Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Theodicy, Part 3

This puts us in a better position to try to resolve the problem in the syllogism above since we have refuted some unbiblical solutions. First let’s look back at the problem:

1. God is completely good.
2. God is completely powerful.
3. Evil exists (or happens).
4. Therefore, God must not be completely good or completely powerful.

The problem with the conclusion in point four above is that is does not really take the premises in points 1 and 2 seriously. It assumes that those premises are inherently contradictory with point 3 but neglects to find a conclusion that is truly built upon all of the premises. If the Christian truly presupposes the first point as the Bible commands us to do then we cannot doubt God’s goodness. If the Christian truly presupposes the second point as the Bible commands then we cannot doubt God’s power. So when we observe evil events in the world we must evaluate them on the basis of the first two premises. This means that we have to believe that there is a morally God reason for God to allow evil to exist or happen. If God is truly good and powerful, as he must be to be God, then any evil we find must be compatible with God’s goodness and power. So we should change our syllogism to show the following:

1. God is completely good.
2. God is completely powerful.
3. Evil exists (or happens).
4. Therefore, God has a morally sufficient reason for the evil that exists.

When we take all of the premises seriously then we find that there is no real or apparent logical contradiction that exists. The only possible problem comes from a human assumption of omniscience that claims that there is never a morally sufficient reason for evil. As no human being possesses the knowledge necessary to make this claim we are obligated to come to the above conclusion in point four. This certainty of God’s righteousness and then human faith is exactly what the Bible commands (Job 38-42; Eze. 18:25; Mat. 20:1-16; Rom 9:14-15, 19-21).

So we see that the Bible demands that we believe that God has a morally sufficient reason for the evil that exists but it does not tell us what the reason is. The problem of evil is ultimately not a logical problem but is a personal expression of a lack of faith in God’s goodness and power. This goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were commanded not to eat of one tree in the whole garden. Satan challenged the trustworthiness and goodness of God and Adam and Eve chose their own autonomy over God’s word. This is the original sin that caused all of humanity that followed to become sinners under God’s condemnation. Every time that a human being refuses to trust God’s good word they perpetuate the sin that plagues all of creation until the revelation of Jesus Christ. The answer to the problem of evil is repentance of sins and faith in the Lord Jesus who conquered sin and death in his crucifixion and resurrection.

No comments: