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WHY DOES GOD ALLOW EVIL AND SUFFERING?
Growth Group Intensive
Thursdays in June, 2010
7:00-8:30 PM
Session One Thursday, June 3
Introduction: Evil and Suffering
What is Evil? How is Evil Related to Suffering? What is the difference between primary and secondary evil? How does 21st century life make the assessment of evil difficult?
What is the origin of evil? What are the “options” for dealing with the problem of evil? Where is evil located? What is the Biblical teaching on the origin of evil?
What are the clues from philosophers and artists that help us understand the problem of evil and suffering?
What are the personal implications of the nature and origin of evil?
Session Two Thursday, June 10
Old Testament Perspectives on Evil and Suffering
Does the Bible give us a “theory of evil?” How is God depicted in relationship to evil and suffering? If God opposes evil and suffering, why doesn’t He just end it—now? How does suffering move forward God’s purposes? How is the Messianic hope move forward the Biblical teaching on evil and suffering?
What are the clues from the prophets that help us understand evil and suffering?
Session Three Thursday, June 17
New Testament Perspectives on Evil and Suffering
How does the story of Israel set up the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection? What kind of Messiah was Israel expecting—and how did Jesus match up to that expectation?
What can we learn from Jesus’ absolute refusal to use evil to defeat evil? From His own suffering and death? How can Jesus be called “the tears of God” (Peter Kreeft)?
How does Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom of God intersect with the problem of evil and suffering?
Session Four Thursday, June 24
Confronting Evil, Handling Suffering
How does Jesus’ teaching deal with evil and suffering? What do we mean by the “already/not yet” nature of the Kingdom? Why do moderns still have trouble understanding evil and suffering?
Session One Thursday, June 3
Introduction: Evil and Suffering
Set-Up
• Why did you want to come to these studies?
• What has been the worst experience you or someone near you has endured?
Video: Introduction. What is Evil? (N.T. Wright)
Discussion of Video
• What is Evil?
• What are some specific expressions of evil we see around us?
• What is the difference between primary and secondary evil? Which are we more concerned with? Which do you think God is more concerned with?
• How does 21st century life make the assessment of evil difficult?
How evil and suffering are connected
The “options” for dealing with the problem of evil
Option 1: There is no such thing as evil and suffering (Christian Science, Hinduism, etc.)
Option 2: There is no God, so don’t expect meaning in this random world (atheism)
Option 3: There is a God, but he’s evil (at least part of the time) (No known organized group)
Option 4: There is a God, but he’s not all-powerful, or at least not all-knowing, so he can’t stop evil and suffering (Process theology, Open Theism, Deism)
Option 5: There is a God, who is all powerful, all knowing and all good; He will remove evil and end suffering after accomplishing a greater, eternal good. This is the Biblical view.
Why doesn’t God stop all suffering? Here’s the short answer:
Since all suffering comes from evil, the only way God could end suffering would be to end all evil. But since evil is resident within all of us (Romans 3:23) and even in the creation (Romans 8:20), the only way He could end all suffering now would be to eradicate us now. Instead, He is rolling back evil through the cross and the gospel, and in due time will bring all evil to judgment and then end all suffering (Revelation 21:4).
What is the Biblical teaching on the origin of evil and suffering?
1. God created all things good (Genesis 1:31)
2. At some time in the very distant past, Satan and third of the angels rebelled against God (John 8:44; Revelation 12:4). This rebellion did not surprise God. Why Satan rebelled remains a mystery (Deuteronomy 29:29).
3. After creation, man and woman followed Satan’s example in rebelling against God. This also did not surprise God! Their evil unleashed all kinds of chaos that results in suffering. See Genesis 3:14-15. Even in that “curse” the promise of how God would “roll back” sin and suffering is implied (Genesis 3:15).
4. The current world is God’s but Satan acts as ruler through those he has deceived (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan disguises his evil as good (2 Corinthians 11:14) and we err, calling good what God has called evil (Isaiah 5:20).
5. God has good reasons for His delay. This current world, despite all its evil and suffering, is the pathway to a world with the minimum amount of evil and suffering and at the same time, allowing for freedom for its created beings (angels and humans).[1]
Clues from philosophers and artists
In his, Making Sense out of Suffering[2], Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft talks about the “clues” we get from philosophers, artists, prophets and from Christ Himself. Here are some of the clues he cites from philosophers and artists which gives us insight into the reality of the world and which helps us understand the role of suffering and evil:
• From Socrates: we need intellectual humility. We don’t know everything, and it is wisdom to admit it.
• From Aristotle: happiness comes from doing good not, not as moderns say, from feeling good.
• From Boethius: In his Consolation of Philosophy, he claims that “all fortune is good fortune.” What we see as good, is good, and what we don’t see as immediate good wakes us from our deceptions and becomes good for us. (See Romans 8:28).
• From C.S. Lewis: if your soul is of greater value than your body, then evil and suffering in the soul is greater than evil and suffering in the body.
• From fairy tales: good stories need monsters and mystery.
• From myths: we can all tell—paradise is lost.
• From Greek drama: wisdom comes from suffering.
• From science fiction: utopias are anti-utopias; we would choose freedom over pleasure even if it means suffering.
• From suffering artists: creativity arises from pain.
What are some of the personal implications of the nature and origin of evil?
E.N.D.U.R.E.
• E: expect to suffer; it’s the way the world is wired—for now
• N: not God’s direct creation; we invited in the suffering by the evil we opened the world to, so don’t blame Him (Isaiah 24:5)
• D: divine care; just as a parent will be concerned about the bad choices a child makes, so does God (Exodus 3:7-10)
• U: unclear moments; there will be times when our limited perspective will make us unable to see the goodness of God, but just because you can see Him, it doesn’t mean that He isn’t there
• R: remember the cross; God didn’t just observe suffering and evil, He experienced it Himself
• E: endgame; we can rest assured that God will bring an end to evil and suffering (Isaiah 52:7-8a)
Wrap-Up
• If this seems like a slow journey, remember the size of the problem
• You can’t explore the whys of evil and suffering without going to the heart of Christian theology
• If you could ask God one question right now, what would it be?
Session Two Thursday, June 10
Old Testament Perspectives on Evil and Suffering
Set-Up
If someone asked you the question, “Why does God allow suffering?” what would you tell them?
What are some things that you would be sure not to tell them?
Video: Old Testament Perspectives (N.T. Wright)
Discussion of Video
• Does the Bible give us a “theory of evil?”
• How is God depicted in relationship to evil and suffering?
• If God opposes evil and suffering, why doesn’t He just end it—now?
• How does suffering move forward God’s purposes?
• How does God’s view of His creation shape His reaction to evil?
• How does the suffering of Israel depict the way God is overcoming evil and suffering?
• How is the Messianic hope move forward the Biblical teaching on evil and suffering?
Stops on the Old Testament Road
The Fall: How Evil and Suffering Started (Genesis 3:1-13, 16-19; Isaiah 24:5)
Job’s Story: Tried by Suffering (Job 1-2)
The Exodus: The Concern of God (Exodus 3:7-10)
Exile: Discipline by Suffering (Isaiah 27:7-13)
The Destination in Isaiah 53: “The Only Answer Bigger Than the Question”[3]
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Key: 53:4-6 unites evil and suffering
53:10: it was Yahweh’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, to death (53:12)
Clues from the prophets
From Peter Kreeft’s Making Sense out of Suffering
• The call of Abraham was a call into uncertainty (Genesis 12:1-2; Genesis 22)
• History is moving from darkness (of the fall) to the light of redemption (Isaiah 9:2)
• Suffering is endemic because people are deeply evil (Jeremiah 6:13-14; Isaiah 64:6). This is moral evil, not ontological evil.[4]
• Suffering teaches us and corrects us (Proverbs 3:11-12, also quoted in Hebrews 12:5-6)
• Yom Yahweh (The Day of the LORD). Many OT prophets speak of the Day of the Lord in relation to the problem of evil and suffering. Kreeft summarizes the concept of the Day of the Lord thus:
o The solution is God’s not ours
o It lies in the future; it is not yet
o Since the problem is real, the solution is real also (that is, it’s not just a concept, but real events which solve the problem of evil)
o Since it is the Day of the Lord, it lies in God’s hands
• The word of the last “Old Testament” prophet: John the Baptist
o The last prophet of the order (Luke 7:28; John 3:30)
o The Lamb of God (John 1:23, 29-31)
Wrap-Up
• In the Bible, is God the originator of evil?
