originally published Jan 20, 2019
I’ve been doing some research this week into apologetic studies, and it has brought to my mind again the philosophical argument against the existence of God called “the problem of evil and suffering.” A very simple form of the argument might go something like this, “A good God would not create a world with so much evil and suffering, but there is evil and suffering in this world, so God does not exist, or at least a good God does not exist.”
My main purpose in this brief article is not to offer a full response to that philosophical argument. To begin with we must acknowledge that there is real pain due to real suffering right here among us, and when we are hurting so deeply, we don’t need philosophical arguments, we need what Jesus offers. However, before I dive into the real meat of this article, I do want to give a few brief ways to respond to the philosophical side of the problem of evil and suffering. First, it is fairly presumptive for any of us admittedly finite human beings to suppose we could accurately predict what an infinitely powerful and knowledgeable God would do. Secondly, and related to that first point, this argument fails to grant the obvious possibility that there could be reasons for suffering that none of us are aware of at this moment. Finally, this argument fails to take into account the fact that the God revealed to us in Jesus is a God who entered into this suffering with us. If you want to philosophically dive into this topic in more depth, I would recommend The Reason for God by Timothy Keller or The Question of God by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr.
But what I really want to do in this article is help us think beyond the philosophical side of this issue. Every human knows that this is not simply a philosophical idea to be argued, rather evil and suffering is a real problem that every single one of us will eventually be forced to deal with. Whether a person believes in God or not, evil and suffering is real and he or she must learn to navigate this reality.
This is where our understanding of who God is revealed to be in Jesus really shines. Jesus provides the resources necessary to navigate this problem with hope and a peace beyond understanding. Other possible ways offered by other worldviews of dealing with evil and suffering are to deny that it is real or to simply learn to accept that there is no meaning beyond it. I believe that the worldview we receive from Jesus is much better suited to help us live with hope and peace in a world with real evil and suffering. Our God entered our suffering by suffering for and with us when He sent His Son to this broken planet. And even now, Jesus tells us that He is present with us by His Spirit that indwells us, and that Spirit is our comforter. Our common experience of faith has taught us that when we pray, we feel a peace that is beyond understanding. And, Jesus shows us that God is creating His character in us through our suffering, and in this way, all things work together for our good. All these things (and more) give us reason for hope even in the middle of our suffering.
Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This is a holiday when we celebrate and remember a man who guided a response to oppressive evil, and it was a response that was grounded in the teachings of Jesus. Aren’t you thankful that the movement he started was one founded on this principle, “Nonviolence is absolute commitment to the way of love”? Dr. King was on the front lines of dealing with real evil. He had other options open to him, but had he chosen those options to build a response to evil, where would we be? You see the problem of evil and suffering is one that affects not only our subjective experience of this life, rather it an active force that is seeking to destroy and must be battled appropriately. The world says to fight this kind of violent evil with violence. I for one am happy and thankful that Dr. King chose the way of Jesus to deal with His enemies. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend,” he said obviously drawing on the life and teachings of Jesus. His example inspires each of us to choose the way of love as the most appropriate response to evil in this world.
The problem of evil and suffering is a difficult philosophical problem to be sure, but it is an even more difficult problem in the real experience of our lives both through undeserved suffering and the evil inflicted by oppressors. But our faith in Jesus does much to help us navigate all branches of this painful path and gives us reason for hope while we are still walking this reality.