(Transcript from Dr. Kip Wehrman 02/11/2024)
While humans have and do commit horrible acts of violence against each other. It is possible to dismiss these moral evils with the free-will of man. Freedom to do good or bad, which affects others. Whether or not we believe God is justified in giving us free-will, does not change the fact that free-will and its consequences are not inconsistent with the Omnipotent, Perfectly Loving, Omniscient God. We can argue about perspectives but sense we can never fully understand the perspective of God, this argument is mute.
But, I know the next issue the atheist brings up are the “senseless” evil acts or gratuitous evil. These are events like the holocaust or rapes and murders, and the like. Most of us would agree things like this are evil. Evil done by bad people against innocent or defenseless people. The Atheist says, “There exist instances of intense suffering which an omnipotent, omniscient being could have prevented without thereby losing some greater good or permitting some evil equally bad or worse.”
Therefore, we will limit our discussion of “evil” to the definition provided by Rowe at the beginning, instances of suffering that God is capable of preventing without causing something worse.
Here is quote from CS Lewis. CS Lewis was an atheist; he had seen the horrors of World War I and believed there could not be a God because the world is full of injustice. Then one day he had an epiphany. And he wrote this is his book Mere Christianity, As an atheist “my argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got the idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?”
CS Lewis said it perfectly. The only way we can call something bad or evil is if we know what good, true goodness is. We have to have a basis. Only a Good God can be a basis for good. Atheism can offer no basis for good or bad, only what’s good or bad for the specific person but this is relative to the person.
Let’s watch excerpt from minute 29 to 39 for this video from Frank Turek. (10min video)
Does God have a purpose for what we perceive to be evil or bad. Simply yes. Do I understand, no. But I trust God. I don’t believe God makes the bad things, but instead allows the bad things.
You can see God working through and with these bad things in ways that are beyond our understanding. When there is a natural disaster, the aftermath is terrible but you see glimpses of what humans can be and should be as we help each other recover. When we grieve with someone who is sick or has lost a loved one. We are seeing glimpses of the love God has for us.
In the final analysis it really seems to be death that we see as evil or things that lead to death. We will explore this more later.
As Frank mentioned if death in the end, then I can see a cause to fear death. We might see death as evil.
But if you believe in Jesus, then you know death is only a graduation to eternity. To forever be in the presence of our Lord and King Jesus.
I want to share some words from Jesus during in sermon on the mount in Matthew 6 that has special meaning to me (Matthew 6:19-21 ESV) “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also..”
For most of my life, I did not understand these words from Jesus. What treasure can you take to heaven when you die. Then in March of 2021 I got COVID-19. For about two weeks, I was sick at home until finally I was too sick to stand up. My wife convinced me to go to the hospital. In the middle of the pandemic, I found myself in the last place you want to be, one of the busiest emergency rooms in probably the world’s best hospitals, Methodist Main Campus in the Houston medical center. They took one look at me and I was admitted. I was quickly transferred into one of the COVID isolation wards, as I faded away.
For three days, I wasn’t really there. I was in and out of consciousness. Until a had a dream or vision or whatever you want to call it. I sensed I had a decision to make. Die and be with Jesus or get better and be with my family. My choice was easy. I choose Jesus. I was ready to die.
Then I had this amazing sensation that Jesus was patting me on the shoulder and smiling. And He said, “not yet”. Then I got better. After a week I was discharged. I went home and slept in my bed, hugged my kids and wife. And the next morning I woke up in excoriating pain. I knew this pain. Kidney stones. But this was worse than anything I’ve ever experienced. After about 5 hours of fighting it, I submitted to my wife. She took me back to the emergency room, this time one near our home. It was still COVID, so Judy was not allowed to be with me. Plus, I was still COVID positive so the ER staff was scared of me. My pain was beyond, to the point I wanted to die. The nurse call button had fallen on the floor, out of my reach. I was alone. Moaning in pain and nobody came. No pain medicine and after 6 very long hours, they decided to transfer me back to the downtown hospital. I had massive kidney stones. I mean many which could not pass. They were almost twice the size of the ureter. I mean this is serious pain. And my story goes on and on. But what I came away with was a different attitude. I don’t ask God why I got sick or why I survived or why I went through the pain. I understand our purpose, the purpose of life is other people. We need to love people the God loves them. We must want good for others even if it hurts us. We have to live in a way that helps others to have the joy, peace, and assurance we have as followers of King Jesus.
So why did I share that story. I’ll warn you I will cry when I tell this next story.
This is one of my kids in the Philippines Eden. We operate a college scholarship program in the Philippines. Every student in our program has an amazing story. I love these kids. They are my kids. Now Eden was in our program for two years. Part of our requirements is you have to attend one of our partner churches. Eden did not like it. She would tell me things like ,”you made me go to church”. The letter you see on the screen is from January 2023, her second year in our program. She had been baptized and was very active in her church. She told me how much she loved learning the truth about Jesus. She became even more beautiful inside than she was on the outside.
I took this picture from her Facebook page. Jesus was the focus of her life. She graduated with honors. The first in her family to get a college degree. And in August 2023 she died. Cancer. I morn her loss. She is my treasure in heaven. The souls of people are the true treasure. It is the purpose of our lives.
Eden’s family were not believers. Her mom had sacrificed and struggled so she could complete her degree. Her younger brother had quit school just so Eden could finish. And now two months after graduation, she’s gone. Why? What was the purpose in this? Well let me tell you the rest of the story.
Eden’s mom began coming to church. She told me that her daughter told her about her relationship with Jesus. She said, “Eden’s love for Jesus made me want that too.” When we were in the Philippines I had a chance to meet and share some tears with her. And two months after her daughter’s death, she was baptized and is now a devoted follower of Jesus. It’s a glimpse, or as Frand Turek says a ripple. And I have no doubt that Eden would say her illness was worth it for her mom. That is treasure in heaven.
That is a small glimpse at the purpose of “bad things” in our lives. We can’t see the big picture but God does. My pain, Eden’s death. I don’t like either of them but if God can use them to reach one person, then it’s worth it. I still mourn the loss Eden. However, this was not evil. I don’t understand why, but I know death is not the end. Death is not bad. As a Christian, death is just graduation into the rest of our eternal life. If our definition of what is bad is based on death, then we need to reevaluate what bad is.
Let’s reassess. Evil is the absence of goodness. Evil cannot exist without goodness. The only source of goodness is God. So Evil proves the existence of God.
It’s not really the problem of evil.
It’s really our problem with bad. Our perspective is the issue.
CS Lewis captured this perfectly in his book “the Problem of Pain.” He said, “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” CS Lewis understood that without pain humans rarely look to God. So, if it takes pain for you to look to God, then the pain is worth it. I don’t wish pain on anyone. But I wish God for them more. So, if pain is the only way they ever look to God, then I have to want whatever it takes for them to surrender to God. It took near death and extreme pain for me. It took the death of Eden for her mom. I cannot imagine her mother’s pain but whatever it is, it is worth it for Jesus.
This is the end of How to Defend your Faith Session 6: the Problem of Evil (Part 3 of 4)
