Why Is There Evil and Suffering?

Why Is There Evil and Suffering?
Written by Dr. Buddy Young copyright 2001 WTBSM

WHY THE QUESTION of EVIL AND PAIN?

The problem of pain is something each one of us must address at some point in our lifetime. We must deal with questions like: "Why do the innocent suffer from disease and natural disasters?" and "How can a good and powerful God allow evil and suffering to continue?"

The problem of pain, evil, human suffering, and natural disasters will not just go away, thus it is imperative that we thoroughly and clearly investigate this issue.

TWO TYPES of EVIL

MORAL Evil    - This is evil caused or initiated by men and directed toward himself
                             or others.
NATURAL Evil - This is evil caused or initiated by "Natural Phenomena" or "Acts of
                              God", such as hurricanes, tornados, floods, etc.

THREE BASIC ARGUMENTS

1. Evil Exists and God Does Not
2. God Exists and Evil Does Not
3. God and Evil Both Exist

THE EVIL EXISTS-GOD DOESN'T Argument

Position:

    The basic position can be summarized by four progressive statements:
        1) If God is all good, He will destroy evil,
        2) If God is all powerful, He can destroy evil,
        3) Evil is present:
        4) Therefore, an all good and all powerful God does not exist.

Those who follow this line of reasoning are basically Atheistic in their thought, denying God while affirming the existence of Evil.

Two other streams of thought can branch from this view:

God is Sadistic - He is all powerful but not all good.
God is Limited - He is all good, but not powerful enough to destroy evil.

Confronting the EVIL EXISTS - GOD DOESN'T View

Because the existence of Evil is affirmed and the existence of God denied, it is necessary to discuss the realilty and attributes of God and how He acts in history and nature before dealing with the problem of pain.

Once the existence of an all good and all powerful God can be affirmed, then one can attempt to restate the classic argument to read:

If God is all good, He will destroy evil,
If God is all powerful, He can destroy evil,
Evil is present;
Therefore, Evil will one day be destroyed.

Once this position is recognized and the accuracy and divinity of Scripture is affirmed, one can study the final destruction of evil as recorded in (Rev. 20:10-15, 21:4, 22:3-8)

The GOD EXISTS - EVIL DOESN'T Argument

Position:
Those who hold this position affirm the existence of God, but deny the reality of
evil. They claim evil, pain, and suffering are mere illusions to be disregarded as
unrealistic problems and feelings.

Individuals holding his view are primarily pantheist (God is all and all is God) such as the Christian Scientist and Hindu branches.

Confronting the GOD EXISTS - EVIL DOESN'T View

To hold this position one must deal with four problems:

The Problem of Personal Experience One's senses and personal experience affirm the existence of evil. Experience tells us evil is not only real, but painful and emotional.
The Problem of Scientific Investigation Scientists universally agree that evil, pain, disease and suffering are real. Natural evil is not only real, but predictable. To erase evil one must account for the men and women who give their lives to cure disease and predict natural disasters.
The Problem of Historical Evidence Both Moral and Natural evil are found in the pages of history. To deny evil one must also deny all accounts of history that speak of moral evil (wars, disease, etc.) as well as natural evil (floods, famine, etc.) Thus, denying history itself.
The Problem of Scripture Throughout the Bible we are told of moral and natural evil in our world (Ps. 5:4,5, 51:2-5, Matt 23:13-36, Jer. 17:9)

        "For nations will rise against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms, and in
         various there will be famines and earthquakes."
                                                                                            Matthew 24:7

The GOD EXISTS - EVIL EXISTS Argument

Three Basic Positions:

    1. FINITISM - Evil is greater than God
    2. DUALISM - God and Evil are co-equal
    3. THEISM - God is greater than Evil.

Confronting the FINITISM View

Those who hold this view argue that God can not destroy evil because of His limited power. For a future victory over evil there is no hope apart from the assistance of man in God's battle against a stronger foe.

The Bible affirms the all powerfulness of God,
        "Ah Lord God! Behold, Thou has made the heavens and the earth by Thy
         great power and by Thine outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for Thee."
                                                                                                Jeremiah 32:17

The Bible affirms that God is greater than Evil
" . . . greater is He who is in you (God) than he that is in the world."
I John 4:4

The Bible affirms God's unaided victory over Evil,
        "and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer
          be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain . . . ."
                                                                                                Revelation 21:4

Confronting the DUALISM View

Those who hold this position argue from two premises:
1) Nothing can be the source of its opposite
2) Evil is a thing. Thus, God is the source of evil or it is eternally co-existent with God.

