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How does Christianity explain good and evil? How does Christianity uniquely address the problem of suffering? What tools are we given in the face of suffering?
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People have free will, allowing them to make their own choices. Having free will and knowing that we have sinful nature because of the fall is the effect of evil. Suffering is a direct result of human free will when choosing to do wrong. Sometimes suffering is a test, a way to strengthen your faith.
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We believe God is all good in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is holy, just and righteous. He can do anything He wants because He is all powerful. He created the world which was good, but it fell into sin starting with the fall of Satan from heaven and Adam and Eve. Therefore there is evil in the world. there is natural, human and supernatural evil. Natural: hurricanes and earthquakes; human: theft, murder and rape. The said response is that is if God is all powerful, why is there evil, does He allow it? We believe He is the creator, law giver and He sent His son like us to earth, died for our sins on the cross and rose again from the dead. By this He took our sin upon Himself so there is a way back to God. He is in charge of history, he will make things right, He will judge the world and. will restore everything. Jesus conquers evil through His death, resurrection, ascension, enthronement and will by His second coming. Through Jesus we see goodness, love, justice and liberating power. This gives us a reasonable hope for the future.
<font face=”inherit”>Other religions do not address evil in this way and are not good answers to make sense of evil. Atheism states there is no God, so if God is good, there can be no good and provides no moral standard, so there can be so solution to evil. Islam is fatalistic, saying </font>everything<font face=”inherit”> is meant to happen, again no solution. Pantheism says God is in everything and there is no sense of good and evil. Buddhism says life is full of evil but the answer is to escape into nirvana into nothingness, which is no future.</font>
Christianity gives us a tool for suffering which is lament. It does not cure evil and suffering, but it is a way to face evil and suffering. Calling you to God in disappointment, desolation and desperation like in the old negro spirituals. There are 60 Psalms of lament. Also Job. The world is fallen but through Jesus, God is working to develop His kingdom. He, the mediator is making a way for sinful people to be reconciled to a Holy God.
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Genesis chapter 3 gives that account of the introduction of evil to mankind and our universe, and all the ramifications that ensued including man inheriting the sin nature. God, whose essence is goodness, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into this corrupt world to take away our sins. Because Christ, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, is solely good and without sin, He was and is worthy to take away the sins of the World.
The tool for the suffering is hope and trust that as believers our suffering is not in vain. In Romans 8:28 God promises, “. . . all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” I am reminded of Joseph’s response to the suffering he endured because of his brothers’ transgressions against him. He said: “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” The suffering we experience as believers is never a waste of time. God can be glorified in our suffering. -
God is wholly good, and he created the world to be good. However, sin caused the world to fall and brought evil into it. Christians believe that if God is all-good, then any evil that exists must be allowed by God because he has a sufficient reason for it. Christianity addresses the problem of suffering by framing times of suffering as opportunities to grow closer to God and practice trusting in him. We know that he understands suffering because he, too, has suffered. We are given the tool of lamentation in the face of suffering. We are able to call out to God.
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Christianity explains good and evil by believing that all God created was good; humans were very good. However, because the first humans sinned and disobeyed God, evil entered the world. So, both good and evil exist in the world today. Because of the evil in the world, there is suffering and death. People die as a result of natural evils such as weather-related events. They also suffer and die as a result of man through murder and other sinful acts. People die as a result of their own sins and choices. And some people die just as a result of the sin in the world — our bodies do not live for eternity. We have some tools, however, to help us deal with suffering. We have God’s word, His Spirit, and the peace which comes from knowing our souls will reside in Heaven for all eternity if/when we die. We have Christians in our midst who have dealt with sufferings we may currently be experiencing; they can be a great encouragement to us. We have hope in Christ Who, while on the cross, experienced the ultimate suffering of being separated from the Father and overcame death by being resurrected!
