The following post is adapted from a handout I designed on "The Problem of Evil" in Oct. 2002. Please forgive the rather colloquial style that remains in the writing. A large variety of sources were used as I developed my thinking for this lesson, and I would be glad to point interested persons to appropriate books and articles upon request.
The Big Question
Suppose you're at school or work and one of your non-Christian friends is talking with you about Sept. 11. What if he or she brings up the question, "If God is good, then how could something like Sept. 11 ever happen? It seems that if God is there at all, it just isn't possible that He's all-good and all-powerful. Because if He is all-good, He doesn't want evil to ever occur. And if He is all-powerful, then He could prevent evil from occurring if He wanted to. But there is evil! So what gives?"
What do you say? Observe how the non-Christian's thought is working: There is no problem if God is a weak god - because then perhaps he cannot prevent whatever humans choose to do. And if he's not a good God, then maybe he really doesn't mind evil going on after all. But the Bible is clear that God is both completely good and all-powerful. So how can there be evil?!
This is a famous intellectual issue - but it is also a deeply personal issue. How we answer this question has serious consequences for how we think and feel about God and His world, and especially how we act when evil confronts us face-to-face in our lives.
Given that God is all-powerful, surely He could have created a world that never has any evil in it, right? Yes. Even though humans are the source of evil and evil comes from our actions, this does not solve the problem. God certainly could prevent humans from sinning if He so desires. If He's God, then no one forced him to "allow" anything to happen that He didn't want to happen. The whole world from start to finish is orchestrated by His plan, and that must mean that even evil is somehow in His plan. But if He is good, how can evil - the opposite of good - be in His plan?! I take it the tension of this question is plain.
To the Bible
The Bible speaks to this issue in several places, most notably in Job.
In the beginning of the book, Satan wrongly accuses Job of serving God only for material blessings. God gives Satan permission to cause all sorts of evils to occur to Job and His family, knowing that while Job would say things for which he must later repent, he would remain faithful to God through it all. After Satan attacks Job's land, health, and family, Job starts to think that he is suffering unjustly, and demands an interview with God. God does grant the interview, but not exactly in the manner Job expected. Job 38:1-5:
Notice the switch of who is asking the questions. Job thought he had the right to scrutinize whether or not God is in the right - God puts things in proper perspective: He is the Holy One, and Job is who will be measured against His perfection. God is the one with all knowledge and wisdom; Job's thinking will be tested by the standard of God's mind.
Also, Job is ignorant of exactly how God's mighty hand caused the existence of this world - so who is he to accuse God of causing unjust suffering in his life? Does Job really know that God as no good reason for his suffering? Certainly not. He does not know exactly how God created the world - bringing something from nothing (have you ever contemplated how God created something from nothing?!), and neither does he know exactly how God can use evil righteously.
Now, Job realizes that he can still trust that God created the world, of course - though He doesn't know exactly how God did it. Likewise, in the end, Job will realize that he must trust that God uses sin sinlessly - though, again, he will admit that he cannot understand exactly how that is.
Now to Job chapter 42:1-3. After two rounds of questioning where God lays Job's ignorance out on the table, we read on:
Job confesses that he does not understand how God is so wise, but he trusts that He is - just as He trusts that God created all things, even though he doesn't know exactly how He did it.
Mystery Means Admitting Absurdity?
Neither the book of Job nor any other place in Scripture ever fully answers the question as to why God ordains evil to be in the world - in the end, we are left in mystery. Then the question arises: what's the difference between believing the "mysterious" and believing the irrational (the absurd)?
Without going into too much detail, I might say that believing something is mysterious is not believing something irrational or against reason; it is merely admitting that God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and though all things ultimately are perfectly known by God, we do not know things fully as God does. We do not know anything as fully as God does! Is that really so surprising to us?
Now recall my original question. Suppose the non-Christian claims, "I can't believe in the Christian God because of all the evil in the world. A good God wouldn't let that happen. Think of Hitler's mass murders. Think of all those dying of starvation in third-world countries. Think of the terrorism of September the 11."
