Problem of evil and suffering

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.     Is 55:8-9 NIV

The advent of the internet has brought about the information age whereby knowledge is increasing at a very rapid pace.  It is said that 80% percent of the world's total knowledge has been brought forth in the last decade or so.  Despite all the knowledge and wisdom of the apostles, prophets and teachers, I believe we have only scratched the tip of the iceberg where the knowledge of God and spiritual things (prophecy) are concerned.  We may not exactly know why certain things happen the way they do.  Suffice to say that God’s ways and thoughts are far higher than ours.   The Word of God has given us sufficient signposts or truths to guide our lives in this world.   

Since the turn of the millennium, many calamitous events have taken place in this world, whether they be natural or man-made.

Calamity is defined as a great misfortune or disaster bringing grievous affliction (death or suffering)

2001: 9/11 attack on the NY twin towers & Pentagon killing almost 3000 people, with many others diagnosed with cancer due to toxic dust exposure

2003: SARS afflicted more than 8000 people worldwide, killing more than 700 people

2004: Boxing Day South Asian tsunami killing more than 200,000 people; result of an earthquake occurring off Sumatra

2011: Mar 11 earthquake-cum-tsunami triggering a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant killed more than 15,000 people

2014: Mar 8 disappearance of MH370 carrying 239 passengers & crew; the last we heard is the plane’s journey ended in the South Indian Ocean

The problem of evil and suffering will continue in this world as long as Satan and his cohorts are still roaming around.  Let’s look to God’s Word for truths concerning evil in this world.

1.      Evil originates in the heart of man and it would get worse.

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.  Jas 1:13-15 NIV

With more people on earth, evil activities will increase.

God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.  They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; …      Rom 1:28-30 NIV

2.      Believers are not spared from the effects of evil; the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, both in the physical and spiritual sense

Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.  Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated —  the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.  These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,  since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.                      Heb 11:35-40 NIV

3.      The tragic suffering or untimely death of people is not due to the fact that they were worse sinners.  

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed

with their sacrifices. ² Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the

other Galileans because they suffered this way? ³ I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all 

perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more

guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:1-5 NIV

Unorthodox Jewish belief is that the greatness of suffering is equivalent unusual wickedness.  Such is the case

with Job’s friends. Jesus' response to the two incidents is to get His hearers to repent, while they still have 

the opportunity to do so. 

4.      God can use natural disasters or sicknesses to be His instruments of judgment upon gods and men eg. Hail and fire in one of the plagues sent to Egypt (Ex 9:18-25), earthquake to swallow up Korah and his followers (Num 16:30-35).  In the seals, trumpets and bowls judgments, God uses both angelic (natural) and human means to execute His final judgments on non-believers.   The sad part of it all is that men still refuse to repent, just like Korah and his followers for their rebellion. 

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;  and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.   Rev 9:20-21 NASB

5.      Death does not have the final word in life.  

Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. ¹² And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴ Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵ So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.  Luke 7:11-15 NKJV

Two crowds met, one led by the Resurrection and the Life and the other led by the pallbearers.  Guess what, death gave way to life.  Jesus brought the child back to life; a picture of what Christ would do when He returns again to resurrect all saints.  In fact, when Christ rose again from the dead, He became the first fruit from the dead (1 Cor 15:20).  As believers in Christ, we should be the most compassionate people, following the example of our Lord.  

6.      God allows Satan to work his diabolical plans through His permissive will (Job 1:6-22).  

What is the common denominator in this story?  Satan preserved a messenger each to report to Job the bad news (4x).  God allowed Satan to strike everything he has – flocks and herds; servants and children – all destroyed within a day.  What would your response be if everything you owned was destroyed?  It’s like losing all your investments and going bankrupt; and your loved ones are taken away from you.  This was indeed a great calamity for Job!

What was Job’s response?  He worshipped God (v 20) and did not blame God for what had happened (v 22).  For us who may be suffering, this is easier said than done; but Job did it! 

The apostle John tells us that the whole world is under the hand of the evil one (1 Jn 5:19); this is because 

when man fell, he transferred dominion of the earth to Satan.

 

God has allowed evil to thrive in this world because the kingdom of this world has not become the kingdom of our God.  Jesus said that the wheat and tares will grow side by side until the Day of Judgment when they shall be separated. 

It is instructive to note that in the Lord’s Prayer, which is a model prayer for His disciples, He included this statement: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.   Mt 6:13 NIV

Jesus recognised the power of the enemy to wreak havoc in His disciples; that’s why He prayed for               protection for His disciples:  My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.   Jn 17:15 NIV

7.      Satan is constantly accusing us before God (Rev 12:10) but Christ is always making intercession on our behalf (Heb 7:25).  Satan demanded to sift Peter like wheat but Christ prayed for him. 

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”  Lk 22:31-32 NIV

Because of Christ’s prayer, Peter became the apostle to the Jews.  Writing to the Christians scattered in Asia Minor for their faith, Peter wrote that they should expect persecution because Christ Himself suffered at the hands of lawless men; and when we suffer as Christians, we are bringing glory to God (1 Pet 4:14,16).  

   

8.      God will not allow us to be tempted (by Satan) beyond our ability to bear it (1 Cor 10:13).  Trials and testing come to prove and refine our faith.  Although God allows Job to be ravaged by Satan, He knows what Job can bear.  In the final analysis, God won the victory over Satan because Job remained blameless (but not perfect) before God.  Job also repented of his sins and was blessed twice over in terms of his wealth.   

Paul tells the Philippians that they have been given the privilege to suffer with Christ. And likewise for many other Christians.

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.   Phil 1:29 NIV

“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.”             C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

As much as we would like to avoid all pain and suffering, without them we would be shallow, self-centred creatures who would ultimately lose all sense of nobility or striving for the good of others.

Whatever happens in life, we who belong to God will never be separated from His love, if we cling on to Him.

³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.                           Rom 8:35,37-39 NASB