• Does God allowing evil mean that He made a mistake?
• Is the teaching that God will one day bring an end to evil and suffering strike you as a cop-out?
Session Three Thursday, June 17
New Testament Perspectives on Evil and Suffering
Set-up
When asked how the holocaust impacted his faith, one Christian theologian said, “I could not believe in God apart from the Cross.” Why do you think he said that?
Video Introduction: NT Perspectives (N.T. Wright)
Discussion of Video
• How does the story of Israel set up the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection?
• What kind of Messiah was Israel expecting—and how did Jesus match up to that expectation?
• What can we learn from Jesus’ absolute refusal to use evil to defeat evil?
• What kind of kingdom was Jesus proclaiming?
• In what ways do some of Jesus’ teachings would have challenged the ideas of the time?
• How does Jesus’ suffering and death defeat evil and suffering?
Jesus the “Tears of God”
“We are finally led not to the answer but to the Answerer.”[5]
“Why doesn’t God do something?” He did. “How to get God off the hook? God’s answer is Jesus. Jesus is not God off the hook, but God on the hook.”[6] “No matter how deep our darkness, he is deeper still.” (Corrie ten Boom)
• The incarnation was the biggest surprise in history (1 Corinthians 2:9)
• The death of God incarnate was the second biggest surprise (Philippians 2:6-11). In the phrase of C.S. Lewis, it is “deep magic from the dawn of time” (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). “God’s love comes to us soaked in divine blood.”[7]
• “Whenever you feel tempted to ask God, ‘Why did you do that to me?’ look at the cross and ask, ‘Why did you do that for me?’”[8]
• “Calvary is judo”—using the strength of evil and suffering to defeat it
• The resurrection is the third biggest surprise (“deeper magic from before the dawn of time”) (Romans 4:25; 1:3-4)
• In the film The Passion of the Christ, on His way to the cross Jesus says to His mother, “Behold mother, I make all things new!” This passage is actually from Revelation 21:5, but many theologians applaud the placement of this sentiment here in the film—that Jesus was conscious of the fact that His suffering and death was the means to the renewal of the whole creation.
United with the Suffering of Jesus
Now we live “in between” the cross and the end of suffering. What are we to make of suffering now?
• Suffering trains us. “…our lives in this world…it’s a lousy home, but it’s a great gymnasium.[9] (Hebrews 12:1-3)
• The sufferings of the believer are especially united to the suffering of Jesus (Colossians 1:24-26).
• Jesus also closely identifies with the suffering of the destitute (Matthew 25:34-40). Jesus not only suffered for the sake of our sins, but for the sake of sins committed against us, and all the ones who most suffered in this world.
The end of suffering shall come
See Revelation 21:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:53-57.
Wrap-Up
How does the fact that God Himself experienced suffering and death (Acts 20:28) impact your faith and your view of suffering and death?
Session Four Thursday, June 24
Confronting Evil, Handling Suffering
Set-up
In an old cartoon, a person prays, “What are You going to do about all the suffering in the world?” In the next panel, a voice from heaven booms, “What are you going to do about all the suffering in the world?” Based on what we’ve studied thus far, how would you respond to and critique that cartoon?
Video Introduction: What can we do about evil? (N.T. Wright)
Discussion of Video
• How did Jesus Himself live out the Kingdom ethic He taught?
• How do we live out His “turn the other cheek” ethic today?
• The Kingdom of God is often described as “already/not yet”. Why do you think this is, and how does that impact our discussion of evil and suffering?
• What was so unique about the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa?
• What are some implications of the Commission for other places around the world?
