- Here's "the problem of evil" as a skeptic might put it: If God is truly all-powerful and all-good, then why does evil exist in the world? Why would God allow evil--and the pain it causes--to continue, when he has both the power and the desire to curtail it completely? In other words, does the pain and suffering of this world really match what we would expect to find if the Christian view of God were true?
- The Bible offers a number of answers to such questions, none of which might seem completely satisfying on their own, but when taken together they offer a comprehensive and hope-filled explanation of why Christians believe as they do, even in the face of great evil and suffering. To start with, the Bible offers an important opening qualification: namely, that we need to keep our own intellectual finitude in mind. This is one of the themes of the book of Job, which deals with the question of suffering. There are some things which we simply cannot fully know, partly because of our inherent limitations as finite creatures who are trying to understand the will of an infinite God, and partly because God in his wisdom has chosen not to disclose all the answers in full. Intellectual humility is always an important virtue, but perhaps nowhere more important than in questions of this kind. Beyond that initial qualification, however, the Bible offers at least four big answers to the problems of evil and pain:
1.) The Free Will Defense - God allows evil in the world because he is aiming toward a greater good. He loves his creatures enough to grant them free will, and this necessarily includes the possibility that we will choose evil rather than good, with all the attendant suffering that comes as the result of our sin. Essentially, the answer here is that God didn't make things this way, with all its pain and heartbreak--we did that through our own sin (see Rom. 1:28-32). God could have created a world without the possibility of suffering, but this would have resulted in little more than a race of automatons, not conscious beings capable of choosing for themselves.
2.) The Virtue Defense - God allows evil in the world because people can grow in virtue as a result of persevering through its effects. Certain virtues--patience, perseverance, mercy, etc.--are only possible in a world where evil exists. It would be impossible to fully develop those virtues in the absence of suffering (see Rom. 5:3-5). Thus, in order to grow his followers into a certain kind of person, God allows evil and is able to turn its effects toward good ends.
3.) Jesus - Up to this point, the arguments against the problem of evil might have seemed a little heartless, essentially saying that God allows evil because he wants to produce a certain kind of result. When we come to Jesus, however, the picture changes. In the cross of Christ, we see a God who cares about our suffering to such an extent that he has entered into it, taken it upon himself in a way that staggers our ability to comprehend. God is not impervious to our suffering; he has willingly stepped into the very center of our suffering so that we might experience all the depths of his love. Jesus is God's ultimate answer to our suffering and sin, and he represents an answer of boundless compassion and grace (see Rom. 5:6-8).
4.) Eschatology - The fourth and final answer is that we don't yet see the full picture. The story isn't over yet. You can't really judge a movie without having seen it to the end. What the Bible tells us is that there is more to come--wondrously more--and that, in the final light, all the questions of sin and pain and suffering will be answered to the fullest degree. The ending of the story will be one in which the nations will be healed, tears will be wiped away, and all our troubles here will seem like nothing in comparison with the glory that has been revealed. This answer isn't always a satisfying one when you're in the midst of tremendous pain--essentially saying, "We just don't know yet"--but that doesn't make it any less true, nor any less necessary when considering the question of the problem of evil.
- Finally, it's worth pointing out that one also has to consider the alternative. If the pain and evil of the world does not find its context in the truth of God, then what else are we left with? A universe where, at the deepest level, nothing matters, suffering is meaningless, and the anguish of this world cannot ever be healed or redeemed. If beauty is a mark of truth, as great thinkers through the ages have often held, then consider which worldview is able to answer the problem of evil in a more compellingly beautiful way. The answer is clear: Christianity holds up a vision of beauty, hope, and healing in answer to our pain; atheism does not, and it cannot.