The Perplexity of Pain: An Introduction

Few questions vex the human heart and mind as deeply as the problem of evil and suffering. If God is good, and if He is omnipotent, then why does evil exist? Why do innocent people suffer? This ancient dilemma, often termed the “Problem of Evil,” challenges both the believer’s faith and the unbeliever’s understanding of a benevolent Creator. It forces us to grapple with the reality of natural disasters, disease, moral depravity, and the pervasive pain that marks human existence. This article sets out the biblical answer to this mystery, affirming God’s character while acknowledging the stark reality of a fallen world.

God’s Nature: Sovereign and Good

The Bible portrays God as infinitely powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good. He is omnipotent: all power belongs to Him. There is nothing too hard for the LORD.

Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

Jeremiah 32:17
KJV

His goodness is absolute. He is the source of all good, and in Him is no darkness at all. To suggest that God is either unable to prevent evil or unwilling to do so contradicts His nature as revealed in scripture.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100:5
KJV

The existence of evil, therefore, cannot be attributed to a deficiency in God’s power or a flaw in His character. Its origin lies elsewhere, and the truth of God’s sovereignty and goodness stands throughout.

The Origin of Evil: A World Adrift

The Bible is clear: God did not create evil. When God finished His creation, He declared it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Evil entered the perfect creation through willing rebellion, first among the angels and then in mankind.

The first instance of rebellion against God occurred in the angelic realm. Satan, once among the angels, pridefully sought to exalt himself above God. Matthew Henry reads Isaiah 14 of the king of Babylon, and notes that its language “has been commonly alluded to” for the fall of the angels (Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:13-17). That rebellion ended in his expulsion from heaven: “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven,” said Jesus (Luke 10:18). He, along with a host of fallen angels, became the instigators of evil in the created order.

Subsequently, Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God had given mankind a clear command: “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” (Genesis 2:17). Through their deliberate disobedience, Adam and Eve chose to defy God, and sinned willingly.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Romans 5:12
KJV

This “Fall” had catastrophic consequences. Sin entered the world, bringing with it death, decay, and corruption, not only for humanity but for all creation. The ground was cursed (Genesis 3:17-19), and the harmony of Eden was shattered. Thus, suffering, both moral (resulting from human choices and actions) and natural (resulting from the curse on creation), traces back to the Fall. It is not God’s original intent, but a byproduct of man’s rebellion.

The Purpose of Suffering: God’s Mysterious Hand

While sin introduced suffering, the Bible reveals that God, in His sovereignty, is able to use suffering for His own righteous purposes. This does not mean He is the author of evil, but that He can redeem even the darkest circumstances for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. As Joseph famously declared to his brothers, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good...” (Genesis 50:20).

Biblically, suffering can serve several purposes:

  • Discipline and Correction: God, as a loving Father, may use suffering to chasten His children, to draw them back to Himself, or to correct their errant ways. “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth” (Hebrews 12:6).
  • Sanctification and Growth: Trials and tribulations often serve to refine our faith, build perseverance, and develop Christ-like character. “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:” (Romans 5:3-4). James exhorts believers to “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:2-3).
  • To Reveal God’s Glory: Sometimes, suffering occurs not due to sin, but so that the works of God might be displayed. Jesus healed a man born blind, stating it was “that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:3).
  • To Draw People to God: Affliction can cause individuals to seek God and find comfort in Him. “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word” (Psalm 119:67).
  • To Prepare for Eternity: The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). Suffering can remind us that this world is not our home and to long for our eternal dwelling with God.

God uses suffering, but He does not delight in it. His heart is grieved by the pain of His creation. And while we may not always understand the specific reason for every instance of suffering, we are called to trust His perfect wisdom and love, knowing that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

God’s Answer: The Cross of Christ

The ultimate answer to the problem of evil and suffering is not found in philosophical arguments alone, but in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God did not remain distant from our pain; He entered into it. In the incarnation, God Himself took on human flesh, experiencing the full gamut of human suffering, including temptation, rejection, hunger, thirst, and physical pain.

The cross of Calvary is the supreme demonstration of God’s love and His definitive answer to sin and its consequences. On the cross, Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, bore the full weight of humanity’s sin and the curse that came with it. He suffered not for His own wrongdoing, but for ours.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5
KJV

Through His death, burial, and glorious resurrection, Jesus conquered sin, death, and the power of Satan. He broke the dominion of evil and provided a way for humanity to be reconciled to God. For those who believe in Him, there is forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and the promise that one day, all suffering will cease.

The cross does not explain away suffering, but it absorbs it. It shows a God who is not immune to pain but intimately acquainted with it. It assures us that in our deepest anguish, we have a High Priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities (Hebrews 4:15).

Our Hope and Response

How should we respond to evil and suffering? In faith, hope, and love.

  • Trust in God’s Character: Even when understanding eludes us, we must cling to the revealed truth of God’s perfect goodness, wisdom, and power. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever...” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
  • Embrace the Hope of the Gospel: The resurrection of Christ is the guarantee that death and suffering do not have the final word. There is a coming day when God will wipe away every tear.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Revelation 21:4
KJV

  • Minister to the Suffering: As followers of Christ, we are called to show compassion, offer comfort, and relieve suffering wherever possible. We are to “weep with them that weep” (Romans 12:15).

The problem of evil and suffering remains a mystery in many of its individual manifestations. Yet the Bible holds God’s sovereignty and goodness together, explains the origin of evil, and provides the solution in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. We live in a fallen world, but we serve a God who is working all things according to the counsel of His own will (Ephesians 1:11), and who promises a glorious future free from all pain and sorrow.