Before you answer the non-Christian, think about this: What would it take to for someone, this non-Christian for example, to know that God doesn't have a good reason for ordaining evil to go on in His world? To get to the point: Whose mind would they have had to search? Indeed - the mind of God.
Proving a negative is notoriously hard to do in any case. Could you prove that no purple-striped llamas exist? Well, unless you could simultaneously search every part of the universe at once, you couldn't absolutely prove that there are no purple-striped llamas. Maybe the purple-striped llama is a fast-moving beast and able to elude you if you search the universe section by section. So unless someone can search every nook and cranny of the eternal mind of God, they are not going to be proving a negative there either.
But still, someone could say that purple-striped llamas aren't likely to exist, right? It sure doesn't seem to me that there is any good reason to go out and believe that they do exist. Likewise, what if the non-Christian says, "Okay, I can't search God's mind, but it at least looks pretty likely that God's mysterious reason for evil is just a cop-out. No, I can't search His mind, so I don't know for sure. But why on earth should I go out on a shaky limb and trust Him about this when He refuses to tell me the good reason He supposedly has?"
Partial Answers
Even the Bible does not reveal the exhaustive depths of God's mind (after all, how could it? It would have to be a book with an infinite number of pages!), but the Bible does give us partial answers to this question about evil - and these may be encouraging!
Particularly note the final reason below. I think you'll agree that there is an answer to this non-Christian's objection that will show that going out on a limb and trusting God, even in the face of all types of evil and suffering, is actually the only sensible thing to do.
God takes wrong actions and then uses them for good (Rom 8:28). We don't always see how God brings good out of evil, though. At times, God uses evil to teach us patience and perseverance (James 1:1-3). He also redirects our attention to what is most important. And it is for our benefit when God disciplines his children (as a loving father does) when we are forgetful of Him. When we suffer, it enables us to comfort others (2 Cor. 1:3-7). Additionally, God uses evil to alert us so that we will not sin in the future. No doubt there are many other partial reasons as well. But I want to get to the final reason and highest argument.
What do you think is the best example of God bringing good out of evil?
Well, what is the most evil event in the history of the world?
Nazi Germany was deeply sinful. To be sure, Sept. 11 was evil. We could think of many other examples of really evil stuff, and no right-thinking person would claim that these events are less than abhorrent. But none of these are properly called the most evil event in history.
Think around 2000 years ago. A completely sinless and righteous man was betrayed and crucified. He had lived a perfect life - every second of it. Can you imagine loving God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your strength for every second of your entire life? Well, maybe you can imagine it. But, being born a sinner, you certainly cannot do it! Christ is the only person who ever truly deserved to live - and instead he was mocked, beaten, and killed as a criminal.
Now, what event is the greatest good of all history?
That God did not spare His own Son, but sent Him to bear the punishment for our sins (1 John 4:9-10). God is good to us when there is nothing in our hearts that wishes to serve Him, only desire to serve ourselves and our own idols. We 100% did not deserve this goodness, and that is part of what makes it so amazing.
Note the coincidence here: The greatest evil and the greatest good are one and the same.
Have you ever imagined how the followers of Christ felt as He was being crucified on the cross? Do you really think that "God is bringing the ultimate good out of this event!" was at the front of their minds? Not only was this event the most evil in history, but one can also see how it is an outstanding example of an evil event which seems from a human perspective to be inevitably for the worse, not for an ultimate good. But it was ultimately for good. Glory of glories, three days later the stone was rolled away from the tomb.
The Conclusion of the Matter
If God is able to bring this good - everlasting life - out of the greatest evil in the world, even when it did not seem possible for those watching Christ's crucifixion to fathom how this was "good", then how much more is our God able to bring good out of the evils we are troubled with in our daily lives. Perhaps some of you are experiencing pretty intense evils in your lives. I know I don't need to tell you what evil is; I'm guessing you are already painfully aware. Evil is real and evil is piercing, no matter what else may be true. But know that it is in God's hands, and He is a God with a great and loving plan, and He is working for all things for good.
Going back to our non-Christian's original question concerning Sept. 11: Seeing that the most abominable evil is orchestrated for the most wonderful good - then is it likely you can trust that God is able to bring good out of this particular evil? Likely?! There's no doubt about it. Think on the cross as the highest example. God will bring good out of evil!
