. The curse brings
accidents, disease, suffering, unfairness, injustice and evil.
Every time something like this happens, it reminds us of how horrible
sin is, and how we should long for Jesus to return so that all the bad
things will end. It reminds us of how perfect God is, and how imperfect
we (as a whole of humanity) are not.
Our collective sinfulness, and the curse it brought on God’s creation
is the
origin of all the bad things that happen
(Romans 5:12). Some day sin and the curse will be removed forever (2Pet
3:10; Rev 21:1)… until then, we trust that God will ultimately make all
things right, punish all evil, reward all good, and rest in His perfect
love and care.
We should have an eternal perspective… see things eternally, not just
from the temporary nature of this life. This sin-cursed creation will
be a blink, a wisp, a vapor compared to eternity. As we call this to
mind, it helps us remain joyful and hopeful it the face of hardship or
uncertainty. Our hope is in God’s faithfulness and unfailing promises:
- Psalm 39:7 – “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.
(NKJV)
- Titus 1:2 – in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie,
promised before time began, (NKJV)
- Romans 5:5 – Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God
has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to
us. (NKJV)
- Romans 15:13 – Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy
Spirit. (NKJV)
- Psalm 146:5 – Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God, (NKJV)
~ Brent
