DOES HUMAN SUFFERING DISPROVE THE EXISTENCE OF A BENEVOLENT GOD
Once again I express my sincere appreciation for this invitation
into your home. It is my intent to assist each one to a better
understanding and application of the inspired word of God. To that we
now turn our attention.
In Judges 6:1, we read about the Midianites invading the country
of the Israelites. This lasted for 7 years, their crops were
destroyed, their livestock was stolen, the people were forced to seek
refuge in dens and caves. They had a very, very difficult time. In
verse 12, we see a messenger of Jehovah declaring, "Jehovah is with
thee," to which Gideon replied, "Oh, my Lord, if Jehovah is with us,
why then is all this befallen us?"
How often has the sufferings of humanity caused the question to
be asked, "If there is a God, why am I afflicted with cancer? or, why
was my wife killed in the accident? or, why is my child suffering?"
or, the thousands of other questions that have been raised. Perhaps,
you have placed the blame on God for the sufferings of your life.
With many people, the great obstacle to belief in God is the
problem of evil and human suffering. Since suffering is here, many
assume there cannot be a loving God such as the Bible teaches. The
Greek philosopher Epicurus (270 B.C.) argued: "If God wishes to
prevent evil, but cannot, then He is not all powerful. If He can
prevent evil, but will not, then He is not good. If He has both power
and the will to eliminate evil, they WHY is evil in the world?" The
mistake of this argument is the assumption that no good purpose can be
served by the allowance of evil and suffering in the world.
Surely, we cannot completely understand the problem of suffering.
Other than what has been revealed to us through the Word of God, the
mind and purposes of God are unknown to man. Romans 11:33, states, "O
the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God;
how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways are past tracing
out!" Yet, enough of the answers are given in the Bible to allow us to
accept by faith the loving God who always does what is right.
Let us look as the problem of human suffering and a benevolent
God. First, when a person raises the question of "evil," he is
inadvertently appealing to some universal system of justice, which
evil allegedly violates. But, if there is no God, hence no universal
system of "rigorousness," how could there be any such thing as "evil"?
Does not the word "evil" suggest the violation of some standard? Let
atheism, therefore, define for us that standard by which certain
things are judged to be "evil." Actually, no atheist can, consistent
with his own philosophy, even introduce the problem of evil.
Second, one must note something of the nature of God, and how He
has constituted mankind. 1 John 4:8, reads, "God is love." Man's
creation was an expression of God's love. Also, God's love was
demonstrated in that humanity was endowed with FREE WILL. Man was
granted the freedom of choice. Genesis 2:16,17, "And Jehovah God
commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest
freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou
shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die." In Joshua 24:15, we read, "Chose you this day whom
ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were
beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell;
but as for me, and my house, we will serve Jehovah." It is most
difficult to conceive of a loving God who created intelligent beings,
but then forcing them to serve Him without personal will power. May I
stress just here again; God is love. But, love allows freedom of
choice; thus; God allows freedom of choice.
Further, where freedom of choice is permitted, there is certainly
the possibility that finite creatures (such as you and I) will make
the wrong choices. But, wrong choices must entail some adverse
consequences. If all actions or choices, both good and bad, produced
the same effects, how would one ever learn to choose the good and
reject the bad? It should be clear to all, therefore, that finite
beings as we are, with personal will-power, must be allowed to suffer
the consequences of the wrong choices if they are to learn that the
good is to be valued over the bad.
Let us look as suffering at we see it in the world. We often
bring suffering upon ourselves because of the bad decisions which we
make. In the verses we began with, Judges 6, Israel did that which
was evil, and they suffered the consequences of their own evil. In 1
Peter 4:15, we read, "Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a
thief, or an evildoer, or as meddler in other men's matters..." If a
man steals and goes to prison, is it not his fault? If a man murders
another and is executed, shall God be blamed? Yet, one may argue God
could have prevented the crime, hence, the suffering. Not if He wanted
to preserve man's freedom of choice!! God limits His own activity by
lovingly granting man free will power!! So, sometimes our suffering is
the direct results of our own bad choices.
Secondly, a considerable amount of suffering is caused by the bad
choices of our fellow man. We cannot argue that WE must be allowed
freedom of choice, and yet it should be denied everyone else. God is
no respecter of persons. Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11. Thus, an innocent
person may be killed in a wreck involving a drunken driver. In times
of war, many are killed as a consequence of the evil decisions of a
few evil leaders. We sometimes pay the price for others' freedom of
choice. Others make the wrong choices and sometimes these wrong
choices effect us. Shall we blame God??
