The Problem of Evil and Suffering

The Problem of Evil and Suffering

Introduction

        It is not abnormal for us human beings to ponder about the existence of suffering at some point in our lives.  It is inevitable to ask ourselves why certain things must happen.  Why does sin exist? Why do we experience pain?  Why is the world cruel? Why does God allow this?  Does He even exist?

        Skeptics argue two points against God on the problem of evil and suffering. First, assuming God exists, He is not the infinite good and loving God Christians describe Him to be because of Him allowing evil things to happen.  Second, if He is infinite good and loving, then He is not the omnipotent God we know of. ^[1] He is unable to prevent evil from happening and unable to stop suffering in the world. And here goes the common example of the Holocaust.  How can such mass murder of innocent Jews be allowed to happen?

With this kind of evil happening in reality, are these skeptics right after all?   That either God is not infinitely good or He is not all-powerful?  Is there even a God or is everything happening just a natural system of how nature and lives work?

        Another illustration of God regarding the existence of suffering is that, He is described as the “spy-god” who is always looking for something to punish by constantly scrutinizing peoples’ actions and intentions. Theologian Dorothy Soelle discusses this illustration in three aspects.  First, God is the almighty ruler of the world.  Second, since God always acts justly, He sends the sufferings to all those who deserve them.  Third, suffering exists as a punishment for sin.  Sadly, according to Dr. Jegen, a professor of Religious Studies, found the spy-god mentality to be rampant.^[2]

Definition of Evil and Suffering

        Evil is a negation of a particular good.^[3]  Kreeft in his book defines three basic kinds of evil:

(1) suffering, which is a disharmony or alienation between ourselves as embodied creatures and something in this physical world; (2) death, which is the disharmony, alienation, or separation between the soul and the body; and (3) sin, which is the disharmony or alienation between the soul and God.^[4]

        Suffering is more than physical pain.  We feel the pain of losing someone, the pain of betrayal, rejection, disappointment, and other things related to our emotional, spiritual, and mental health.^[5]  Many people say that emotional pain hurts more than the physical pain, since physical wounds get cured but emotions take a longer time to recover. And this continues to raise the question about the existence of evil and the existence of human beings and their purpose in this world.  This also again leads to the question of God’s real attribute and existence.^[6]

What Scripture Says About Suffering

        The most famous stories of suffering in the Bible would be Job’s trial in the Old Testament and Jesus’ passion and death.  We all know that Jesus suffered on the cross, but Docetism says otherwise.  Docetists believe that Jesus’ flesh is just a mask and His suffering is just an illusion made visible.  Since He is divine, human suffering cannot be reconciled.^[7]  Dr. Jegen then explains that Jesus’ suffering is real.  He is the Word made Flesh and He needs to become human to experience human suffering. The cross is the symbol of His sacrificial love.  Through his passion and death on the cross, Christ absorbed all the pain and evil into himself to save us from sin.  It is through this that we were able to receive God’s forgiveness.  It was necessary for Jesus to suffer because forgiveness involves suffering - bearing the cost of all our sins.^[8]

 In the Agony in the Garden, Jesus prayed “Father, if you are willing, take this chalice away from me.  Yet truly, let not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42).  It is clearly evident that Jesus is praying for God the Father to take His cup of suffering away but also praying that He will follow whatever His Father’s will is.  It is also important to note that throughout Jesus’ preaching, He also felt violent rejection from the people in his town who even tried to push him off the edge of the mount^[9] (Luke 4:28-30).

Jesus is very familiar with human suffering.  This is further manifested in the parables he told about the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the prodigal son.  How?  Dr. Jegen explains:

        “In the first two parables a person suffering from sin is described as something that is lost.  A lost sheep and a lost coin are indeed novel ways to describe something of the pain one undergoes in experiencing the alienation and isolation from community which sin eventually causes… The shepherd and the woman, both images of the compassionate God of Jesus, are tireless in their search, regardless of the inconvenience and anxiety they both suffer.  The shepherd and the woman really care about their lost sheep and lost coin.  Both parables end on a note of joy and community celebration when the lost has been found.”^[10]

        The same analogy applies to the Parable of the Prodigal Son where the climactic scene of the selfish son returning to his father highlights God’s sorrow for us when we turn away from Him and His joy when we turn back to Him.  Jesus’ familiarity with suffering is also seen when He wept over the sins of Jerusalem.  In Luke 13:34-35 and Luke 19:41-44, Jesus gathered His people through his prophetic mission, yet His teachings were rejected.  These two sets of verses of Jesus’ lamentation further proves that sin carries its own punishment and it is not God who brought the suffering to them as a punishment.^[11] Jerusalem used its freedom of choice and was responsible for its sin in rejecting Jesus’ invitation to follow Him.

        As for Job’s story in the Old Testament, the Bible does not answer why God allowed Job to suffer.  However, Job’s story serves as a great example for innocent suffering.  He felt the injustice for his case, yet he kept his faith in God and did not question His power.  He still expressed his hope in God as His Redeemer and Vindicator in his life.  He believed that God would hear him and respond.^[12]  Eventually, God communicated with him.  Because of Job’s faith and endurance, he was able to experience communion with God and felt a sense of peace amidst his suffering.^[13]  John Thiel states in his book God, Evil, and Innocent Suffering, that though we do not know the “why” to Job’s suffering, the point of the book may be to recognize God, who manifests Himself and responds to human suffering.^[14] We are to acknowledge the reality of innocent suffering, and at the same time believe that God’s providence extends to our lives.^[15]  As also stated in John 9:2-3 when Jesus cured a blind man, it is through suffering that the works of God can be seen.