People often ask; “If God is so loving, why does he allow all the pain & suffering that we see in the world?” This is a question that many struggle with. It has caused many to reject God outright, and others who initially accepted Christianity to eventually lose their faith. Please consider the following five answers to the problem of evil:
Free will comes with some negative side effects. God gives us all the freedom to choose to do what we want to do. Some (many!) people make bad choices. These bad choices often harm those who are innocent. This harm is not God’s fault, but rather it is the result of those who freely choose to disobey God. If more people would OBEY God, tremendous amounts of suffering would be drastically reduced. Proverbs 16:25
We live in a broken and dysfunctional world. One of the biggest disappointments in life is learning that life simply isn’t “fair”. Thinking that it should be is simply unrealistic. You might as well call gravity “unfair” after you have accidentally fallen and broken your wrist. Would that be a reasonable response? You would not be thinking rationally if you expected that gravity would somehow suddenly cease to exist if it should result in discomfort for you. In much the same way you need to understand that the reality of life is that you live in a world that is full of sin. You are not thinking rationally if you think you can live in such a broken world and never suffer any negative effects. John 16:33
Suffering isn’t always bad, it can make us into better people. Suffering is never fun when you are going through it, but some of the most important lessons we learn in life come from enduring hardship and triumphing over it. Likewise helping those who are suffering can bring out the best in us. God can use suffering to help us become better people. God cares more about helping us become better people for all eternity than He does about short term comfort in this life only. Hebrews 12:11
Understanding eternity can help us deal effectively with evil. The biblical perspective emphasizes the need to focus more on the life to come; eternal life. Skeptics often see this perspective as a weakness, but it is actually a great strength. If you knew in advance that you were going to live forever, wouldn’t that help you deal with pain and suffering in this temporal life more effectively? Much of the problem people have with evil is that they have no way of overcoming its negative effect. The hope of a pain free and happy eternal life is a powerful mechanism for overcoming the problem of evil. Romans 8:18
Jesus is God’s SOLUTION to the problem of sin & suffering! People are mistaken when they think that the presence of evil demonstrates that God is mean and unloving, or simply powerless to do anything to help us. God is not just sitting up in heaven and doing nothing about the problem of evil and suffering. He sent His son into the world to walk among us and to experience humanity the same exact way we do. More importantly Jesus also suffered and died for us. He was raised from the dead and continues to live for us. Jesus life, death and resurrection are positive proofs that God does care about us and has provided us a means to overcome evil and suffering. John 3:16