In probably the most famous chapter of his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul the Apostle says the three most enduring virtues or qualities are “faith, hope, and love,” and of course he cites “love” as the “greatest of these” (I Corinthians 13:13).
One might say that these three qualities are crucial to any solid or lasting relationship. Whether we’re talking about relationships between family members or friends, it’s imperative that such relationships be characterized by faith (which is another word for “trust”), hope (also related to trust, and with an eye to the future), and love.
But how can we place our faith, hope, and love in a God who either directly causes or at least intentionally allows pain and suffering?
Bart Ehrman is a well-known scholar and bestselling author who focuses on the New Testament as well as the historical Jesus and the origins and development of early Christianity. He is not, however, a Christian. And the reason why (he says) is because of a question that “haunted” him for most of his time as a professing Christian. It was a question which (according to Ehrman) caused him to ultimately lose his faith.
That question is the basis for his book God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question–Why We Suffer.
In the opening lines of that bestseller, Ehrman throws down the gauntlet: “If there is an all-powerful and loving God in this world, why is there so much excruciating pain and unspeakable suffering?”
This question is not new. It dates back to even before the New Testament. One of the earliest thinkers to pose this dilemma was the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, known as the founder of the highly influential school of philosophy which bears his name: Epicureanism.
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Epicurus, ca 341-270 B.C.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
Studies have shown that the “problem of pain” (as C.S. Lewis called it) has caused more people to walk away from the faith than any other question or dilemma.
If God is (as the Bible claims) holy, righteous, all-loving, all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere present, why is there so much pain, evil, and suffering?
With all due respect to Dr. Ehrman’s claim, the Bible neither ignores this question, nor does it fail to address it. In fact, the entire arc of the Bible is about WHY we live in a world of pain, evil, and suffering — and what God is doing about it!
Sin is the Reason for Suffering
In his letter to the church in Rome, the Apostle Paul explained: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
Earlier in that same letter, Paul yanks away any claim one might make that he or she isn’t “that bad” or that they are somehow not a sinner. Alluding to several psalms as well as the prophet Isaiah, Paul declares:
As it is written:
Romans 3:10-12
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
And just so we fully get the point, he drives it home by declaring that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
In other words, the standard isn’t other people. You can’t compare yourself to others, and say, “Well, I’m not as bad as she is” or “At least I don’t do what he does.” That won’t work.
The standard for holiness and perfection is the glory of God.
We all fall short of that standard.
Every single one of us.
As a result of our sinful condition, we suffer. We live in a fallen world that has been “cursed” (Genesis 3:17-19) and now “groans and labors with birth pangs” (Romans 18:18-22) in anticipation of reconciliation with God.
Because of sin, life itself is challenging, painful, and difficult. We must work hard in order to survive (Genesis 3:17-19) and we also experience pain (physical and emotional) in our marriages, in childbirth, and in the raising of children (Genesis 3:16).
And we experience death (Genesis 3:19; Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23a). This death is both physical (the separation of the soul from the body) and spiritual (the separation of our soul from God).
Our Hope is in God
If we want a way through and ultimately out of this fallen world full of pain, evil, and suffering, then our only hope is God Himself. And that hope is made possible because of His love and grace.
Paul explains: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Jesus Himself speaks to this when he tells Nicodemus in the most oft quoted verse of the Bible: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
The way to “everlasting life” is through Jesus. He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6).
Paul assures us that “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
The Resurrection Validates our Hope
“This all sounds great,” you might say. “But how do I know it’s true?”
It’s a fair question. Anyone can claim just about anything. And it’s reasonable to examine the credibility of such claims.
Paul addressed this skepticism in the first century – in the earliest years of the first century church. Many believers in Christ were questioning whether there really was a life after death.
After all, they kept seeing people die, and Jesus hadn’t returned. How could they know that the Christian promise of eternal life was true? It seemed like things were continuing on as they always had been — just as they were even before they even heard about Jesus.
Addressing these questions and doubts, Paul stakes the entire credibility of the Christian message on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
I Corinthians 15:12-19
Christ’s conquering of death means that those of us who trust in Him will benefit from Christ’s conquest. And our hope in that conquest is validated by Jesus rising from the dead.
For those skeptical about the resurrection, the evidence for the resurrection is overwhelming. Future articles on this blog will delve into that more deeply.
As to why our earthly bodies must still experience death, Paul explains:
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
I Corinthians 15:50-58
“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Because of our sinful flesh, we must still experience the physical death of this body in this fallen world. But when we die in the Lord, we can rest assured of two things:
- Once our soul and spirit exit the body in death, we are present with the Lord. (II Corinthians 5:1-8)
- When the Lord returns, our body will be glorified and reunited with our soul and spirit. (I Corinthians 15:52; I Thessalonians 4:16-17)
God is Worthy of our Trust
The Apostle Paul tells us that any suffering we experience in this life is not worth considering in relation to what God has in store for those who trust Him. As the apostle puts it: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)
The Bible is honest that, in this life, there will be tribulation and suffering. But our hope is ultimately not in this life, but in the next. And…
Our hope is ultimately not in ourselves, but in the One who made us and who loves us.
May God bless and comfort you.
