In the past couple of weeks the world has witness unharnessed evil. Children, elderly men and women, and innocent people have died during the war Russia unleashed on the country of Ukraine. A humanitarian crisis like Europe has not seen since WWII is currently unfolding. Some personal acquaintances and friends of mine have been directly affected by current events.
People in the Ukraine and in Europe are experiencing severe trauma. So, where is God in all of this? In times of war humans wonder why God seems indifferent to their pain and suffering. Is God not all powerful? Is he not omniscient and altogether benevolent? If he is in control of the whole universe and the affairs of man, why is he not doing anything to stop evil from spreading? Theologians call this conundrum “The Problem of Evil.”
Dr. Greg Welty offers a helpful summary of the issue:
The so-called “problem of evil” is an argument against the existence of God that reasons along these lines:
- A perfectly powerful being can prevent any evil.
- A perfectly good being will prevent evil as far as he can.
- God is perfectly powerful and good.
- So, if a perfectly powerful and good God exists, there will be no evil.
- There is evil.
- Therefore, God doesn’t exist.
Indeed, the problem of evil seeks to address an existential issue. Does God really exist? If so, he seems aloof and/or indifferent to mankind if there is no purpose in suffering, some would claim. You see, the underlying assumption is moral in nature. Goodness is a quality of character. Why wouldn’t an eternal and all-encompassing deity like God just do away with all evil?
The Bible, after all, tells us that God “works all things according to the couple of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). This is an absolute statement. Joe Rigney points out, “All things — good, bad, ugly, and horrific — are ordained, guided, and governed by the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.” So how do we reconcile God’s existence and the existence of evil in our world?
Arguments Surrounding the Problem of Evil
I must submit to you that I am not a philosopher. In fact, in all my studies I have never taken one single philosophy course. Therefore, I am not going to pretend I can provide you with anything of substance in this article. I’m simply a pastor trying to make sense of things on earth’s journey. To explore the depths of the Problem of Evil would require a much deeper dive into the issue, which I will not attempt to provide here, and which I will not belabor.
For a good treatment of the issue I recommend you either read Dr. Welty’s article published on TGC, or Hugh J. McCann’s article titled “Divine Providence” published in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
The basic arguments in relation to God’s Sovereignty over evil include:
God’s Sovereignty over Natural Evil – “It is one thing to acknowledge God’s sovereign and purposeful providence over the moral and natural evils mentioned in the Job, Joseph, and Jesus narratives. It is quite another to claim that God is sovereign over all moral and natural evils.” (Weldy)
God’s Sovereignty over Moral Evil – “In addition, and perhaps surprisingly, the Bible presents God as having such meticulous control over the course of human history that a wide range of moral evils – murder, adultery, disobedience to parents, rejecting wise counsel, even human hatred – can be regarded as ‘of the Lord.'” (Weldy)
God’s Sovereignty over All Evil – “So the Job, Joseph, and Jesus passages are not anomalies, but part and parcel of a more general view the Bible takes on the subject, with respect to both natural and moral evil. Indeed, in addition to this large swath of ‘particular’ texts about individual cases of evil, there are quite a few “universal” texts which seem to trace all calamities, all human decision-making, all events whatsoever, back to the will of God.” (Weldy)
Underlying these arguments are two main approaches: 1) the way of theodicy, 2) the way of inscrutability. Welty writes,
“The way of theodicy (from the Greek theos, “God,” and dikaios, “just”; hence, a justification of the ways of God in his dealings with men) seeks to demonstrate God’s reasons for permitting evil … The way of inscrutability argues, more modestly, that no one knows that premise (2) is true because no one can know enough to conclude that God doesn’t have good reason for permitting evil. We just cannot grasp God’s knowledge, the complexity of his plans, or the deep nature of the good he aims at in providence”
THE WAYS OF THEODICY
Some who argue for the way of theodicy have attempted to make sense of things in a couple of different ways. First, free will theodicy argues that moral evil is due to human free will. God gave humans free will, but the problem is that he left open the possibility of moral evil. Therefore, one could argue God allows moral evil, which makes him the author of evil.
Of course the Bible does not condone the idea that God is the author evil. This idea is contrary to his nature and character. However, he did create humans with the potential to chose evil versus good (Genesis 2:16-17). God’s sovereignty, however, is not conditioned upon human freedom. So, he is not the author of evil even though he has given us the ability to make our own choices.
Second, natural law theodicy argues that the laws of nature leave open the possibility of natural evil. The problem is the if events are guided by natural laws, the laws of nature eventually cause events the harm individuals. Natural evil is problematic. Michael Tooley infers, “God’s allowing natural evils is justified because the existence of natural evils is entailed by natural laws, and a world without natural laws would be a much worse world.”
Nature indeed causes human suffering. Every year we hear of mudslides, earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. Natural disasters cause pain, suffering, and death. But this was not part of God’s original design. Romans 8:19 states, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” The time, however, has not yet come when God will make all things right (Revelation 21:1-5). But until then, is he simply allowing evil to go unpunished? Or is there hope evil will one day be done away with?
THE WAY OF INSCRUTABILITY
What is “Inscrutability”? Miriam Webster defines it as, “the quality or state of being impossible to know, understand, or explain.”
In general, we cannot possibly know enough about God’s purposes or how each individual person’s situation is going to bring about. We do know because our finitude. Welty writes, “But how could a critic reasonably claim to know that there is no reason that would justify God in permitting suffering? How could he know that premise of the original argument is true? For why think that God’s reasons for permitting particular cases of evil are the kinds of things that we would discern by our cognitive capacities, if such reasons were there?” In other words, reason alone is not enough for us to conclude why God allows certain evils to happen.
Welty summarizes, “The theme of divine inscrutability is not only exceedingly defensible common sense. It also looms large in the Bible, having both pastoral and apologetic implications. It closes the mouths of Christians who would insensitively offer ‘God’s reasons’ to those who suffer (when they don’t know such reasons). And it closes the mouths of critics who would irrationally preclude divine reasons for the suffering.” Ultimately, faith in God’s sovereignty is required.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that God is for the greater good. The greater good is his plan to redeem mankind and make all things right in their proper time. If God has not spoken, in his Word, concerning the purpose of a particular event, we need to trust his plan, his sovereign will.
The Bible seems to indicate the ways of theodicy and the way of inscrutability are to be combined. Welty summarizes it this way:
- God aims at great goods (either for mankind, or for himself, or both).
- God often intends these great goods to come about by way of various evils.
- God leaves created persons in the dark (in the dark about which goods are indeed his reasons for the evils, or about how the goods depend on the evils).
It all comes down to faith in God’s purpose for mankind. We cannot possibly know why some evils are allowed to take place in our lives and in the world. But as Christ followers we have the assurance that nothing will ever separate us from his love (Romans 8:18-25). Furthermore, we can also trust that he works all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
We should never make light of suffering. The reason Christ came was so that one day all things would be made right. He came to deliver us the greatest good of all, our redemption and the redemption of creation. The good news is that all the bad news we currently hear through the airwaves will one day end. And until he returns, we must share the good news of redemption to all who will accept God’s Son Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
May God help us persevere until the end. May he grant us wisdom and faithfulness, no matter what evil befalls us. And may he shine in the midst of our dark times, for he is our only hope!
Written by Daniel Messina