Why Bad Things Happen to Christians?
There has been the common question of why bad things happen to Christians. King Solomon expressed it in Ecclesiastes 7:15 saying, "All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness." Some Christian brethren of ours have passed away so early- one died in her 30s, one didn't even reach 30 and on the other hand there are several of the wicked have lived even up to 100+ years old. That is as said, vanity. However God has His purpose of allowing bad things to happen to Christians.
I. Bad things happen because God wants the Christian back on track.
Although a Christian CANNOT lose their salvation whenever they stumble into sin, however God still being holy and just, CANNOT forego justice. Salvation is all about mercy however justice cannot be denied. He keeps His children but He also punishes them. John 6:37 does not negate other forms of punishment. He always has lesser punishments on hand.
Hebrews 12:5-10 says, "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
Here's what cannot be denied- God loves His children so much He will not let them do what is bad for them. Rather than cast them out whenever they stumble, He chooses to keep them and chastise them. He is the Shepherd, the Christians are His sheep. They obey Him because they are His sheep (John 10:26-28). However there are times Christians will stumble in the faith so through bad events in their lives, they will realize that they are NOT ON TRACK so God uses bad things as chastisement to get them BACK ON TRACK. An example would be how Solomon was dealt with. He was on his wayward path of self-indulgence and God through the bad events, managed to get Solomon back on track. Ecclesiastes becomes the very proof of that.
II. Bad things happen to Christians as a means to bring them closer to each other and to God
2 Corinthians 1:4 says, "Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." God uses trouble to bring Christians closer to each other. When there is persecution, Christians group together to form a stronger group more effective than just one Christian. As said, it's always easier to be closer to God during hardship than when one is not in hardship. It becomes only natural for the Christian to be sensitive to the needs of other Christians and should the flesh intervene, God always spanks that disobedient Christian and they get back on track. And it's through hardship that Christians realize that this world is not their home, they're only passing through and that their final destination is HEAVEN.
III. Bad things happen to Christians as a conformation
Romans 8:28-30 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom Ge called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them he also glorified." Please note that this is not the extreme view of unconditional election that God selects those who'll go to Heaven or to Hell. Rather, this is that Christians are given their predestination that they beforehand, were prepared to be conformed to Christ's image.
So an example of the bad things can be like the situation of Joseph. Joseph was sold by his jealous half-brothers for 30 pieces of silver. He was framed by Mrs. Potiphar when he was in Egypt because he refused to commit adultery with her by God's grace. Then he landed in jail. However it was in jail that Joseph's talent to interpret dreams was known and would he have not been in jail, the king of Egypt would have not known him. It was all preparation for Joseph's place in Egypt. He became a picture of the fact that salvation was not only limited for the Jews but also for the Gentiles.
IV. Bad things happen as a call of conversion to unbelievers
The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you."
The interesting fact also is this- the more Christianity was persecuted the more it grew instead. The testimony of Stephen in Acts 7 did not stop Christianity. The very man who approved of his death (that was Saul) was converted to Christianity instead. The death of James didn't stop Christianity from spreading. The very trials of Paul (formerly Saul) brought a jailer to Christ and also many others to Christ. It was by the testimony of the Christians' withstanding persecution by God's grace that caused Christianity to increase.
Did it stop in the apostolic age? Not at all. Continuing the work of the apostles, persecution of Christians just didn't stop Christianity. For example, the Catholic inquisition did all its best to wipe out the Bible-believing Christians through various terrible punishments. Another is Communism is still on its rampage against Christianity. Muslim states are doing all they can. But did the work of Christianity stop? No. Instead, the death of various Christians by these godless men only made Christianity grow instead. Why? Because they bravely faced their death, the heathen were shown that they had something WORTH DYING FOR! And it will keep going on until the end of time. Can they stop Matthew 24:13? Nope. In fact, it's no wonder why scoffers call Christianity to be the religion that produces "morons" at an extraordinary rate- since these people would rather die than renounce their faith.
Also, 2 Peter 3:9 comes to mind saying, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." That is, although His patience has its limits, however He is still giving His chances to the wicked. By allowing the Christian to die young and the wicked man to still live on, He's still giving His chances (for a limited time) because He takes no pleasure in getting rid of them. Yes He will but He is no dictator God that takes fun in doing so. He is still willing for people to come to Him but many refuse to (John 3:20, 5:40).