Confronting Evil
Any discussion of the Biblical concept of confronting evil has certain essentials:
• The first evil we confront is our own
• There is an Evil One (Satan, the devil) who is the originator of evil
• There is both common and extraordinary evil in the world, but they differ only in degree, not in essence
• Evil is the source of all suffering
Handling Suffering
There are key elements in understanding the Biblical concept of suffering:
• Evil is the source of suffering. Even suffering from natural disasters is rooted in human evil (Genesis 3:17, Romans 8:18-21)
• In the cross, God endured suffering on our behalf (Isaiah 53:11-12)
• Suffering has the potential to draw out the best in me. “Love is perfected by suffering and betrayal.” (Rick Warren) (Hebrews 5:8)
• The example of Jesus’ sufferings have comforted many people in their extreme pain and death
• “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”[10] That is, as believers follow Jesus’ example to suffer unto death for their faith, the legitimacy of their witness is established and the lost come to faith in Christ. See 1 Peter 2:21-24; Acts 14:22
• We don’t know all the good that comes from our suffering, and the suffering of others. (Romans 8:28)
Wrap-Up
We wrap up with these final observations:
• Suffering cannot be separated from evil. It’s the source of suffering.
• Evil cannot be separated from human freedom. Our collection abuse of the gift of freedom opens the gate to pervasive evil, and suffering follows.
• God is so motivated to defeat suffering (and even more so evil) that He took radical action in sending His Son to endure human evil and suffer to death to reverse it. Never fall for the line, “Why doesn’t God do something?” He has.
• He is now in the process of rolling back evil in a way that preserves human freedom and that will lead to maximum joy—in the long term
• Now, suffering and evil can actually serve us as means to developing our character and inclination toward God (Genesis
Providence is wonderfully intricate. Ah! You want always to see through Providence, do you not? You never will, I assure you. You have not eyes good enough. You want to see what good that affliction was to you; you must believe it. You want to see how it can bring good to the soul; you may be enabled in a little time; but you cannot see it now; you must believe it. Honor God by trusting him.[11]
Appendix: The Real Life Experience of Unexplained Suffering of Dale Salico
Dale Salico is an old friend of mine. For over 12 years, he lead what is now called Transformation Ministries, the organization FBC is related to. Health problems forced his retirement earlier this year. Here are some excerpts from his “farewell address.”
Parting Words[12]
Dr. Dale V. Salico
May 1, 2010
…During the past year, countless people from the TM churches have sent me encouraging notes, flowers, and remembrances and assured me of their prayers. Thank you for your love.
Repeatedly, people have asked Elaine or the staff, “How is Dale doing?” Quite frankly, I have asked that question myself, and the best answer I can come up with is this: I am learning to be content in the situation God has planned for me.
I increasingly admire the Apostle Paul, who also faced a time when he would have preferred being active in ministry but was prevented from doing so. Do you remember what Paul wrote from prison? “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” (Philippians 4:12-13)
Paul’s contentment in prison has always astounded me. But in the past year I have been able to identify with Paul at the emotional level more closely than ever before. In the prime of his ministry, when he still had great plans that he desired to carry out for Christ’s Kingdom, Paul was arrested and held for 2-3 years under false charges. Paul’s circumstances make my circumstances look like a walk in the park! How could anyone be content in prison when he felt called to preach? The answer is both simple and profound. Paul trusted the wisdom, love and sovereignty of God. Note that I did not say Paul completely understood the wisdom, love, and sovereignty of God. I said he trusted it. Both the Bible and life reveal that God does not always give us what we want or what we think is best. Even when our desires are good, God may not grant them because He sees something better for us or for the Kingdom—something we may not have imagined, or if we did imagine it, something we might not want. Over four and one-half decades of ministry, I have often sensed God saying to me, “I understand your doubts and reservations. I am asking you to trust Me with this.”
Forty-six years ago, God called me into the ministry, something I did not want to do. The call was undeniably clear. The only question was whether I would obey it. Would I choose to believe that the God who made me had a better plan for my life than I did? Would I trust Him with my life? Or would I insist that I had a better idea? I chose to trust Him. And I have never regretted it. But that was not all there was to my response that day forty-six years ago. I also told God that even as a pastor I would not bury my head in the sand. I would constantly test the reality of this Christian faith, and that if I found that Jesus Christ was merely a legend, a myth, or a pious fraud, I would walk away from the faith and go my own way. I was true to my word. Throughout my life I have continued to study the writings of those who reject Christianity and to think through the evidence for and against faith in Jesus Christ. Besides this, like any other pastor, I have also stood with men and women who were facing the worst that life could throw at them: the suffering and death of children; prolonged debilitating disease ravaging some of the most wonderful people I ever knew; others haunted by the terrifying memories of physical or sexual abuse; the heartbreak of divorce—you name it. And I wept with them as they cried out, “If there is a loving God, why is this happening?” These experiences sorely try the faith of a pastor, because the One who seems not to be showing up is the One we represent!
