Why Do Bad Things Happen? (Part 3)

For the last couple of days, I have written about what philosophers and theologians call "The Problem of Evil." In other words, "If God is good, why do bad things happen?"

 I hope you're still with me, even if you disagree with the things I've said because there's a little more I want to share with you about the bad things that happen in this world.

Part Three: Evil and the Fallen Creation

If you've read what I've written in the last two days, you know that only God can declare things right or wrong and that sometimes we suffer from choices others make. But what about the rest? What about natural disasters and other things that aren't as easy to explain?

 

 

I'd like to talk about nature first; nature is powerful. In my short lifetime the earth has experienced earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, hurricanes, and tornadoes -- I'm sure I've left something out. The bottom line is that nature can kill. Nature can destroy. If God is the creator and nature is his, then how is it that these bad things happen?

 

Let's go back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve aren't the only ones feeling the results of their decision to snack on the forbidden fruit. The Serpent gets cursed and so does the ground (Gen. 3:14,17). What's more, Paul talks about the flawed state of the natural world in his letter to the Romans.

That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens. All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. (8:18-22 The Message --underlining mine.)

After The Fall, the world where people and nature could enjoy God and depend on him forever got broken. Consequently nature is terribly off balance causing the events we think of as natural disasters. These bad things will keep right on happening until things are set right. "Okay," you say, "but what's this metaphorical 'birth' Paul's talking about?"

I'll tell you more about that in a minute.

The last part of the answer to our big question sounds the simplest but in many ways is the most complex. Evil exists. On one hand we have God and his goodness, and on the other hand we have Satan acting out his own rebellion against God and convincing us to join him. He uses a variety of tactics, but they all have the same result -- separation from God. It started with Eve and has trickled down to us. We're all caught in spiritual warfare whether we realize it or not.

The Bible, God's story about his relationship with us, spells this out to us plainly. In The Gospels, Jesus casts demons out of people and is even tempted by Satan himself. We talked about Job yesterday. Peter calls Satan a "roaring lion" just waiting to eat us up (I Peter 5:8). Paul talks about it a lot too. Here are some selected lines from the very last part of his letter to the Ephesians. I really like the way The Message translates it.

So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. (6:10 -12)
 

What remains of the letter continues to use very strong language, talking about warfare, weapons, and battle.  In his book The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis addresses this idea in a way that's easy to understand. The narrator, a devil named Screwtape, is giving his apprentice, Wormwood, advice about how to separate his "subject" from God. His diabolical advice ranges from the evils of temptation to the more subtle use of distraction. C.S. Lewis has a talent for helping us see intangible spiritual truths in a concrete way. I won't tell you any more about the book; you can read it if you like. The essential message is that God isn't the only influence out there. Bad things happen because evil exists.

There's a logic to all this. As humans we have needs and limitations. God is infinite and has qualities we can't even wrap our minds around, yet God gives us freewill to choose how we live. In addition we all inherit a legacy when we're born and have no choice but to live in a dangerous, imperfect world. We're caught on the battlefield in a no-man's-land between God and Satan, and there's nothing we can do for ourselves.

All this is pretty depressing. The simple fact that bad things happen and that we find ourselves at a loss to explain them is frustrating and disheartening.

If the story ended with Adam and Eve being banished from Eden, we could justifiably accuse God of the worst kind of cruelty. What sort of God creates beings and then asks them to do the impossible -- the very thing he knows they can't do? And then punishes them for it?

Thankfully that isn't where the story ends. In fact that's just where the story starts. The rest of God's story is about all the things he's done to bring us home. He sent his son to die for us and to buy us back. He's carried the Bible through history, so every person until the last moment of time has a chance to know and understand him. He's sent us his Holy Spirit to fill us -- to  accomplish the work in us and through us that we are unable to do alone. He loves us enough to let us share in all he's doing, even if it's difficult for us.

Remember that metaphorical 'birth' Paul was talking about? Well, he's refering to the time when Jesus will return. He'll restore us and creation, so we can enjoy God, each other, and heaven forever.

I could keep going on and on about God. Since I first started wrestling with the question of his goodness, I've sought him out for myself and gotten to know him in a more deeply personal way than I could ever have imagined. I can't even begin to guess the things I still have to learn about him, and I can't wait.

I don't expect anyone to simply accept the things I've written and not think about them. When the hard times you face and the suffering of others make you question God, I hope you'll set out on your own journey.  Don't worry if you are skeptical or afraid because if you begin with honesty as you seek an answer, you'll find the truth.

Image credit: http://graphicleftovers.com/graphic/natural-disasters-355/