Historical Approaches To The Problem of Pain Pt. 1

Since theodicy is a problem as old as the Garden of Eden and the Flood of Noah, Christian theologians have wrestled with it all through the history of our faith. Six basic approaches have been proposed most often. We’ll cover two approaches each over the next three days.

The spiritual warfare model

Satan is very real.

• He murders and lies (John 8:44).
• He accuses the people of God (Job 1:9–11).
• He resists the godly (Zechariah 3:1; Matthew 13:38–39).
• He tempts us to sin (1 Chronicles 21:1; Matthew 4:1).
• He has power over unbelievers (Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:3–4).
• He is a “roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

As a result, much of the evil and suffering in the world is attributable to his malignant work. Paul was clear: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

However, not all suffering is the direct result of Satan’s work.

We live in a fallen world in which natural disasters and disease are inevitable. People misuse their free will (see the second approach below). God permits some suffering for our greater good (see the third approach).

Satan would like us to attribute all evil to him, giving him too much power, or blame nothing on him, pretending he doesn’t exist. The right approach is to ask the Lord if there is a Satanic component to our suffering and trust that he will guide us to the truth. If we are under attack, we can claim the power of God over our enemy and find victory in his Spirit and strength.

The free-will theodicy

Augustine (AD 354–430) is usually considered the greatest Christian theologian after Paul. His approach to the problem of evil and suffering can be summarized as follows:

• God created all that is.
• All that he created is good.
• Before the fall, evil was therefore “non-being,” potential to be chosen but not yet reality.
• God created humanity with freedom of will.
• We used this freedom to choose evil.
• Our choice brought evil into existence, absolving God of blame.

There is much in Scripture to commend Augustine’s approach:

• God gave us freedom of will (Genesis 3:15–17; Exodus 32:26; Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15; 1 Kings 18:21).
• We were given this freedom so we could choose God and good (Matthew 4:10; Proverbs 1:10; 4:14; Romans 6:13; Ephesians 6:13; 2 Peter 3:17).
• Our free choice for wrong led to evil (James 1:13–15; 4:1).
• All people are now sinners (Romans 3:23).
• Our sin has resulted in a fallen world (Genesis 3:17; Romans 8:22).

Whenever evil is the product of our sinful choices, Augustine’s approach explains its existence without blaming God. However, it does not account adequately for innocent suffering.

Augustine would argue (correctly) that a hurricane was the product of a world that “fell” because of sin. But he could not explain why it would devastate one place rather than some other part of the planet, or why so many innocent children would be affected.

A philosopher will also ask, “If man were created good by nature, why did he choose to sin? If God gave us freedom of will and knew how we would choose to use it, is he not responsible for its use (at least to some degree)?”

The free-will approach helps us understand why a person who chooses to abuse alcohol might die in a drunk-driving accident. But it doesn’t explain why the innocent driver of the other car had to die as well.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at two more historical approaches.

Today, ask yourself how you have approached the problem of pain in your past.