Making Sense Of Life Prt 1- The Problem Of Evil

Making Sense of Life

The Problem of Evil - Part 1

13 Aug 2023

When trying to reconcile the existence of a good and all-powerful God and the problem of evil, it can be a difficult conversation. One doesn’t need a Ph.D. in theology or philosophy to realize something is desperately wrong with the world we live in. The existence of evil is one of the most vexing challenges a Christian—or any person for that matter, must grapple with.

So what is evil? Augustine said: “Evil is the absence or deprivation of good…the effects of evil tend to be destruction and disorder – a twisting or scarring of nature, and of souls.” In the same way we can say night is the absence of light, cold the absence of heat, and hunger is the absence of food, evil is the deprivation of good, and in this case, the absence of God. You cannot know what evil is without knowing what is good. Evil is like rust on metal, if you didn’t have the metal in the first place you wouldn’t have rust.

Who defines what is ultimately good, right, and just? Last week, Allen and Jon spoke about how the moral law and how it points to a moral law giver who is the greatest Good, God Himself. Since evil has many faces, we want to break it down in a few ways. We can view evil, from a personal view - that is from the one who is suffering from the effects of evil. Or else we can view evil from the vantage of the observer - from the one who sees the evil but is not directly affected by it. Intellectually and philosophically, we are speaking about two sources of evil:

1. Natural evil - that which happens as nature breaks down. For example, there are hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, floods, tsunamis, tornadoes, famines, diseases, etc., that can cause great damage and loss of life.

2. Moral evil - evil that people are responsible for; that which comes from the breakdown in human nature.

As we have seen throughout history, people can choose to be very good one moment and completely evil in the next. At life group last Friday, Daniel Jarnik brought out a good example of this. Adolf Eichmann, an SS officer in the Third Reich, was considered one of the most notorious Nazis, a major organizer for the holocaust and one of the persons responsible for the extermination of six million Jews. After WW2, after escaping to Argentina, he was described as a model citizen - until he was captured and taken to Israel to stand trial. Time Magazine reported that Eichmann was known to have been an architect of the Nazi genocide and was even once reported to have said that he gained “extraordinary satisfaction” from knowing that he had millions of death on his conscience. How could someone responsible for so much moral evil in the holocaust be viewed as a model citizen in the following years of his life?

Jesus said that evil resides within every human heart and can manifest itself in acts like pride, greed, theft, cowardice, cruelty, hatred, jealousy, murder, and injustice. But there are also verbal evils like slander, maligning, gossip, sowing discord among brothers and sisters thereby causing division. There are theological evils where people misrepresent God, twist the Scriptures, engage in spiritual abuse - causing incredible pain and suffering for others.

What effect or impression is left on the secular world when religions use terror to advance their belief? Or when church leaders fall into immorality or engage in misappropriation of church funds? How often do we consider the effects our actions or inactions have on others? Some moral evils can even lead to natural evil.

Understanding the theoretical or philosophical aspects of evil are helpful but they cannot offer us the same degree of comfort as a wise and caring friend who walks with us through our pain. And in the face of evil, whether natural or moral, our explanations many come short of giving a completely satisfactory answer for the many aspects of evil. Evil is an age-old problem and we need to know how to think about it.

Please turn with me to Luke 13:1-5 (AMP)

1 Just at that time some people came who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate [the governor] had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus replied to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they have suffered in this way? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish. 4 Or do you assume that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed were worse sinners than all the others who live in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.”