In all of my years serving in ministry, maybe the most common deterrent to faith in God for the non-believers I’ve interacted with has been the problem of pain. I can’t count the number of times I have heard a non-believer say, “I can’t believe in a God who would allow the rape, murder, and suffering that we see in our world today.”
It’s hard to fault them for saying that. Just look around, listen to the news, or read social media and you will see the overwhelmingly clear evidence of pain, evil, and suffering. One day it’s terrorists flying planes into the World Trade Center on 9/11. Another day it’s ISIS beheading young children. Suffering has existed on our planet for almost its entire existence. In the minds of many, and particularly the theologically uninitiated, the problem of pain is the most convincing argument against God. Person after person who has been through tragedy, such as losing a loved one, wonders how God could allow such things to happen. The problem of pain becomes even more convincing when someone prays earnestly for the healing of a loved one and yet they still die. Many a faith has been lost in times like that. This is an issue that is deeply personal to many and I want to handle it with as much love and honesty as possible.
Before we go any further, I think it’s important that we address something with this issue. So often pain and suffering are given as the biggest reasons for someone’s unbelief in God. It’s pegged as an emotional problem with God. This seems incredibly ironic to me. In Christianity, there is a God who has a plan for all of the world’s pain and suffering. In Christianity, you don’t have a god who looks down on our pain from a distance. Rather, you have a savior that came down to experience pain with us. In Christianity, there is ultimately a solution and plan for our pain and suffering. In atheism, there is no plan or purpose for pain and suffering because there is no ultimate meaning for life. We are merely dancing to our DNA; the winners of the universal lottery because, according to the odds, we shouldn’t be here. We are the products of the virgin birth of the universe popping into existence from nothing. To be clear, this isn’t an act on atheism at all. This is just a glimpse of reality within an atheistic worldview. C.S. Lewis explains the rationale behind our meaninglessness in an theistic worldview in his book The Weight of Glory:
“[i]f minds are wholly dependent on brains, and brains on biochemistry, and biochemistry (in the long run) on the meaningless flux of the atoms, I cannot understand how the thought of those minds should have any more significance than the sound of the wind in the trees”
If we are nothing more than a lump of atoms dancing to our DNA, as Richard Dawkins says, then we have no ultimate value or meaning. We could create the façade of meaning, but that’s all it would be, a façade. Many of the New Atheists realize this and proclaim the meaninglessness of life with fervor. They say it is more noble to live with that reality that to believe in the fairy tale of Christianity (something we’ll address in a later post). In atheism, pain and suffering are just realities we have to endure with no end in sight. In atheism, the pain and suffering we endure is useless and meaningless (just like you and I). In Christianity, pain and suffering are meaningful and purposeful (just like you and I). It seems to me that the real emotional problem lies in atheism.
That all being said, my heart goes out to people enduring pain and suffering and questioning God because of those things. In those times, Jesus is the person they should be turning to, not away from. Speaking of Jesus, He offers us more than just salvation. He gives us a glimpse at the reason for pain.
If anyone understands pain, it’s Jesus. Not only did He die an unjust death involving an incredibly severe scourging and the most excruciating death known to man, His Father, God, left His presence in Christ’s biggest time of need. When Jesus prayed for God to let the cup of God’s wrath to pass over Him, He was denied three times. God even answers “No” to some of Christ’s prayers. Just because God didn’t answer your prayer just the way you wanted Him to doesn’t mean He didn’t answer it. God always hears and answers our prayers. It’s just that sometimes He says, “No” or “Wait” to our prayers. One of the biggest realizations I’ve come to is that if I knew everything that God did, I would probably answer my prayers the same way as He’s answered them.
But more than just the extreme physical and emotional aspects of pain, Jesus understands the most important part of pain: the plan behind it. The problem of pain is a powerful one, but ultimately, only emotionally. Philosophically, when pain is analyzed, it is not a legitimate problem for faith in God. Pointless pain would be, but that’s not the reality of the pain we see today. God has a powerful plan for the pain and suffering we see. It is a plan we can’t fully comprehend as humans. In Christ’s death we see the climax of that plan. God ordained the unjust killing of His only son to save you and I from our sins. God ordained the worst sin of all with a distinct and beautiful purpose. He can and will do the same for the other sins and pain we see today. When we understand pain in that light, it becomes a little easier to cope.