There are two ways to confront this position:

Philosophically

t is possible for evil to occur from good incidentally, but not intrinsically.
Opposites do not have to have a first-cause for each.
Two opposite forces with the same power is illogical. If the force can move an object it is no longer irresistable and if the object can be moved it is no longer immovable.
Evil is not a thing, but rather the absence of negation of good.
Evil is not autonomous, it can not exist apart from good.

Biblically

God created all things. "For by Him all things were created, . . . " Colossians 1:16
All things created by God are good. "For everything created by God is good, . . . " I Timothy 4:4
Satan (a created being) is the source of all temptation and evil. (Gen. 2, Isa. 14:12-14, Ps. 148:2-6, Luke 10:18)
God is not the source of tempation or evil, nor can evil arise from Him. "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted of God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone." James 1:13

Approaching the THEISM View

Theists believe that God and evil both exist and that God is greater than evil. But even
in this position one must still ask:
"Why does God allow evil?"
"Why doesn't He destroy it?"

In answering these questions we must consider several truths about God and man.

Truths About God

God is in complete control of His Creation He didn't just create the universe and leave it to run independently. (Acts 17:24-29, Ps. 147:4-9, Col. 1:16, 17)
God is Free In Decision Making He counseled with no one to create the world and counsels with no one to sustain it. God, . . . works all things after the counsel of His own will." (Eph.1:11)
God Foreknew and Foresaw Man's sin and its Results. God knew prior to creating anything that if He created man upon the earth, man would fall into sin, bringing evil into His creation, and require salvation through Christ alone; and yet He went right ahead and created Adam in the garden. "This Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God you crucified . . . " (Acts 2:23) (I Peter 1:20).
God is not the Author or Creator of Evil God created all things perfect and good. "And God saw all that He had made and it was very good." (Gen. 1:31). In James 1:13 it was noted that God can not be tempted by evil, neither can He cause evil or tempt anyone to commit evil (See Job 1-4).
God can cause good to arise from evil. Evil in itself is not good, but good can arise from evil. "God causes all things (even evil) to work together for the good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose." (Rom. 8:28ff)
God can be glorified even through evil acts. The cross of Jesus was one of the most brutal acts of history, but yet God was glorified through it. "God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8)

Truths about man:

God created man perfect in a perfect world. As already seenures created in God's image and likeness, "God made man upright." (Eccl. 7:29; see Gen. 1-3)
God gave Adam and Eve free moral agency. He made them responsible to be obedient to every command. If they choose to disobey, God as their creator would be just in punishing them and all His creation.(Gen. 2:16, 17; Gen 3)
Adam, not God, is the Author of Evil in the World "Therefore just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin so death spread to all men because all sinned." (Rom. 5:12) God is the author of the author of sin, He cannot be the author of sin itself, for sin is the direct result of rebellion against God.
The Sin and Rebellion of Adam brought evil into all of God's Creation Every natural evil and every moral evil in God's creation is a result of God's just curse which He placed on His creation because of the sin of the creature. "All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God." (Rom. 3:23 see Rom. 8:20-22, Gal. 3:13).
Men Now Have NO Free Moral Agency The sin of Adam brought evil into all of Creation. Man is not just a sinner because of acts of sin, but because of an inherent sin or evil nature (Ps. 51:5, Rom. 5:12). Some "good" appears to arise from our acts toward ourselves, the world, and one another, but in reality every deed or thought springs from an evil wicked inherent heart. "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is deperately sick." (Jer. 17:9)

God allows evil in the world because of His choice and Love, for if He did not allow it,
then He would not have created the world and placed man on it.

God doesn't destroy present evil because to do so would mean the destruction of the world and everyone in it that God has not called to Himself through Christ Jesus. God has destroyed the evil of sin by taking it up Himself in Christ, and will destroy all evil in His timing 2 Peter 3).God declared His creation good or perfect. Prior to the fall, Adam and Eve were perfect creations.