These are some of the Bible passages that ground what I’ve been saying about suffering, human choices, redemption and the difference between saying something was good and believing God can still bring good from it.
Bible quotations on this page are from the New International Version (NIV).
Our choices can have real consequences
“Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.”
Jesus did not explain grief away
“Jesus wept.”
God can work within what has happened
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…”
Pain can become a place from which we help others
“...we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
God’s final answer is restoration
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…”
Put together
Human choices can cause real harm → not every painful event needs a hidden purpose → God meets us in suffering rather than explaining it away → he can bring good from what was not good → and his final promise is restoration.
If you want to keep digging
Romans 8:18–27 — Paul describes creation itself as groaning under suffering while waiting for restoration.
Psalm 34:18 — describes God as close to those who are brokenhearted.
Luke 13:1–5 — Jesus resists the assumption that tragedy gives us a simple explanation about the people who suffered.
Genesis 50:15–21 — Joseph looks back on deliberate harm done to him by others and recognises that God was able to bring good from it.
1 Corinthians 15:20–26 — connects Jesus’ resurrection with the future defeat of death.
Revelation 21:1–5 — the larger picture of God making what is broken new.