Imagine a child getting a shot at the doctor’s office. That child cries in pain as he’s getting the shot. In agony and terror, he asks his parents, “Why are you letting them do this to me?”
The parents, who may be feeling more distress than their child as they watch their child suffering, say, “You may not understand why this is happening now, but some day you will, son.”
The parents understand the greater good that comes from the pain of the shot.
That’s a beautiful picture of what it’s like for us. We are the crying child. We may not understand the purpose of the pain around us, but someday we will. Even earthquakes, as terrible as they may seem to us in the moment have a plan. Our scientific research has shown us that they are required to support higher life forms. There is a plan for everything around us, whether or not we see it.
Many people will say that God, the one who can do anything, should have created the world without evil, pain, suffering, or sin. First off, this question is incredibly misplaced. We are questioning the creator of the universe and all things in it, a system so complex we can’t fathom it. We are telling God we know what is best, which is laughable. But more than just that, we can see the unavoidability of pain when we consider the free will/responsibility we have as human beings. If God made the universe without pain, where everyone always did things perfectly, we would be automatons, robots. We wouldn’t be humans. Our free will would be non-existent. By nature, if you have any level of free will, you have to assume a level of evil, pain, and sin. Logically, this makes sense. Mathematically, this checks out. If people have any possible option to choose wrongly, they at some point will. It’s inescapable. C.S. Lewis hammers this point home in The Problem of Pain when he says:
“His Omnipotence means power to do all that is intrinsically possible, not to do the intrinsically impossible. You may attribute miracles to Him, but not nonsense. There is no limit to His power.
If you choose to say, ‘God can give a creature free will and at the same time withhold free will from it,’ you have not succeeded in saying anything about God: meaningless combinations of words do not suddenly acquire meaning simply because we prifex to them the two other words, ‘God can.’
It remains true that all things are possible with God: the intrinsic impossibilities are not things but nonentities. It is no more possible for God than for the weakest of His creatures to carry out both of two mutually exclusive alternatives; not because His power meets an obstacle, but because nonsense remains nonsense even when we talk it about God.”
Later in the book, Lewis goes on to say:
“Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the order of nature and the existence of free-wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself.”
When we ask for life without pain, we don’t really understand what we’re asking for. For example, there’s a longing in many of us to have celebrity status. At first glance, being a celebrity seems like it would be great. We would be rich, we would have tons of fans, and we would have many of our needs attended to. What we forget about is all of the downsides that come with the reality of being a celebrity. Imagine having paparazzi following you and stalking you constantly. Imagine all of the hate mail that celebrities regularly get. Imagine trying to live up to the impossible expectations of being a celebrity. Imagine the loneliness that would come while at the top of the world; always wondering if people wanted genuine friendship or if they were just trying to use you for their own personal gain. When you consider all of the celebrities hooked on drugs and alcohol and the celebrities that often have thoughts of suicide, it’s easy to see that even though our caricature of celebrity status may seem great, in reality it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. In many cases, it might be unlivable.
It would be the same for life without pain. No pain sounds great, but when you factor in the absence of free will, life would become unlivable. We would cease to be humans. Life would be nothing like it is now. It would be awful.
More than just its logical necessity within free will, we can see the positives and purposes of pain, even outside of Christ. For one, evil, pain, sin, and suffering help show us what is right and good. Without the ability to see or feel pain, we wouldn’t have a full grasp on what is right. The perfect example of this comes in the form of a girl named Ashlyn Blocker. Ashlyn has CEPA, a serious medical disorder that keeps her from feeling pain. She could step on a nail, put her hand in fire, or cut off a finger and she wouldn’t feel any pain at all. Someone has to be watching her at all times to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself. When Ashlyn’s mom was interviewed by CNN, the thing she said she prayed for most was that Ashlyn would be able to feel pain.
