A very common question that I hear from people of all stages of faith, life, and age is: "why does God allow evil and suffering to happen?" Someone asked me this question a few days ago and I honestly just totally blanked on most of the answers that I have ever heard in response to that question. But what did pop into my mind was something along the lines of the following thoughts:
We can't really know why, but what can we know about God in the midst of a broken world based on the authority of the Word of God and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus?
To start, I wrote this post awhile ago, and I just listened to a sermon by Britt Merrick on this topic. His daughter has cancer for the fourth time and her prognosis is the worst case scenario. This sermon is really incredible, and could suffice as the only thing I put in this post. After listening to this sermon, parts of the rest of this post seem almost a bit naive and insensitive, especially for someone who is in the midst of deep real pain and suffering. I am tempted to erase everything else in this post, but I will keep it for whatever it is worth. Just know this sermon is what I would really want to say to this question, especially to someone who is in the middle of pain. This sermon speaks to the heart and is the bottom line answer: God is good and His presence is enough in the midst of our pain.
Britt Merrick | When Sparrows Fall from Reality on Vimeo.
1. I know according to the word of God that death is not the greatest evil and life on this earth is not the greatest good. In fact, it is quite the contrary. Paul says in Philippians 1: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far." Likewise, Hebrews 11 declares, "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."
2. I know according to the word of God that he is committed to us being conformed to his image, which can definitely happen through trials. Romans 8:29 identifies the destiny of all children of God: "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." An often quoted verse comes right before this: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." We often think that the definition of "good" in this verse is everything working out exactly how we want it to and not having any suffering or trials. But the greatest "good" that Paul has in mind when he writes this is found in verse 29: being conformed to the likeness of his Son. In all things, God wants to work towards the end of us being conformed to the likeness of his Son. This is the highest calling and the most beautiful destiny of a human being. Life on the highest plane. After these two verses, Paul writes one of the most beautiful descriptions of the tension we live with in this present age where the Kingdom of God is both now and not yet, both a present reality and a more full reality to come:
"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8
So even though we have trouble and hardship and persecution and famine and nakedness and danger and sword in this life, we have something better, more victorious, more beautiful, more good, more powerful, more noble, and more hopeful than that. When our life is hidden with Christ, nothing can touch it!! As Paul says, "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."
3. I know according to the word of God that humanity is sinful and wicked beyond all measure, inflicting much evil, pain, and suffering in this world. GK Chesterton was once asked the question, "what is wrong with the world today?" To which he answered: "Dear sir, I am. Yours truly, GK Chesterton."
4. I know that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God, so he tells us clearly who God is and what he is like. He did not stay in heaven and leave us helpless and hopeless in a dark world. While we were yet sinners, he came to rescue us and take suffering and punishment for sin upon himself. He came face to face with evil, suffering, death, and the gates of hell so that he could set us free from the ultimate consequences of internal and external evil, suffering, and death. He absorbed evil and suffering on our behalf, leaving no doubt in our mind that he radically loves us beyond anything we can imagine. We have a Savior and God who identifies himself with victims of evil, injustice, and suffering- providing rock solid hope in the face of it that things are not what they seem. Resurrection power has the last word.
5. I know according to the word of God that all creation is eagerly awaiting complete redemption and new creation (Romans 8), which is promised to us when Christ returns and makes all things new. So even though evil and suffering exist now, they will be snuffed out entirely for all of eternity by Jesus! And how much more thankful for redemption will we be having experienced brokenness? How much more drawn into worship will we be of God's power, glory, and goodness having experienced defeat and darkness? We know the end of the story, and this is a glimpse (probably a very small glimpse because we cannot really fathom this) of what is in store for us (Revelation 21):
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.' He said to me: 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.'"
And also in Isaiah 11, prophesying about Jesus and the final picture of his triumph over evil, suffering, sin, injustice, and brokenness:
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
He will delight in obeying the Lord.
He will not judge by appearance
nor make a decision based on hearsay.
He will give justice to the poor
and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
He will wear righteousness like a belt
and truth like an undergarment. In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.
The final state of things will also be a new, indestructible resurrection body (1 Corinth. 15):
"But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless...and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world...But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory. It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies."
6. I know according to the word of God that he is near to the brokenhearted and on the side of the oppressed. Part of complete redemption will be setting every wrong to right and repaying every injustice that has ever happened. No one will ultimately get away with evil, including us! which is why it is so important that we be identified with Christ (through faith) on the day of judgment, so that we would be covered by His payment on the cross for all of our evil and sin.
7. I know according to the word of God that Jesus wept when Lazarus died, even though he knew he was going to raise him from the dead shortly thereafter. This shows me that even though Jesus allows evil and suffering to exist right now for a (short compared to eternity) time, and even though he already knows the end of the story more wholly and completely than we do, he hates it and identifies himself with our tears, pain, and mourning in this present time. What a comfort!
8. I know according to the word of God that in response to the disciples' question, "why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents' sins?" Jesus replied, "It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins. This happened so that the power of God could be seen in him." In some ways that answer leaves me wanting, because he only answers the question enough to whet the appetite. But this answer is at the same time a rock solid hope of God's purpose and plan in everything, his promise to make every broken thing whole again, and his glory and power being reflected all the more.
9. I know according to the word of God that he is committed to his glory being magnified throughout all the heavens and the earth. We can be sure that his glory will shine all the more brightly in contrast with the darkness. Similarly, God allowed Satan to take everything away from Job so that God could prove to Satan that Job would yet praise God's name even in the face of suffering (read Job 1!). I think this reason for suffering initially offends our minds (and our pride/self love) or seems insensitive of God, but as we increasingly see that God is God-centered and (rightly) committed to his glory being magnified through all the heavens and the earth, we can see the great glory that Job brought to God. We also need to remember that God gave up EVERYTHING to rescue us, showing beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is not at all callous or insensitive, but recklessly loving, kind, merciful, and good.
10. I have a friend who is perhaps the most passionate person I know about issues of social justice. She absolutely hates injustice. Her hatred for injustice causes her much pain over the suffering she sees in the world, and we were talking about this question surrounding the problem of pain. I was struck by the thought that the "problem of pain" that we all feel so acutely is actually no "problem" at all if God is not real or good. On the contrary, if God is not real, then evil and suffering is a completely natural thing, and "injustice" is a matter of opinion. If God is not real, then we have no ultimate hope or reason for "justice" or the alleviation of suffering. If God is not real, we cannot say with any appeal to authority beyond ourselves that something is absolutely evil. Yet we KNOW within ourselves when something is absolutely evil and unjust, and the thought that we couldn't have a category to call something absolutely evil is just heinous and disgusting to us. Thus, where do we turn? If we are angry with God over suffering and turn away from Him, the alternatives are a million times worse. We are left with the sobering belief that our desire for justice is insignificant, pointing to nowhere.
I am reminded of a time where Jesus gives a really hard teaching to some folks who were coming after Him just for his stuff and his miracles. He calls them out by talking cryptically about "eating his flesh and drinking his blood" to essentially say, "if you do not want me for me, then you cannot be my disciple." After Jesus gives this hard teaching, many disciples desert Jesus and stop following Him. Jesus turns to the twelve and asks them if they want to leave too. Simon Peter's response is just so beautiful to me! He says, "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." I feel the same way!
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