Note: You are reading this message either because you did not load our stylesheets, or you are not using a standards-compliant browser. Please consider using one of these browsers to view this web site: Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, or Safari (Mac).

How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?

April 16th, 30e by Brett Wagner

timkellerI recently picked up a copy of Tim Keller’s book, “The Reason for God.” Within this book he tackles the most common reasons for doubting the God of the Bible and then outlines the reasons for trusting the God of the Bible. Chapter 2 deals with the issue of evil and suffering within this world.

The issue of evil and suffering must be dealt with if we live in this world with our eyes open. For many people, the objection has gone like this, “God cannot be both good and all powerful. If he he is all powerful, he cannot be good because of all the suffering in this world. If he is good, he cannot be all powerful because of all the suffering in this world.”

Hmm…sounds pretty logical right?

Here is where Keller’s chapter on suffering is helpful. He writes,

“Many other philosophers have identified a major flaw in this reasoning. Tucked away within the assertion that the world is filled with pointless evil is a hidden premise, namely, that if evil appears to be pointless to me, then it must be pointless.

This reasoning is, of course, fallacious. Just because you can’t see or imagine a good reason why God might allow something to happen doesn’t mean there can’t be one…If our minds can’t plumb the depths of the universe for good answers to suffering, well, then, there can’t be any! This is blind faith of a high order.”

Keller goes on to sight a very helpful illustration of Alvin Plantinga known as the “no-see-ums”:

“If you look into your pup tent for a St. Bernard, and you don’t see one, it is reasonable to assume that there is no St. Bernard in your tent. But if you look into your put tent for a “no-see-um” (an extremely small insect with a bite out of all proportion to its size) and you don’t see any, it is not reasonable to assume they aren’t there. Besides, after all, no one can see ‘em.”

His point is this: many people assume that if there is a good reason for suffering, then it should be plain and obvious as a St. Bernard in your small little tent! But this is quite a prideful and self-absorbed form of reasoning. We are reminded by the prophet Isaiah:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isa 55:8-9 ESV

Leave a Reply