If God is Loving, Why is There Evil and Suffering?

Many critics of the Christian faith believe that the existence of evil and suffering in the world disproves the existence of the all-powerful, loving God described in the Bible.

Atheists say, “If God is loving He would put an end to evil. If He is all-powerful, He could put an end to evil. Since evil persists, the all-loving, all-powerful God described in the Bible must not exist.”

Have you heard people reason this way?

Wherever I have traveled in the world and have had the opportunity to talk with skeptics, atheists, and nonbelievers, this has again and again resurfaced as the most common intellectual objection that people have when it comes to belief in God. So, if there is any issue related to the defense of the Christian faith, that we as Christians should know how to respond to, the problem of evil must be near the top of the list.

This evening I want to examine and respond to some of the tough questions about evil and suffering. My hope is that our study will:

1. Answer some of the questions that you might have about this issue.
2. Equip you to better answer the questions about evil that nonbelievers raise.
3. Encourage you if you are suffering yourself. Although most of what I say will be directed at dealing with the intellectual challenge that evil poses, my prayer is that God would use some of what I say this evening to bring encouragement and hope to those of you who are suffering presently.

SKEPTIC (popping up on PowerPoint slide): All right Charlie, you heard my opening argument. I think the existence of evil disproves the existence of God. What do you have to say to that?

CHARLIE: I disagree. I think the existence of evil is actually proof that God exists.

SKEPTIC: Are you serious?

CHARLIE: Dead serious.

Atheists face a big dilemma when they point at things in the world and say,  “God would not allow this evil to take place.”

Here’s the problem. There can be no such thing as evil apart from the existence of God. Why not?

Without God, without a moral law giver, we would not have any objective (real) standards (laws) by which we might deem something to be evil. We would not be able to conclusively say, “Kidnapping children and murdering them is evil.”

In an atheistic universe, where no moral laws exist, there could be no such thing as evil. And yet evil does exist! The existence of evil is the number one reason most atheists give as to why they don’t believe in God. They are convinced that there is evil. They point to things like slavery, racism, rape, kidnapping, molesting children, murder, and they say, “These things are truly evil.” And rightly so! These things are evil!

Well, it is this evil that actually exists that verifies there is an actual, objective, real moral law in the universe. But there can be no such thing as an objective moral law apart from a moral law giver, God.

So as complex as this might sound, the reality of evil is actually evidence for the existence of God, not against it.

SKEPTIC: Well, that’s an interesting way to look at it Charlie, but if God exists, He should put an end to the evil and suffering.

CHARLIE: Oh, He will. The Bible tells us that God is going to put an end to evil and suffering. There is coming a time when Jesus will return and we’re told in the Bible that God:

Revelation 21:4
“…will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Just because God has not yet ended evil, does not mean that He will not end evil. It’s just going to happen according to His timing, not ours.

SKEPTIC: Well, great, but why doesn’t He just intervene right now and put an end to all the evil we see?

CHARLIE: Well, think through this with me. For God to put an end to evil and suffering, God would have to stop every act that causes any suffering. To do that, He would have to stop those who cause the suffering.

This would include:

• anyone who has ever stolen anything
• liars
• adulterers
• murderers
• fornicators
• anyone who has ever acted selfishly or hurt anybody’s feelings.

And we could go on and on (bad drivers!). The list would not only include those who were caught causing the suffering but all those who never got caught. And not only would the list include those who broke our government’s laws but all those who deviated from God’s standard of righteousness.

CHARLIE: That list is going to be pretty long isn’t it?

SKEPTIC: I guess so.

CHARLIE: Wouldn’t that mean He would have to put a stop to you too? Haven’t you, by your own actions, caused some of the suffering that exists in the world?

SKEPTIC: Ohh...I guess so.

CHARLIE: Well, then, you should be thankful God allows evil. God has not destroyed evil because He would have to destroy us. By permitting evil and suffering to continue for the time being, God is actually showing the world mercy.

SKEPTIC: I never thought about it like that.

Now, as I said a moment ago, there is coming a day when God will stop evil (2 Peter 3:7-13). He will judge sinners, put them away forever, and create a new Earth where there will no longer be any death, mourning, crying, or pain (Revelation 20-22).

In the meantime, God is using the suffering that exists for good. (See Gen. 50:20, Rom. 8:28, Philippians 1:12). Often, when a person is suffering, they turn to God and receive the kind of help they truly need, a relationship with God Himself.

I’ll talk more about how God works in and through suffering later.

SKEPTIC: Well Charlie, let’s suppose there is a God. The God of the Bible can’t be the loving God that Christians believe in, for the God of the Bible says that He is the one who creates evil in Isaiah 45:7. Surely a loving God would never create evil.

