The Problem of God
“The Problem of Evil and Suffering”
Romans 8:28

“If you could ask God only one question and you knew He would give you an answer, what would you ask?”

Why is there pain and suffering in the world?

Evil and Suffering
Doesn’t suffering and evil in the world point to the fact that a loving, powerful, good God doesn’t exist?

Common Assumptions
	Evil and suffering are real
	If God exists, He is loving

Evil and Suffering
	It is very personal
	The Bible is very honest about it (Psalm 6:3, Habakkuk 1:2, Revelation 6:9-10)

Possible Options
Evil and Suffering are…
	1. Simply an illusion
	2. Deserved (Karma)
	3. Real
	4. Real
	5. Real
God…
	1. Exists (New Age/Christian Science)
	2. Exists, but is uninvolved (Hinduism)[John 9:1-3]
	3. Doesn’t exist (Atheism/Antitheism)
	4. Exists, but is unable to do anything (Deism)
	5. Exists and has a greater good [Genesis 1-2, Ecclesiastes 3:1]

Could it be that evil and suffering…
	Point to the existence of God? (2 Thessalonians 2:7)
	Highlight a good God who allows it to retain free will?
	Allows a good God to create a greater good?

Christianity proclaims a God…
	Who is not distant or removed from our suffering
	Who became like us, suffered with us and for us
	Whose identity is found in suffering

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” - Romans 8:28

That is our hope!

Further Reading

Ronald H. Nash, Faith and Reason: Searching for a Rational Faith
Randy Alcorn, If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil
Alvin Plantinga, God and Other Minds: A Study of the Rational Justification of Belief in God
Max Scheler, The Meaning of Suffering
Timothy Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
John G. Stackhouse Jr., Can God Be Trusted: Faith and the Challenge of Evil