In Matthew 5, the Bible describes Christians as a “City on a Hill.” The understanding of this concept is that Christians will stand out from those around them because of the standard of morality that they represent. If you are a Christian in the world today, you must expect that people will react in many different ways to what they see in you. Christ is so radically different from anything in society that people take notice. Because of this, you can expect questioning about your faith. 1 Peter 3:15 says:
“But in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”
Christians must be prepared to explain to people what makes you so peculiarly different. If you are a Christian, you can expect to hear any number of these four questions from skeptics, and it is important to know how to answer them.
The first of four questions to address is this: “If God is so perfectly good, then why does He allow pain and suffering?”
It is important to note that there is a difference in evils in the world today. The first evil is Natural Evil. Natural Evil not directly caused by man himself. Tragedies such as Hurricane Katrina or the Bubonic Plague can be classified under Natural Evil. Natural Evil is not any fault of God’s, but is a result of the fall. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world. It corrupted God’s perfect world and made it fallen because of man’s choice. It doesn’t take an expert to realize that the environment isn’t perfect; the fact that death exists proves this. The Bible says that the earth “groans under the weight of sin.” So then, Natural Evil is a result of sin’s effects on the earth.
The second type of evil is Moral Evil. Moral evil is the type of evil that people commit towards one another or nature. The Holocaust can be described as a moral evil. Moral evil is the direct result of sin in mankind. Going back to the Fall, when Adam and Eve sinned, sin entered them and they were no longer perfect. Now, some would stop there and as,k “Well then, why did God allow them the choice to eat of the tree?” It is because God wanted us to love Him. Every human by nature knows that love is something that cannot be forced; it must be chosen. If God had given no option to sin, then we would be reduced to mere robots or puppets on God’s strings. God wanted us to make to choice to obey Him, and by doing so show our love for Him.
God is not directly responsible for the sin and evil of the earth. So, the question no longer becomes “Why does God allow pain and suffering,” but “Why does God not stop pain and suffering?” God could do this a number of ways, but in the end none would be to the advantage of the Human race.
One way would be to cleanse the world of all evil. God, because of His perfect nature, cannot be in the presence of evil without it being utterly destroyed. So, the problem with this method is obvious when Romans 3:10 is considered: “There is no one righteous, not even one.” If God cleansed the world of all evil, then everyone in the world would go along with it!
Another way would be for God to somehow forget any sin debts that people have accumulated and sanctify everyone. The problem with this comes back to the problem of choice. If God sanctified everyone despite their sins, it would essentially be forced love and obedience to His will. People would be perfect and holy, but unable to choose to love God.
The alternative that God gave to the problem of sin is quite simple: Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to save everyone from their sins. Jesus took the penalty of sin (death) on Himself so that we can be sanctified. Now, everyone can go to Heaven and be rid of pain if they simply choose to love God through accepting Jesus as savior. This way, people have the freedom to choose to love God. Everyone has the opportunity to escape pain after earth through accepting Jesus.
As Christians, we must always be ready to give an answer for the light that is in us.