Let’s look at Isaiah 45:7. It is a verse that atheists and critics of Christianity are fond of quoting when they bring up the problem of evil. I do find it slightly humorous that atheists actually like to quote the Bible if it seems to support something they want to say. Well, this is one of those verses!

Isaiah 45:7
“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”

SKEPTIC: Haa!! There you go! If the God of the Bible is the creator of evil (“I make peace, and create evil”) then I don’t want anything to do with Him! A loving God would never create evil.”

Well, what are we to think about that? First off, this passage of Scripture only reads this way in the King James translation of the Bible. If you have a King James translation of the Bible, you might circle that word “evil” in your Bible at Isaiah 45:7. The Hebrew word there, translated “evil” by the King James translators is the word “ra.”

A better translation of “ra” is actually “calamity” or “disaster.” And that is the way that the more modern translations translate the word (e.g., NKJV and NASB). The word calamity describes an event that causes great and often sudden damage or distress. Isaiah 45:7 is not saying God creates evil (that which is morally wrong). It is speaking of the disasters or the calamity that come when God executes His righteous judgment against sinful people.

Thousands of years ago a man riding by the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah on his camel seeing dead people all over the place and smoke rising from the two cities, might have asked himself, “Why does God allow the evil slaughter of people like this?”

Well in reality, the “disaster” he was seeing was not the result of evil men slaughtering innocent people, but a direct and righteous judgment of God on evil. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of “exceedingly grave” sins the Bible says in Genesis 18:20.

They had become a dangerous cancer and threat to humanity; they would not repent, so God destroyed them. There was nothing evil about the judgment or the calamity (“ra”) that God wrought against them.

God is not the author (creator) of evil.

SKEPTIC: If God is the creator of everything (as you Christians suggest) and evil is something, then how can you say that God is not the one responsible for the existence of evil?

Good question. Let me ask you a question congregation:

Is God the creator of everything? Who says Yes? Who says No? Who thinks this is a trick question? Who won’t raise their hand this evening no matter what I ask? Okay, very good.

The answer to the question is Yes. The Bible tells us that this is the case in Colossians 1:16:

“For by Him all things were created that are in Heaven and that are on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

Uh oh. If God created “all things,” as this verse and others teach, does that mean that God did create evil?

Well, let me ask you another question: Is evil something? What is evil? Are there evil molecules or atoms floating around? Is evil some slimy blue goo that accidentally gets on people and causes them to do bad things?

No. Evil is not something you can touch. The Bible teaches that evil is not a thing that God created, but rather: a departure from the way things ought to be.  In other words, we might say that evil is:

•  a non-conformity to the way things ought to be
•  a non-conformity to God’s will
•  a deviation from God’s standard

So in response to the critic’s charge that God, being the creator, must have created evil, we say: God is the creator of all things, but because evil is not a thing, it does not follow that God is responsible for the existence of evil.

SKEPTIC: If God is not directly responsible for the origin or existence of evil, then where did evil come from?

We contend that evil, rather than being a creation of God, is the result of mankind using his freedom to depart from God’s will.

SKEPTIC: So you’re saying that the Bible places the blame for evil at the feet of man, not God.

CHARLIE: Right.

SKEPTIC: Okay, but the Bible says that everything God created was good. Right?

CHARLIE: Right.

SKEPTIC: Well, how could truly ‘good’ creatures like Adam and Eve have done that which was evil?

The Bible does say that everything God made was good. In fact, Genesis 1:31 states that everything God made was “very good.” But, we disagree with the skeptic who believes that good creatures (such as Adam and Eve were) are incapable of doing that which is evil.

We believe that one of the good qualities God created mankind with was free will. Freedom to choose between opposing options, morally speaking, is a good thing.

Even atheists will concede that freedom is good. You never hear people marching through the streets shouting out: “Down with freedom! We don’t want to have choices! Put us back into slavery!” Never. People march for freedom and for liberty. Free will is a good thing. So God created mankind with free will.

Evil originated with what humans (free moral agents) did and continue to do with their free will, not with God making a less than perfect world as described in the book of Genesis.

SKEPTIC: All right, but I still think God (if He exists) is the one to blame for the presence of evil! According to the Bible, He’s the one who created the people with the free will who commit evil!

CHARLIE: Well, let me ask you this. If a man stabs somebody with a knife, who is to blame? The knife company who made the knife or the man who did the stabbing?

SKEPTIC: Well, obviously, the fault is with the man who misused the knife, not the knife maker.