It’s hard for us to see the importance of feeling pain when we’re in the midst of it, but it is none the less important. I have learned more during times of pain than at any other time in my life. I’m thankful for those tough experiences because they have made me who I am today. Talk your grandparents or parents and they will probably give you a similar answer.
The other major reason for pain is one that most people don’t quickly think of. It is to further the glory of God. That might sound crazy, but it’s true. Everything happens because, at some point and in some way, it will glorify God. If God had made us as perfect humans with no free will, He would have only revealed His glory is His creation. With evil, pain and sin, there must be a Savior. Because of this, God shows off His glory not just in His creation, but in His redemption and saving of His creation. Another way to look at this is to think of a diamond. A diamond is beautiful. If you could only see one facet of a diamond, it would be beautiful. However, seeing all of the facets of the diamond and their unique beautiful is what really takes your breath away. In God’s creation, we only see one facet of His beauty. With pain and ultimately redemption, we see many more facets of God’s glory.
The world as it is may not be the greatest possible world, but in God’s plan it may be the case that our world is the great possible means for the greatest possible world.
The reality amidst all of the philosophical reasoning is this: philosophical reasoning doesn’t often speak to someone who is in pain. If that’s you, I want you to understand that I don’t expect the logical arguments to suddenly solve your problem with pain. Instead of looking at the arguments, I want you to look at Jesus Christ and understand that He is right there with you in the midst of the pain. There’s a beautiful little poem that perfectly sums this up. It’s called Footprints and it goes like this:
“One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,
‘You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?’
The Lord replied, ‘The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.’”
When we hurt most, Christ is there for us. When we are on top of the world, Christ is there. That’s important to remember because, as Tim Keller says, you don’t really know Jesus is all you need until He is all you have.
Times of suffering can be some of the most meaningful that we ever experience. Keller brings up another great point in his book Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering when he says,
“In the secular view, suffering is never seen as a meaningful part of life but only as an interruption.”
If happiness is your only goal in secularism, then suffering destroys that goal. On the other hand, in the Christian worldview, suffering can be a gateway to turning your life over to God. Many people have become Christians after turning to God in times of pain. Sometimes that’s the wake-up call people need to understand their need for Christ. That is one purpose of pain in God’s plan. Sometimes pain is a reminder that we all believe there is a higher being. That’s why you will see even atheists bow their head in prayer in times of desperation. In his book The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis says,
“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
The moment we understand that we can’t do it on our own, that’s precisely when we can begin to understand our need for a Savior.
One of my favorite worship songs, “Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace)” by Hillsong Worship, has a bridge that reminds me beautifully of the plan behind our pain.
“Oh I can see it now
Oh I can see the love in Your eyes
Laying yourself down
Raising up the broken to life”
While listening to those lyrics, I imagine the look in Christ’s eyes as He is breathing His last breath on the cross. Past the obvious excruciating pain, deeper down I see an incredible love; a love that I can’t fathom or imagine. I see a love that is willing to experience the greatest, most awful pain that humanity can offer so that it can save undeserving people that can’t save themselves. In Jesus Christ we see our salvation come from pain, but we also see pain itself. And in that pain we see the greatest love the world has ever known. You may be experiencing incredible pain right now, but understand that there is a plan for that pain, and that plan ends with the greatest possible conclusion ever devised: an eternity spent with God, our Father.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”- 1 Peter 5:10
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,[a] 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,[b] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”- Philippians 2:5-11
Citations
Lewis, C. S. The Weight of Glory. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1942. Print.
Lewis, C. S. The Problem of Pain. New York, NY: HarperOne, 2001. Print.
Keller, Timothy. Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering. N.p.: Dutton, 2013. Print.
Houston, Joel, and Jonas Myrin. Breaking Vessels (Amazing Grace). Hillsong Worship. Michael Guy Chislett, 2014. MP3.
Unchaining the Lion 