Respond with your critiques/thoughts/suggestions/questions, if you like.
The Big Question
Suppose you're at school or work and one of your non-Christian friends is talking with you about Sept. 11. What if he or she brings up the question, "If God is good, then how could something like Sept. 11 ever happen? It seems that if God is there at all, it just isn't possible that He's all-good and all-powerful. Because if He is all-good, He doesn't want evil to ever occur. And if He is all-powerful, then He could prevent evil from occurring if He wanted to. But there is evil! So what gives?"
What do you say? Observe how the non-Christian's thought is working: There is no problem if God is a weak god - because then perhaps he cannot prevent whatever humans choose to do. And if he's not a good God, then maybe he really doesn't mind evil going on after all. But the Bible is clear that God is both completely good and all-powerful. So how can there be evil?!
This is a famous intellectual issue - but it is also a deeply personal issue. How we answer this question has serious consequences for how we think and feel about God and His world, and especially how we act when evil confronts us face-to-face in our lives.
Given that God is all-powerful, surely He could have created a world that never has any evil in it, right? Yes. Even though humans are the source of evil and evil comes from our actions, this does not solve the problem. God certainly could prevent humans from sinning if He so desires. If He's God, then no one forced him to "allow" anything to happen that He didn't want to happen. The whole world from start to finish is orchestrated by His plan, and that must mean that even evil is somehow in His plan. But if He is good, how can evil - the opposite of good - be in His plan?! I take it the tension of this question is plain.
To the Bible
The Bible speaks to this issue in several places, most notably in Job.
In the beginning of the book, Satan wrongly accuses Job of serving God only for material blessings. God gives Satan permission to cause all sorts of evils to occur to Job and His family, knowing that while Job would say things for which he must later repent, he would remain faithful to God through it all. After Satan attacks Job's land, health, and family, Job starts to think that he is suffering unjustly, and demands an interview with God. God does grant the interview, but not exactly in the manner Job expected. Job 38:1-5:
Notice the switch of who is asking the questions. Job thought he had the right to scrutinize whether or not God is in the right - God puts things in proper perspective: He is the Holy One, and Job is who will be measured against His perfection. God is the one with all knowledge and wisdom; Job's thinking will be tested by the standard of God's mind.
Also, Job is ignorant of exactly how God's mighty hand caused the existence of this world - so who is he to accuse God of causing unjust suffering in his life? Does Job really know that God as no good reason for his suffering? Certainly not. He does not know exactly how God created the world - bringing something from nothing (have you ever contemplated how God created something from nothing?!), and neither does he know exactly how God can use evil righteously.
Now, Job realizes that he can still trust that God created the world, of course - though He doesn't know exactly how God did it. Likewise, in the end, Job will realize that he must trust that God uses sin sinlessly - though, again, he will admit that he cannot understand exactly how that is.
Now to Job chapter 42:1-3. After two rounds of questioning where God lays Job's ignorance out on the table, we read on:
Job confesses that he does not understand how God is so wise, but he trusts that He is - just as He trusts that God created all things, even though he doesn't know exactly how He did it.
Mystery Means Admitting Absurdity?
Neither the book of Job nor any other place in Scripture ever fully answers the question as to why God ordains evil to be in the world - in the end, we are left in mystery. Then the question arises: what's the difference between believing the "mysterious" and believing the irrational (the absurd)?
Without going into too much detail, I might say that believing something is mysterious is not believing something irrational or against reason; it is merely admitting that God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and though all things ultimately are perfectly known by God, we do not know things fully as God does. We do not know anything as fully as God does! Is that really so surprising to us?
Now recall my original question. Suppose the non-Christian claims, "I can't believe in the Christian God because of all the evil in the world. A good God wouldn't let that happen. Think of Hitler's mass murders. Think of all those dying of starvation in third-world countries. Think of the terrorism of September the 11."
Before you answer the non-Christian, think about this: What would it take to for someone, this non-Christian for example, to know that God doesn't have a good reason for ordaining evil to go on in His world? To get to the point: Whose mind would they have had to search? Indeed - the mind of God.