CHARLIE: Ahhh, well the same is true when it comes to the presence of evil in the world. The world God made was very good. The sin, evil, and suffering that has come into the world is a result of mankind’s misuse of his freedom.

And not only did evil originate with mankind’s misuse of freedom, the majority of evil today is the result of men continuing to misuse their freedom.

Think of how much better life could be on the planet if there were no criminals, no corruption in politics, no wars. Think of the billions of dollars that could be spent on improving the quality of life for people if it didn’t have to be spent fighting evil doers in wars.

As C. S. Lewis points out, most of the evil and suffering in the world has been produced by human beings with whips, guns, bayonets, gas chambers, and bombs. [C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, p. 89.]

Ahhh, but critics raise another good question at this point.

SKEPTIC: If the evil and suffering in our world originated with mankind’s misuse of freedom (and continues because of his misuse of freedom), why didn’t God just create a world without human freedom?

That’s a good question. God certainly could have created a world without freedom. But a world without freedom would have been a world without humans. Would it have been a place without hate? Yes. A place without suffering? Yes.

But it also would have been a world of robots. Why?

Well, to guarantee a world free of suffering, God would have to have created a world in which sin (that brings about suffering) never takes place. To do that God would have to have created creatures without free will (i.e., without the freedom to sin). The creatures would had to have been creatures that God pre-programmed to always do what God wanted them to do.

What do we call creatures that do exactly what we preprogram them to do? Robots. God would have to have created a world of robots!

Can you imagine a world of creatures walking around saying: “I love You God. I worship You God. I will obey everything You say. Here’s another song for You.” Could God have created creatures like that?

Sure. He certainly could have done that, but the fellowship, the worship, and so on, would all have been meaningless to God!

In order for a meaningful, genuine, loving relationship to exist between God and people, people must be free, free to love Him or free to hate Him. If there’s no choice allowed (or free will), love is not meaningful.

Has anybody ever told you that they love you? Obviously, it’s a blessing to hear those words. But what if someone was holding a gun up to some stranger’s head, forcing the person to tell you: “I love you!”

Well, that profession of love would be meaningless to you. Why? The person was coerced. He or she had no option. She had to say she loved you. She had no choice.

The same would be true for God if He had created us without free will. A relationship with robots who have no freedom or free will would be meaningless to God.

So God saw it worth it to grant mankind real freedom. You can freely love Him or hate Him. You can freely obey Him or sin against Him.

That freedom that God has given us, although it allows for the possibility of evil and suffering to take place, also allows for real love, the highest good, to take place.

And a world in which real freedom exists, is the very kind of world that most people want today. Do a little survey on the street sometime.

Ask people if they would like God to force them to live their lives in accord with all of His holy commandments twenty four hours a day with no freedom to do otherwise.

No way! The answer on the streets will be, “Absolutely not!” Most people want the option to move freely about (often times from one unholy pursuit to another).

So in this respect, God has given mankind the very world that mankind actually wants to live in, a world in which true freedom exists. Unfortunately, our misuse of the freedom God has given us is what has led and does lead to so much suffering.

SKEPTIC: Well, yes freedom may be good. And there is a lot of evil that results from mankind’s ‘misuse’ of it. But I have a hard time believing in a God who would allow hurricanes and earthquakes and other natural ‘evils.’

Well in response, first off, I’ll point out that none of these things (hurricanes, earthquakes) are inherently evil. There is nothing immoral about an earthquake or hurricane.

A lot of times the suffering related to these natural phenomenon is closely connected to man’s exercise of his own freedom. For example, take hurricane Katrina. If you build a city like New Orleans on soft sand, silt, and clay, straddling the Mississippi River, just inland from the ocean, several feet under sea level, in an area known to flood–you’re going to have problems. Don’t blame God when the whole city ends up under water.

We need big storms. They bring lots of fresh water up from the ocean to water hundreds of miles of dry wheat and corn fields, so millions of us can eat! There’s nothing wrong with rain.

SKEPTIC: Well, what about earthquakes?

Again, there is nothing evil about an earthquake. In fact, geologists tell us that tectonic plate activity is good for the health of the planet. The relief of the Earth’s internal pressure is what keeps the planet from exploding. The movement of the Earth’s plates also recycles nutrients that collect in the ocean and returns them back to the continents. In order for plants to grow and to continue to nourish humans, the crust of the Earth must be replenished. But if you decide to build a skyscraper in San Francisco, right near a fault line, where major earthquakes are known to strike, you are asking for trouble. God’s not forcing anybody to live in a tall building right near a fault line!

I think the angels are probably looking down on us wondering, “Why do they do that? What are you doing?!"