Thirdly, much of the world's suffering is the result of the
freedom of choice that was abused by generations of the past. If we
reap the benefits of the good labors of former generations, can we
avoid reaping the evils as well? God warned that rejection of Him
would affect generations yet unborn. Read with me Exodus 20:5,6, "thou
shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I Jehovah
thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them
that hate me." Innocent children starve to death in India because
their ancestors turned from God and decided to worship cows (which are
not used for food today). So the sins of former generations sometimes
effect us today. Shall we blame God?
With reference to this point, let us observe: Mankind is blighted
with numerous diseases. Why did God allow deadly germs? This is a
highly complex ares, but we note briefly some points: Disease is
ultimately related to man's bad choices or sins. Before their
transgression, Adam and Eve were unaffected by disease and death. They
rebelled and were deprived of the "tree of life." They became heir to
the conditions they themselves introduced into the world. Romans 5:12
reads, "Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and
death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all
sinned." Death is decreed upon all, not because of our individual
sins, but because of Adam's sin.
Many organisms, which are sometimes harmful, are also very
beneficial. Certain types of bacteria facilitate digestion or the
decomposition of waste materials. were it not for bacteria or
decomposition, this world would be one huge, stinking garbage dump.
Fourthly, we live in a world regulated by natural law. This being
true, a certain amount of suffering seems inevitable. If the law of
gravity acts consistently, a building may fall on someone, killing or
injuring that one. Shall we blame God? We benefit tremendously from
the laws of nature, gravity being one of these laws. We also suffer
the consequences when we violate these laws, either ignorantly or
otherwise. Suppose a plane crashed and many are killed, shall we blame
God because of some engineer, mechanic, navigator, or pilot overlooked
or ignored some problem, or perhaps the weather was not properly
considered. "But," someone asks, "could not God intervene, and prevent
such disasters?" Do you realize what sort of world this would be if
God directly intervened, suspending His natural laws, each time one of
His creatures encountered a life threatening situation. This would
render the law-system of our planet completely undependable and make
life a sphere of hopeless confusion. Such haphazard system, in fact
would argue more for atheism than for theism. How and when God steps
in to answer the prayers of His people is another lesson, for indeed
prayer does have influence with God.
Let us now note some of the benefits of suffering. If we are
honest, we must admit that there are some benefits to sufferings. For
instance, what if we could experience no pain. Suppose one's clothing
caught on fire; he might be engulfed before he even realized what was
happening. Doesn't pain sometimes cause us to go to the doctor for
treatment and cure. A heart attack is a warning that something is
wrong. Were it not for the pain, I might not be alive at this present
time.
And is it not true that suffering helps to develop the noblest
qualities of which mankind is capable? If there were no suffering,
could such traits as patience, bravery, loving kindness, etc., be
cultivated. Where there is only sunshine, there is desert.
Suffering and evil serve to remind us that this world was never
designed to be man's eternal abode. We are to consider ourselves
strangers in this world. Peter stated, "Beloved, I beseech you as
sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war
against the soul." This world is suited for eternity. The Lord has
prepared a better home for those who serve Him, and suffering helps us
to be "homesick." Homesick for a better place than this.
That suffering, per se (itself) is not contrary to the goodness
of God is revealed by the fact that even Christ was subjected to
suffering, to Calvary. Hebrews 5:8, "though he was a Son, yet learned
obedience by the things which he suffered."
We may not understand every facet of human suffering, but we
don't have to. We can explain enough of it to negate the atheistic
charge that misery is incompatible with the existence of God. If man
will but employ the wisdom with which he has been endowed by God, he
can use the adversities of life to mold the kind of character with
which the Lord is pleased. These thoughts should lead and motivate us
to desire a better place than this. A place not made with hands,
eternal; with no tears, heartaches, no suffering. How may I go to such
a place? By believing in and obeying an all Wise Heavenly Father.
Christ said, "Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God,
believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were
not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will
receive you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also" (John
14:1-3). I encourage you, my listening audience, to look deeply into
your relationship with Christ Jesus. Are you walking with Him? Are you
His disciple? If you would please God, you must obey the gospel of our
Lord and Savior. Believe in Christ and obey His commandments. But,
that is another lesson also.
If you would like to have a copy of this lesson, please let me
know. Send your request to: White Park Church of Christ, Route 1, Box
502, Anahuac, TX 77514.
(Taken from a tract by Wayne Jackson)
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