Proving a negative is notoriously hard to do in any case. Could you prove that no purple-striped llamas exist? Well, unless you could simultaneously search every part of the universe at once, you couldn't absolutely prove that there are no purple-striped llamas. Maybe the purple-striped llama is a fast-moving beast and able to elude you if you search the universe section by section. So unless someone can search every nook and cranny of the eternal mind of God, they are not going to be proving a negative there either.
But still, someone could say that purple-striped llamas aren't likely to exist, right? It sure doesn't seem to me that there is any good reason to go out and believe that they do exist. Likewise, what if the non-Christian says, "Okay, I can't search God's mind, but it at least looks pretty likely that God's mysterious reason for evil is just a cop-out. No, I can't search His mind, so I don't know for sure. But why on earth should I go out on a shaky limb and trust Him about this when He refuses to tell me the good reason He supposedly has?"
Partial Answers
Even the Bible does not reveal the exhaustive depths of God's mind (after all, how could it? It would have to be a book with an infinite number of pages!), but the Bible does give us partial answers to this question about evil - and these may be encouraging!
Particularly note the final reason below. I think you'll agree that there is an answer to this non-Christian's objection that will show that going out on a limb and trusting God, even in the face of all types of evil and suffering, is actually the only sensible thing to do.
God takes wrong actions and then uses them for good (Rom 8:28). We don't always see how God brings good out of evil, though. At times, God uses evil to teach us patience and perseverance (James 1:1-3). He also redirects our attention to what is most important. And it is for our benefit when God disciplines his children (as a loving father does) when we are forgetful of Him. When we suffer, it enables us to comfort others (2 Cor. 1:3-7). Additionally, God uses evil to alert us so that we will not sin in the future. No doubt there are many other partial reasons as well. But I want to get to the final reason and highest argument.
What do you think is the best example of God bringing good out of evil?
Well, what is the most evil event in the history of the world?
Nazi Germany was deeply sinful. To be sure, Sept. 11 was evil. We could think of many other examples of really evil stuff, and no right-thinking person would claim that these events are less than abhorrent. But none of these are properly called the most evil event in history.
Think around 2000 years ago. A completely sinless and righteous man was betrayed and crucified. He had lived a perfect life - every second of it. Can you imagine loving God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your strength for every second of your entire life? Well, maybe you can imagine it. But, being born a sinner, you certainly cannot do it! Christ is the only person who ever truly deserved to live - and instead he was mocked, beaten, and killed as a criminal.
Now, what event is the greatest good of all history?
That God did not spare His own Son, but sent Him to bear the punishment for our sins (1 John 4:9-10). God is good to us when there is nothing in our hearts that wishes to serve Him, only desire to serve ourselves and our own idols. We 100% did not deserve this goodness, and that is part of what makes it so amazing.
Note the coincidence here: The greatest evil and the greatest good are one and the same.
Have you ever imagined how the followers of Christ felt as He was being crucified on the cross? Do you really think that "God is bringing the ultimate good out of this event!" was at the front of their minds? Not only was this event the most evil in history, but one can also see how it is an outstanding example of an evil event which seems from a human perspective to be inevitably for the worse, not for an ultimate good. But it was ultimately for good. Glory of glories, three days later the stone was rolled away from the tomb.
The Conclusion of the Matter
If God is able to bring this good - everlasting life - out of the greatest evil in the world, even when it did not seem possible for those watching Christ's crucifixion to fathom how this was "good", then how much more is our God able to bring good out of the evils we are troubled with in our daily lives. Perhaps some of you are experiencing pretty intense evils in your lives. I know I don't need to tell you what evil is; I'm guessing you are already painfully aware. Evil is real and evil is piercing, no matter what else may be true. But know that it is in God's hands, and He is a God with a great and loving plan, and He is working for all things for good.
Going back to our non-Christian's original question concerning Sept. 11: Seeing that the most abominable evil is orchestrated for the most wonderful good - then is it likely you can trust that God is able to bring good out of this particular evil? Likely?! There's no doubt about it. Think on the cross as the highest example. God will bring good out of evil!
Respond with your critiques/thoughts/suggestions/questions, if you like.