You may have heard that on January 9, 2010, a 6.5 earthquake hit northern California just three days before the 7.0 quake in Haiti. No people died in the California quake and an estimated 230,000 died in Haiti. Why such a difference in the death toll?

Well, there are a few factors:  the California quake was not quite as powerful as the one in Haiti; the population density of the areas was different, and so on.

But in the United States, we place a high value on human life and so we take safety very seriously. So we have strict building codes. We send out building inspectors. We come up with evacuation plans. We offer first-aid courses. We have standards for construction materials. And as a result, many of our buildings, especially the newer ones that were built under these more up-to-date building codes, are much safer when an earthquake hits.

When a country like Haiti, that has been run into the ground by corrupt politicians, does not follow stringent building codes (and is largely unable to because their government has squandered the billions of dollars in aid that has been sent to them in the past) a lot of people are going to die when the Earth’s plates shift.

We shouldn’t blame God for it.

SKEPTIC: What about tsunamis? The suffering that tsunamis bring is not the result of corrupt politicians.

Again, there is nothing inherently evil about a tsunami. They occasionally happen and we all know that. If you choose to build a home right at sea level on the beach, you’ll have to live with that decision. The view is nice, but you must realize there could be trouble. Don’t blame God if a large wave rolls through your living room.

SKEPTIC: But Charlie, even if the suffering that comes when buildings fall and cities flood is connected to the decisions we make (and even sin), couldn’t God STOP some of these events?

He certainly could. And I suggest that He does.

I believe God does stop (or prevent) certain events. Life could certainly be much worse! But when He does prevent tragedies, loss of life and so on, what happens? Life continues on as though He hasn’t done a thing. To the onlooker, it appears that  God hasn’t stopped anything. It’s just another great day!

SKEPTIC: “Maybe He should put up a visible sign or something to let us  know that He’s stop- ping or preventing something.”

CHARLIE: You mean like a rainbow or something?

SKEPTIC: Uh...Yeah.

When God does prevent something, a good portion of humanity goes on their happy way, ignoring God, sinning, thinking there is no need for God (“Who needs God? Everything is great! The sun is shining. My house is standing. I’ve  got a good job, a spouse. Life is wonderful.”)

And then they die and judgment falls on them for their sins. And they go to Hell. That’s not good.

God does not want a person to live a care-free, comfortable life only to wake up on the other side of death still in his sins. So God, in His wisdom, does permit some suffering. And much good comes as a result.

Allow me to share with you eight ways God uses suffering for good. You might jot these down.

1. God uses suffering to help advance the gospel.

In Philippians, chapter 1, Paul said:

Philippians 1:12-13
“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard.”

Paul was in prison, unjustly, and he writes the Philippians and says, ‘Don’t worry about me. Rejoice. God is working here in a powerful way!’

On another occasion mentioned in Galatians 4:13, Paul said it was “because of a bodilyillness I preached the gospel to you the first time.”

If Paul had not been suffering from some sort of physical condition that required him to stop in Galatia, the people of Galatia may have never heard the gospel.

In God’s eyes, it is far better that one man or woman suffer for a short time here in this life, than a large group of people suffer for all eternity!

Are you suffering in some way? There may be people–people whom you love and have been praying for–that may be drawn to faith in God as a result of seeing you walk with the Lord through the valley you are in. This is one of the reasons that God allows suffering (to advance the gospel).

In fact, sometimes, it is our unwillingness to suffer that hinders the gospel! Believer, what’s the worst thing that could happen to you from a human perspective? You die? Death is man’s greatest enemy isn’t it?

But as Christians we have a totally different perspective on death than nonbelievers. Death is no longer our enemy is it? The Bible says that death has been swallowed up in Christ’s victory (1 Cor. 15:54). We don’t look at death like the world does.

Paul said that to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). “To depart and be with Christ,” he said, “is very much better” (Phil. 1:23). We don’t grieve in the face of death like the nonbeliever.

Jesus has overcome death! Do we sorrow when one of our children dies? Absolutely, but not like the world sorrows because we realize this child has gone into the presence of God and we will see them again.
Christian, in the face death, we need to keep a heavenly perspective: Believers in Jesus Christ are leaving this world behind for a much better one!! Hallelujah for that!

A second way God uses suffering for good…

2. God allows suffering to draw people back to Himself.

Many prodigals, who would have been content to continue running away from God, have been drawn back to Him through some adversity.

