Christian Interaction With The Problem of Evil

• General Points Of Consideration:

          -This argument is an attempt to judge God according to human standards of what is moral and just. However, He is superior to us. As finite creatures, we are not able to fully understand the eternal plan of God. He transcends the limits of our mental faculties. People often ask why God allows bad things to happen to good people, but the truth is that we are stiff-necked. The argument from evil betrays a misunderstanding of the nature of God in that He is not our genie. He does not operate according to our desires or answer to us.

          -How come God does not instantly resolve all the problems of this word? He certainly has the power to do so, but it does not follow that man would be pleased with His instantaneous solution. Frank Turek wrote, "...no one does evil for evil’s sake. We do evil to get good things, such as money, sex, and power. Take away pleasure and the incentive to do evil would vanish. But if God were to stop evil by ending pleasure, would the human race continue? If it did, would anyone like the pleasureless world that remains?" (Stealing from God, p. 142)

          -God could simply refuse to pardon the iniquity of sinners and cast them into an eternity of eternal punishment. He could in the twinkling of an eye erase our existence. It is not as though He is indebted to us for anything. God could mechanically control us to make us serve Him. Nonetheless, God is giving us an opportunity to repent of our sins (Acts 17:26-31; 2 Peter 3:9). It is important that we adopt an eternal perspective of things.

• Considerations On Free Will 

          -God allows us to make immoral decisions because He wanted us to have free will. He wanted us to have freedom and thus to lovingly come to Him on our own. He gave us free will because He loves us. He made us to be His children, not to function in the manner of robots or puppets. If He did the latter, then He would not really love us. We would not be autonomous. We would not truly be unique as persons. As long as we have free will in this world, evil inevitably remains a possibility.

          -Free will is a greater good. The freedom to make rational decisions is a gift in and of itself. God created us with the intention of having a relationship. The tree of knowledge of good and evil serves as an object lesson. When He restores everything back to its originally perfect order, our sin nature will be removed. We will be so consumed by God's majestic glory and presence that we would never be tempted by sin, which utterly destroys the possibility of any future rebellion. Nothing will be lacking. 

• Since God Already Knows Everything, Why Did He Create An Angel Who Would Defy Him And Corrupt His Creation?:

          -Satan, who was created without sin, became fallen in the same way that Adam and Eve became fallen. They abused the free will that God had given them by choosing evil instead of righteousness. Perhaps God has a plan in which He is even more so glorified with the entrance of sin into the world than without. There is much mystery surrounding the fall of Satan. God in His wisdom has chosen not to reveal how all that took place.

• Morally Sufficient Reasons For The Toleration Of Evil:

          -Rather than having redemptive value, suffering oftentimes just makes people physically and mentally exhausted. Its existence continually reminds us of our inherent inadequacy and the need for God in our lives.

          -God may allow evil to exist with the intent of showing us that our poor decisions lead to negative consequences that are contrary to His will.

          -If God does not control this fallen world in a way that is wholly mechanistic, there remains the ability of natural disasters to happen. They too have their own good purposes. Volcanos, for example, help to fertilize soil through their ashes. Free will plays a role here in that people can move away from disaster prone areas. This also invites reflection on our part as to what we personally can do more to help those in need.
          -The existence of evil is not inherently incompatible with the existence of an all-knowing, all-powerful, and infinitely good God. The existence of evil is a problem for all worldviews, and how that is addressed depends on which one we hold.

          -The argument against the existence of God from evil carries with it the ability to emotionally tug at our heartstrings. Further, atheists will undoubtedly scowl at the above provided answers, but they still remain answers.  

• The Problem Of Evil Backfires Because It Assumes An Objective Moral Standard Which Cannot Exist If There Is No God: 

          -If objective evil exists, then, by definition, objective good must also exist. If there is an objective good, then there is a standard of morality that exists beyond humanity. It exists beyond nature. It is divine. This universal moral code governs the moral laws of each civilization. This moral law implies that there must be a moral law giver. It is philosophically impossible for evil to exist on its own as an entity, as it is a perversion of what is good. Evil and good can exist at the same time. Good can exist apart from evil.