The Problem of Suffering
But, some will say, it does not provide a better explanation for pain and suffering. In a non-theistic, naturalistic world view, it is not hard to imagine a world filled with these, for the Darwinian concept of survival of the fittest predicts just such a world. But if one believes in a personal God who is both all-powerful and good, then how can we explain the problem of pain and suffering? For if God is good, why would he allow such suffering, unless he lacked the power to prevent it? And if he is all-powerful, yet chooses to allow suffering, then how is he good? This dilemma has been a stumbling block to many who have turned away from the Christian faith.
Yet the objection is not unanswerable. First, there is the free will explanation. Yes, God, if he is all-powerful, could choose to eliminate human suffering and pain from this world, but only at the expense of human free will. Human actions cause pain and suffering to others, actions like slander, desertion, theft, abuse, rape, adultery, murder and warfare. In order to prevent the suffering caused by such actions, God would have to eliminate human freedom, but this is not something he is willing to do. Think of the problem as a cost-benefit analysis. The cost of human suffering is exceedingly high, and not to be trivialized or dismissed. Yet the benefit of human freedom, on the other hand, is an intrinsic non-negotiable in God’s plan of creation. Free will is an essential component of being made in the image of God. God made us for a relationship with him; yet that relationship would lack genuineness apart from human free will.
Second, God permits suffering because it can lead to greater good. When the suffering is intense, it is hard to imagine that this could be the case, and yet our inability to conceive of any greater good that could justify extreme forms of suffering may be the result of our own limited perspective. God’s viewpoint includes not only the present but the future, not only the individuals directly involved, but individuals indirectly impacted, not only physical suffering but character development and not only this life but eternity. Perhaps the most significant greater good is when a person, because of suffering in a time of crisis, turns to God and enters into a relationship with him that both transforms his present life for the better and secures his eternal destiny in heaven, where he will enjoy that relationship with God forever. Most people do not think about their need for God when everything is going well. But when a time of crisis comes, such as a natural disaster or a war, for example, hundreds or even thousands of people may turn to God and to Christ who otherwise would not do so. So in the eternal scheme of things the greater good significantly outweighs the suffering of the time, as terrible as it may be. Within an atheistic worldview, this argument may seem irrelevant, but it must be recognized that within the Christian worldview, it is a very powerful one. If a personal and loving God exists, then there is nothing greater than knowing him, regardless of what it takes to come to the point of knowing him.
The greatest example of God allowing human suffering for a greater good was in the suffering and death of his own Son. Why did God allow his own beloved Son to suffer in this way? The Apostle Paul records the answer:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified
by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him (Romans 5:8-9).
God allowed his Son to die as a sacrifice so that our sins could be taken away and so that we might live (have eternal life) through him. In other words, God allowed a great evil—the suffering and death of his only Son, to provide for the greater good—a way for us to receive forgiveness and eternal life.
If the problem of suffering is a major obstacle for you to come to faith in God, push through it to find an answer. Some of the greatest minds have worked through this issue and have resolved it in favor of faith rather than despair. Consider, for example, The Problem of Pain by C.S.Lewis or Tim Keller’s Reason for God chapter two: “How could a good God allow suffering?”
So it may be stated again, the problem of suffering notwithstanding: the Christian faith provides a solid foundation for a coherent world view—one that gives us a better explanation for how we got here, a better purpose for life and a better hope for the future than non-theistic alternatives. If, after having known the way of truth, you deliberately reject the faith and all that goes with it—including adherence to a moral standard, a sense of accountability to a Creator, and fellowship within the Christian community, what remains but a life lacking purpose and ultimate meaning and a future devoid of hope? What is left to you but a house desolate and crumbling, without a foundation capable of supporting a meaningful existence?
Next Chapter: True Freedom
For further study: (click and read or listen)
(1) C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
(2) John Lennox, "The Loud Absence--Where is God in suffering?" youtube
(3) David Larson, chapter on Evil and Suffering
Book resources (available from amazon or CBD)
(1) C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
(2) Tim Keller, The Reason for God. chapter 2: How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?