A man holds Scripture amid flames and question marks, symbolizing the struggle to understand suffering through faith.

Why Do Good People Suffer? Christ & the Martyrs Answer

What happens when a caller’s father—a burn survivor battling cancer—says he and God are “on bad terms”? And why do some preachers claim God sees non-tithers the same as practicing homosexuals? Nate tackles both questions with Scripture in this raw, unfiltered episode of the Ask A Christian Podcast. From a viral “tough man of God” sermon to a daughter desperately trying to bring her firefighter dad back to faith, this episode confronts the hardest question in Christianity: why do good people suffer?

Why Good People Suffer: The Biblical Bottom Line

The caller, Heather, describes her father—a man burned over 60% of his body at age nine, who became a firefighter, and now battles prostate cancer—who believes God has abandoned him. Nate doesn’t offer platitudes. He points directly to Scripture: suffering is part of living in a fallen world, and even Christ Himself was “beaten within an inch of his life and then crucified”. The apostles were martyred, first-century Christians were fed to lions, and Elijah asked God to take his life in 1 Kings 19. The answer to “why do good people suffer” isn’t a formula—it’s a Person. God entered suffering through the Incarnation, and the martyrs prove that faith endures through the worst possible pain. For those struggling to share this truth with loved ones, the principle of sharing with grace rather than force is essential—see our resource on graceful disagreement. The martyrs understood what Heather’s father needs to hear: God knows exactly what it’s like to be betrayed, beaten, and left in agony.

The Preacher Who Said Non-Tithers Are as Bad as “Degenerate Perverts”

The episode opens with Nate reacting to a viral clip from a “tough man for God” program. The pastor claimed that if you don’t tithe, God looks at you the same way He looks at practicing homosexuals. Nate’s response? “That’s just wrong.” He breaks down the Old Testament tithe (actually 21-23% for Israelites under the Mosaic Law, not a flat 10%), explains that Gentiles were never under that law, and points to the New Testament model of radical generosity—the early church sold everything and shared as each had need. “Church is free. Salvation costs nothing,” Nate says. But that doesn’t mean Christians should be stingy. The point isn’t a mandated percentage—it’s meeting needs. As Nate puts it, don’t buy the pastor a new jet, but help Betty May with her electric bill.