But then I would examine the Scriptures and find repeatedly all the same life experiences happening to people centuries ago. The Bible is not a fairy tale. It describes real life in its most rapturous beauty and its worst tragedy. In half of the Psalms you find people crying out, “God, where are you when I need you? When hell has stolen all that is precious to me, why are the heavens silent?” Human tragedy is terrible, but it is not new, and it is anything but ignored in the Bible. As Executive Minister I saw the best and the worst of the church. While many churches are shining examples of Christ’s love and power, I also saw congregations tearing themselves apart over foolishness, Christians—even a few pastors whom I knew -- treating people in ways that would make hyenas blush! And I could empathize with non-believers when they asked, “If this is how Christians act, how can we believe in their gospel?” Then I would look at the Scriptures, and I found that the Apostle Paul faced the same things with some of his churches. While some were shining examples of God’s transforming power, others just about drove Paul crazy with their shenanigans. Again, in our day we see nothing all that different in human behavior than is clearly portrayed in the Word of God. When you really think about it, if the sins of the church and the suffering of humanity are so clearly described in the Bible, how can one really say that the existence of these things in the world today is an argument against the truthfulness of the Bible? Next time someone asks you, “How could a loving God allow such suffering in the world?” try saying, “That’s really a great question. In the Psalms, King David asked it, too. And so did Job. Would you like to read about how angry they got with God at times?”
Here is what I have concluded: God has seen to it that there is solid historical evidence for the life, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If that is true, then it follows that Jesus is who He claimed to be, the Son of God and the Savior of the world. And if that is true, it makes all the sense in the world for me to trust Him with my life. However, while God has given us sound reasons to believe in Him, He has not given us such overwhelming evidence that we have no choice. God allows this fallen world and the human race to function “on their own,” so to speak, so that sickness, unjust imprisonment, suffering, natural disasters and other tragedies strike all people—Christians, non-Christians, good, bad, indifferent—we must all live in the same world.
In other words, there is adequate reason to believe in God and in Jesus Christ, but if a person chooses otherwise, he or she can find reasons not to believe. God has left us with that choice. If we trust Him, we must to trust Him. To make this very personal, people ask me, “Why would God allow you to become sick so that you have to leave Transformation Ministries now? All your life you have worked hard to be physically, mentally and spiritually fit. You’ve put everything you had into serving God. How could a loving God let this happen?” I do not know the answer to those questions. But when I look in the Bible, I discover that this is nothing new. The Apostle Paul was at the height of his ministry when he was arrested. He got a lot worse deal than I have. But He was content with what God gave because he chose to trust God. That’s what faith is. History bears witness that God used Paul’s arrest to build the next generation of leaders, and He inspired Paul to produce writings from his prison cell that continue to teach and encourage people all over the world 2000 years later. God was not through with Paul, but Paul never could have imagined all that God had in mind. Like Paul, I do not believe God is done with me. I am learning to be content, waiting to see what this next chapter of my life will be, and trusting God for what’s ahead. No matter what is ahead, I choose to trust the Lord I have walked with and known for a lifetime. That’s how Dale is doing.
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[1] Modified from Randy Alcorn, If God is Good (Portland: Multnomah, 2009), p. 9-84; 141-188.
[2] Ann Arbor: Servant, 1986.
[3] Alcorn, p. 206.
[4] Ontology is the branch of philosophy which deals with fundamental categories of being. As created by God and bearers of His image, human beings are ontologically good. As fallen, we become morally bad.
[5] Kreeft, p. 129.
[6] Ibid, p. 140.
[7] Alcorn, p. 209.
[8] Ibid, p. 213.
[9] Kreeft, p. 142.
[10] From Tertullian (160-220 AD), Apologeticus, 197 AD.
[11] Charles Haddon Spurgeon, God’s Providence: A Sermon (Choteau, MT: Gospel Mission Press, 1980), p. 19.
[12] , retrieved May 19, 2010.
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