One of the most difficult and emotionally-charged questions people ask at some time or other in life is the one regarding the Problem of Pain. Some of the questions asked along these lines include:
- If God is good, why does He allow suffering? Why does pain and suffering exist? Why does God allow evil?
C.S. Lewis summarized the problem of pain as follows: “If God were good, he would wish to make his creatures perfectly happy, and if God were almighty he would be able to do what he wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either the goodness, or power, or both.” Then in order to answer this, Lewis looks more closely at the wrong assumptions found in the words “all-powerful” and “good” when ascribed to God, and much more.
But even before Lewis attempted to answer the intellectual difficulties raised by suffering in his book Problem of Pain, he too personally experienced pain as a child, teenager, and young adult before conversion (described in his autobiography Surprised by Joy). Because he personally understood how the problem appeared to unbelievers, it gives us a greater sense of oneness with those who have also experienced tragedy to wrestle with this issue together. And it’s true that the stories of personal pain that often precedes those questions are so heart-wrenching that it begs the listener to equally consider such weighty issues of the existence of God and the goodness of His character.
But despite the difficulty of this issue, should this be an obstacle to faith in God?
Thankfully, one of the greatest comforts of Christianity is not just that there’s a well thought-out explanation behind why evil even exists, but also that God knows our pain, suffering and evil we endure in life. But if God is aware of it, that causes many people to ask, “Why can’t God just fix it?” Lewis answers, “What are you asking God to do – wipe out all past sins? Give people a fresh start? Offer supernatural help for everyday living? But God has done this – through Calvary.” It is through the cross that demonstrates God does personally identify with what we are going through, as his own Son took the cross to save us from the sin that put Him there.
Actually, often times it is difficult to give an explanation for why a particular evil or pain took place. Thankfully, because can find comfort through the assurance of God being with us in the midst of it, we in turn may be able to comfort others.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
For this post, it would be great if you could do the following and then post a response to share what you learned from the material below. Be prepared to stretch your mind as you consider this weighty topic.
1) Post what were your initial thoughts as you thought about this issue growing up?
2) Review one (or more) of the following resources that address the Problem of Pain:
- Article: Billy Graham, “Evil, Suffering, Death — What’s the Solution?“
- Video: William Lane Craig on the Problem of Pain (Gracepoint Berkeley 2010)
- Book: Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
3) Post your thoughts about what you realized through the material.