So many people say that because there is so much evil and suffering in the world today they can’t believe there is a God. Many people, myself included, when I was an atheist, believed that if God exists he is all-powerful (omnipotent), all knowing (omniscient), and all good (omnibenevolent). Well, if God is all-powerful he certainly could prevent evil from happening but he obviously doesn’t since so much evil in the world exists – and on the surface that didn’t sit well with me. And if God is all knowing then clearly he knows in advance that evil and suffering are going to happen and yet he allows it – and this again didn’t sit well with me. Finally, if God is all good then how could a good God allow six million Jews to die in the Holocaust?
But I think that the ultimate evil – death – was my biggest stumbling block to believing there is a God. If we are born to only die soon thereafter, and be no more, then life seems so utterly insignificant. In my journey to faith in Jesus I looked at life as a cruel joke. To me I believed that we came from nothing and when we die we go back to nothing and somehow we have to cram all the meaning we can find in between these two states of nothingness!
But Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was God’s ultimate antidote to our death because his death gave us life now and life everlasting. But the disciples had to see his coming back to life from the dead with their own eyes in order to make Christianity truly real to them. The empty tomb was not enough – they needed to physically see him to seal the deal. Sometimes we need to see things with our own eyes to believe and the disciples needed that too. At the time of the crucifixion the disciples couldn’t see how anything good could come about – but it did!
We need to view the cross as the ultimate example of how God can use current suffering for a future good. At the cross God shows us how the very worst thing in history resulted in the very best thing in history. And we can use this to encourage ourselves that no matter how bad a trial we are going through God will work it out for good. Jesus’ death and resurrection coupled with the empty tomb and his post Calvary appearances provided the clear impetus for the explosive growth of Christianity. The empty tomb and his appearing alive to the disciples changed them forever; and these men helped turn the world upside down.
The problem of evil is not just a philosophical question but is a personal question, too. This is not just a matter for atheists who use this question to challenge the existence of God but Christians also wrestle with their own pain, persecution, and loss. Why do the righteous suffer?
Long before us, we hear King David struggling with this question in the Psalms. Consider the first word of Jesus’ agonizing question to His Father while on the cross, “Why!” “Why hast Thou forsaken me?” Given His example, we don’t need to feel guilty when we ask the same question.
Evil is real and it’s ugly. We rightly condemn evil but how does the atheist condemn evil unless he appeals to a standard of moral absolutes, which is solely the Christian worldview? The atheist reasons that If God is all good and powerful, why does He allow evil?
The Christian worldview adds one more proposition to this logic when we say that the Bible teaches us God is good and all-powerful and He has a good reason for everything He does.
However, the problem of evil is not settled with logic. The question of evil is very personal. When the atheist questions us about evil he is showing us his lack of faith in the God who asks, “Will you trust my promises and my word, or do I have to prove everything to you?” “Will you be God or will I be God?”
Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us that the secret things belong to the Lord. Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Although He hasn’t given us the reason for the suffering and injustice of this world, we believe they are part of His plan for history and our individual lives.
The unbeliever finds this answer intolerable because he refuses to trust God. “Unless I’m given the reason, I won’t believe in Him” they proclaim. Man wants to be the Judge, putting God on trial. This is exactly what happened in the Garden of Eden. Satan prompted Eve to question what God said and to desire to define good and evil for herself. In other words, to be like God.
The Bible says that the entire human race is guilty of breaking the laws of God, laws that they know through conscience and creation; therefore, God is not going to send anyone to hell for not hearing the Gospel. They are sent to hell for violating God’s law, which they know in their heart of hearts.
There is no problem with evil, there is a problem of faith and trust in the God who promises to His children that all things work together for good to those who love Him.
Praise God!!!