When the prodigal son in Luke 15 “began to be in need” and found himself eating the food that the pigs ate “he came to his senses” (v. 17) and went home to his father. The Bible says:

2 Corinthians 7:10
“...the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret.”

Notice that. Sometimes it is the will of God for you to suffer! Why? Well because it produces repentance. Are you suffering in some way this evening? If you are, I encourage you to examine your life! God may be allowing your suffering to wake you up to some area of sin in your life that He wants you to abandon.

C.S. Lewis, in his book The Problem of Pain, wrote: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

I agree. Pain does have a way of waking people up. It has wisely been said that, “Some people will not look up until they are flat on their back.” Evil and suffering can shock people out of their lives of indifference to spiritual things.

Now, it is important to point out that although God does use suffering for good, a person’s suffering is not always related to sin:

Psalm 34:19
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous.”

Even the righteous suffer. And there are good reasons why God allows the righteous to suffer:

3. God allows suffering to train you to live a righteous (and therefore more joyful) life.

Suffering as a result of sinful behavior is something God uses to train us to live a righteous life. Suffering has a purifying effect upon those who are willing to accept it for that purpose.

A person who spends time in the hospital because of some sinful activity is going to think twice before he’d engage in that activity again. Suffering trains us to live a righteous life.

The Psalmist said:

Psalm 119:67, 71, 75
“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word….It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes….in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”

4. God allows suffering to keep you humble and to humble the proud.

Pride is a sin that leads to a host of destructive sins. And God knows the danger of it. So, with Paul for example, God permitted Satan to afflict him with some degree of suffering to keep Paul humble. In God’s great love for Paul, He permitted a thorn in his flesh. That’s mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:7.

5. God allows suffering to help build perseverance, character, and hope.

Romans 5:3-4
“And not only that, but we also rejoice in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

As you endure adversity, you are trained to persevere. Your character is changed. And your hope (confidence) in God is strengthened.

God is more interested in you knowing Him and in your character than your comfort! The greatest goal of the Christian life is not happiness and freedom from pain, but knowing God and Christlikeness. Your character has eternal ramifications. Your personal level of comfort does not.

6. God allows suffering to help you develop compassion, kindness, and sympathy for others.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

As God brings you out of a season of suffering, you are much better equipped to comfort others who are (or will be) suffering.

I know personally that I have far more compassion today for people who are suffering in some way, because of the suffering that I myself have endured. Suffering truly does help develop compassion!

7. Suffering can help bring praise and glory to God.

We read of one example in John 9.

John 9:1-3
1 And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?” [Why the suffering?] 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

God providentially allowed this man to suffer with blindness for a time so that “the works of God (v.3) might be displayed in him.” The most important thing in the universe is that people come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Well, your suffering, as was the case with the blind man, gives opportunity for God to do an amazing work and bring glory to Jesus through it.

8. Your suffering can help keep others from suffering.

An example of this is seen in the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis (Gen. 37-50). His brothers were wrongly jealous of him. They cast him into a pit, then sold him as a slave down to Egypt, where he ended up in prison, wrongly accused of a crime he did not commit. What a trial! Yet years later Joseph was able to say to his brothers:

Genesis 45:5, 50:20
“It was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you…You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Joseph rightly saw that God had sovereignly worked in the midst of the suffering to bring about great good–“the saving of many lives” (Gen. 50:20).

And the Bible is full of accounts like these that display God’s remarkable ability to accomplish great good in the midst of trails and suffering. We see this in a very clear way in the life and death of Jesus Christ.
The arrest, mistreatment and murder of Jesus was the biggest crime committed in the history of the human race! Sinful, evil men mocking their Creator, leading Him away to die an excruciating, horribly cruel death, nailed to a wooden cross, where He hung bleeding to death, struggling to breathe. This was the grossest, most vial, evil sin ever perpetrated by the human race.

And yet, the Bible teaches that it was through Jesus’ suffering that God brought about the greatest good that has ever occurred.

Because of Jesus’ suffering, you can now have your sins forgiven.

God allowed the evil actions of men to help accomplish His goal in making a way of salvation possible for you and me.

What an amazing God we have! If God can bring about this incredible good (everlasting life for sinners) from the greatest evil ever done, surely He can work in the midst of your suffering! And indeed that is what He is doing.

And as you walk through the valleys of life, keep in mind that you are walking with a God who...

•  knows what it’s like to suffer.
•  has a plan to end evil and suffering!
•  won’t forsake you in the midst of your suffering.
•  is working all things together for good in the lives of those who love Him!

Oh my brothers and sisters, Your heavenly Father is good. He loves you. I encourage you to look to Him and trust in Him!

( By Charlie H. Campbell; Director of The Always Be Ready Apologetics Ministry)

( Comment or questions, feel free!)