“And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust” (Matthew 21:44)
“for I will show him [Paul] how much he must suffer for My name's sake”
​(Acts 9:16)

​Humans have been subjected to suffering and death since their beginning. Sin, suffering, and death have a purpose since Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden so that they wouldn’t forever be in a spiritual state of sin trapped in a human body. As people got further away from God in the book of Genesis, their toil increased and their lifespan shortened. Sin, suffering, and death are absolutely linked by a cause and effect relationship. Jesus said, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you” (John 5:14b). In addition, Jesus physically healed people by forgiving their sin. Although Jesus also told us and showed us that suffering can (and should) be to glorify God, the cause and effect nature of sin, suffering, and death saturate the Old and New Testament. Regardless of the reasons, however, suffering and death only find life and meaning with Jesus’ forgiveness and through following Him.