“The same God who wounds you is the same God who heals you.”

You’ve probably heard it preached, sung in a worship song, or slipped into a well-meaning sermon. But have you ever stopped to question it?

If someone told you, “My spouse beats me, but they also provide for me—it’s just their way of showing love,” you would be deeply concerned. During my time in youth and social work, we knew this as Trauma Bonding.

And yet, many Christians believe and fiercely defend this exact view of God.

It's tragic when a Christian thinks God creates, partners with, or allows evil—but even more tragic when they seek to make it their truth and then fiercely defend it.

You'll never see Jesus defend, befriend, or send evil—He came to end it.

I think we sometimes mistake God redeeming evil for God needing evil to fulfill His purposes. But those aren’t the same. He’s just so good at bringing beauty from ashes that we assume the ashes were necessary.

The Battle Between Good and Evil—Or Is It?

Jesus made it clear:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

It’s a simple contrast. The enemy destroys. Jesus gives life. No overlap. No confusion.

Yet, somewhere along the way, we started assigning the works of the enemy to God Himself.

• When a disaster strikes, we call it “God’s judgment.”

• When sickness lingers, we say, “God must be teaching me something.”

• When life falls apart, we whisper, “God gives and takes away.”

But what if He’s not the one taking?

Why Do Christians Believe God is Both Good and Evil?

How did so many Christians come to believe that the same God who heals also wounds? That the loving Father who gives life also orchestrates suffering and destruction?

The answer is both deeply engrained theology and personal experience.

1. Misinterpreted Scriptures

Many Christians build their beliefs on verses taken out of context.

Job said, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away” (Job 1:21), but later, Job himself admitted he spoke “of things I did not understand” (Job 42:3). God never took anything—Satan did.

In the Old Testament, before Jesus revealed the Father’s true nature, people often credited both good and bad to God, not realizing there was an enemy at work.

But Jesus came to correct the record:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Jesus drew a clear line—Satan brings destruction, God brings life.

2. A Theology of Suffering

Many believe that suffering is a sign of holiness, that pain is God’s tool for shaping them. While suffering can produce growth, that doesn’t mean God authors it.

A child who falls and scrapes their knee may learn resilience, but no loving parent would push their child down to teach them a lesson.

God refines us through truth, not torment. He disciplines as a loving Father—through correction, not calamity. (Hebrews 12:6-11)

3. Human Experience and Pain

People naturally try to make sense of their suffering. When tragedy strikes, it’s easier to say, “God must have a reason for this,” than to wrestle with the reality of a spiritual enemy, free will, or a broken world.

Instead of seeking God’s true heart, many settle for comfort in clichés:

• "God is in control."
• "Everything happens for a reason."
• "God is testing me."

But what if God isn’t the one behind the hardship? What if He is the rescuer, not the robber?

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

4. Fear of Questioning Authority

For centuries, church tradition has taught that God’s ways are unknowable. People are often told to just accept hardship as His will, without questioning it. But Jesus never told people to blindly accept suffering—He healed, restored, and rebuked storms.

“Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

If Jesus never inflicted pain to teach lessons, then why do we believe God does?

Why Do Christians Defend This View?

Many hold onto this belief for deep, emotional reasons:

1. Survival Mechanism (Cognitive Dissonance)

If someone has been taught their whole life that everything—good and bad—comes directly from God, questioning that belief feels like questioning God Himself. Rather than facing the discomfort of reevaluating their faith, they defend their existing view to maintain psychological safety.

2. Ego Investment

If someone has built their entire faith around enduring suffering "for God's glory," admitting they were wrong could feel like their whole foundation is crumbling. It's almost like the belief is part of their identity, so it's very hard to see, question, and disconnect from. So defending it fiercely is the default reaction—it protects their identity and past sacrifices.

But our identity was never meant to be in our theology, but in Christ alone. So when theology is challenged, we are not shaken.

3. The All-Controlling View of God

Some theological traditions (especially extreme Calvinism or reformed determinism) teach that everything is ordained by God, including suffering, abuse, and even sin. If they were to believe God doesn’t control everything that happens, they might feel like they’re serving a “less powerful” God.

Believing that everything is God’s doing—even the pain—gives people a false sense of security. It’s easier to say, “God must have a reason,” than to accept that we live in a broken world where bad things happen.

God is not the author of chaos, but the Redeemer of it.

4. Martyrdom Mindset & Victim Identity

Some people subconsciously find identity in suffering. If they believe God is behind their pain, it can make them feel special or chosen. Letting go of that belief means letting go of the comfort that comes from seeing suffering as proof of their faithfulness.

5. Lack of Understanding of New Covenant Reality

Many Christians don’t fully grasp the shift from the Old Covenant (where suffering was often seen as a consequence of sin) to the New Covenant in Christ (where Jesus reveals God as the Healer and Restorer). Instead, they mix the two, leading to confusion about God's true nature.

The Consequences of Believing God is Both Good and Evil

1. It Creates a Love-Hate Relationship with God

If you believe God is both your abuser and your healer, you will never fully trust Him. How could you? A child who fears their father’s unpredictable wrath may obey him, but they will never rest in his love.

“A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8)

Many Christians live in spiritual whiplash—one moment praising God, the next bracing for His wrath, or depressed about not being good enough or doing enough.

2. It Opens the Door to Spiritual Apathy

Why pray for healing if God might have given you the sickness?
Why resist the enemy if God is the one orchestrating your suffering?
Why expect good if you believe He might be setting you up for another test?

This kind of thinking leads to passivity, where people accept hardship as God’s will instead of standing in faith for His goodness.

3. It Warps Your Identity as a Child of God

A child raised in an abusive home often grows up believing they deserve mistreatment. Likewise, Christians who see God as both punisher and redeemer often live with an unspoken sense of unworthiness.

Instead of walking in sonship, they live like orphans—constantly trying to prove their devotion through suffering.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? … How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11)

If Jesus says this about earthly fathers, why do we assume God is any different?

4. It Destroys the Message of the Gospel

The gospel is the good news that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), not partner with them.

If we believe God is behind our pain, how can we confidently proclaim Him as our rescuer? If He is both the problem and the solution, then what exactly did Jesus save us from?

The truth is, God is not playing both sides. He is not divided. He is not confusing.

“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)

5. It Wrongly Blames God for Evil—Woe!

When people believe God is both good and evil, they start attributing Satan’s work to God’s hands.

Instead of resisting darkness, they accept it. Instead of rebuking the storm, they bow to it. Instead of seeing the enemy’s schemes, they call them “God’s mysterious ways.”

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” (Isaiah 5:20)

Blaming God for what the devil does is not just bad theology—it’s spiritual treason. It keeps people bound in suffering, thinking they are honoring God when they are actually misrepresenting Him.

Jesus rebuked storms, healed the sick, and cast out demons. He never said, “This suffering is from My Father—accept it.”

If God were the author of evil, then Jesus spent His entire ministry working against His own Father.

But He didn’t. Because God is not the author of evil—He is the destroyer of it.

The True Heart of God

So, what does God really say about Himself?

• “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

• “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

• “The Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” (Luke 9:56)

If something is killing, stealing, or destroying—it’s not from God.

Period.

A New Way to See God

Imagine a father watching his child struggle to ride a bike. The child falls, scrapes their knee, and cries. The father runs to them, lifts them up, and comforts them.

Would you ever accuse that father of pushing the child down just so he could pick them up?

And yet, that’s exactly how many view God.

Jesus didn’t come to make life harder. He came to reveal a Father who rescues, restores, and redeems.

God is not your abuser. He is your healer.

It’s time to let go of toxic theology and embrace the fullness of His goodness.