Why do innocent people die because of other people's decisions?
In short: Because human beings do not live in isolation. Sin has real effects on others. This does not mean the victim is guilty, but that the fallen world is deeply bound together in suffering. Christ enters precisely this injustice and conquers it from within.
The Orthodox nuance
We would like a world in which each sin immediately falls only on the one who committed it. But reality does not work that way. A violent father wounds his children. A mad ruler starts a war. A drunk driver kills an innocent person. The Bible does not hide this tragic solidarity.
Yet Scripture makes an essential distinction: suffering the consequences of another person's sin does not mean being guilty of that sin. The prophet Ezekiel rejects the idea that the son bears the father's moral guilt. God does not confuse the victim with the guilty one.
The Cross is the deepest answer. Christ is the absolutely Innocent One who suffers because of the sins of others. But He does not remain a victim: through His death and Resurrection, He transforms injustice into a place of salvation. This does not explain every wound, but it shows that God is not absent from it.
Sources
- Ezekiel 18:20
- John 9:1-3
- Romans 5:12
- 1 Peter 2:22-24