The Sovereignty of God in Suffering
I've heard that children will usually be the ones to ask the most profound questions of anyone. Last Thursday this was confirmed when, on the way home from a prayer meeting for missions, my seven year-old (Elizabeth) said to me, "Daddy, can I ask you a question?" "Sure!" I replied. She then proceeded to ask about the origin of evil and suffering and God's role in it (in her own 7 year-old words, of course - but this was the core of her question).
Wow. That's a tough one. There are people who have pondered this question for entire academic careers and not come up with an answer. There are also those who have come to conclusions...many conclusions. I let her know as much and also told her that it is a subject I have been thinking about a lot lately and that I would give her the best answer that I have been able to come up with so far.
I explained that, first of all, God is good and God is all-powerful; so, in order for there to be evil and suffering, God has to allow it. So, God must have a good reason to allow evil and suffering even though we may not understand that reason now. We need to realize that God does all things in such a way that He would receive the most glory. God is loving, yes. But God is also just and how would we know this about Him if there were not injustice for Him to make right? God is mercy but we would never know this if there were no offenders to show mercy to. God is patient but we would never know the extent of His patience were it not for Him allowing us such a long leash in our rebellion and disobedience and stubbornness. Therefore, in order for God to be truly glorified in all His attributes and perfections He had to allow certain things, including evil and suffering. Now, because of this, we can know our God more fully and appreciate how wonderful and marvelous He is. I realize this is just a brief answer and is pretty simplistic, but what are you going to say when a 7 year-old asks about the problem of evil?
Dr. Al Mohler has commented on this subject in relation to Hurricane Katrina on his blog. (By the way, I love the hymn he mentions. Read the words carefully.)
Wow. That's a tough one. There are people who have pondered this question for entire academic careers and not come up with an answer. There are also those who have come to conclusions...many conclusions. I let her know as much and also told her that it is a subject I have been thinking about a lot lately and that I would give her the best answer that I have been able to come up with so far.
I explained that, first of all, God is good and God is all-powerful; so, in order for there to be evil and suffering, God has to allow it. So, God must have a good reason to allow evil and suffering even though we may not understand that reason now. We need to realize that God does all things in such a way that He would receive the most glory. God is loving, yes. But God is also just and how would we know this about Him if there were not injustice for Him to make right? God is mercy but we would never know this if there were no offenders to show mercy to. God is patient but we would never know the extent of His patience were it not for Him allowing us such a long leash in our rebellion and disobedience and stubbornness. Therefore, in order for God to be truly glorified in all His attributes and perfections He had to allow certain things, including evil and suffering. Now, because of this, we can know our God more fully and appreciate how wonderful and marvelous He is. I realize this is just a brief answer and is pretty simplistic, but what are you going to say when a 7 year-old asks about the problem of evil?
Dr. Al Mohler has commented on this subject in relation to Hurricane Katrina on his blog. (By the way, I love the hymn he mentions. Read the words carefully.)
Labels: Christianity, theology
posted by Jim V. | 7:38 AM
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