Why did God create a situation resulting in unimaginable, intolerable, eternal torment for the majority of humanity? (The accuracy of that statement will be addressed in a later post.)
That question, regardless of how you temper it, is the philosophical dilemma of the age, and it will become increasingly pressing as judgment unfolds. Every skeptic wants to know how a loving merciful God can allow evil, and why He apparently even negotiates with evil entities.
I will say this up front: The intellect alone cannot grasp the mystery of iniquity, any more than it can comprehend goodness or love. But, there is a resolution to the anguish in our hearts created by the knowledge of evil.
The apostle Paul spoke “the wisdom of God in a mystery.” Why a mystery? Was he deliberately concealing something? No. It's only a mystery to unenlightened reason. That's why he also said it was “by revelation He made known unto me the mystery.” The mention of supernatural revelation threatens Western thinking, which idolizes objectivity and fears emotions, unaware that both intellect and feelings are inherently corrupt and unreliable. The very destiny of your soul hangs on the realization that your natural mind cannot receive “the things of the Spirit of God . . . because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor 2:11-14)
God is not illogical. But our logic is limited by the scope of our vision, and if our vision doesn't include personal revelation of God, then our intellect will remain unsatisfied. Logic can lead us to God, but it cannot know Him. Intimate knowledge of God occurs in our human spirit not our brain, and such knowing eclipses mathematical deduction. Eternal truth is “not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” (1 Cor 2:13) Human logic cannot comprehend eternal truth, it can only process it by “comparing” information that is spiritually perceived.
Any Zen-like notion that we each define what is real, and that evil is illusory, is a mockery of humanity. Such nihilistic and existential thinking is not a higher level of logic, it's evasive, incongruous and anti-human. My experience of a tree may vary slightly from yours, but the tree does not change! Words are not meaningless and arbitrary, they represent a common experience. And evil is a common tangible experience that will not vanish because we refuse to acknowledge it.
The bible reminds us that the sum total of God's word is truth. (Ps 119:160) If our understanding doesn't include all scripture we risk being deceived. Many Christians don't want to hear anything that is negative, but probably half of the bible is negative. There are lots of disconcerting verses that we tend to avoid because they don't conform to our image of God. But you can only spin the Hebrew and Greek so far before you've violated God's word. The new testament is not a renovation of God's character, but rather it is a revelation of His answer to the problem of evil.
How then, does the new testament resolve such disturbing verses as these? “I form the light and I create darkness: I make peace, and create calamities: I the Lord do all these things.” (Isa 45:7) “I am He, and there is no god beside me; I kill, and I make alive, I wound, and I heal.” (Deut 32:39)
How can I trust a God who creates calamities, kills and allows multitudes to be eternally damned? “Surely God wouldn't allow good people to go to hell.” “Surely Jesus isn't the only way to heaven.” “Surely the path isn't that narrow!” “Surely God's wrath doesn't abide on every unbeliever.”
We must understand that such statements reveal self-ignorance. “Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! . . .You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who has resisted his will?” But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” (Rom 9) God turns the question back to us: “Who are you O man?” “You are blind and arrogant and have trivialized the wisdom, love, and majesty of almighty God!”
Asking such questions is not wrong. That's how we discover truth. But if I demand that God appease the thoughts of my wounded soul before I serve Him, then I have placed myself in the absurd and dangerous position of judging God. I can't even know my own heart, how can I possibly understand God's? (Jer 17:9) “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” (Prov 14:12)
Our bewilderment and anxiety over the question of evil is really aimed at God's character, and invites an excursion into His heart. But we often approach such a quest in the blind arrogance of human nature, creating God in our own marred image, which is idolatry.
The question of evil ultimately reduces to the question of free will. Why did God take the unfathomable risk of endowing men and angels with free moral will, allowing us to reject God and default to anti-God incarnate? I can only speculate about such sublime questions. But the bible confirms our common intuition that a morally perfect Being and evil are mutually exclusive. God may manipulate darkness and create adversity for redemptive reasons, but He cannot sin, nor did He create evil.
The reality is: If you must base your trust on what seems reasonable, then you simply don’t know Him. “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” . . . “For He satisfies the hungry soul with goodness. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord.” What are “these things” we are to observe that open us to understanding God’s goodness? The context is a hungry seeking heart that cries out to God, praising and exalting Him. (see Ps 107) Such an exercise may seem unnatural and artificial, but it harmonizes and unifies our soul with eternal Truth, enabling us to hear and see the kingdom of God. For the Christian, praise and worship aligns us with the atmosphere of heaven. To avoid true praise and worship is to reject the environment of God’s presence where all answers exist. If you want answers you must open your heart and commune with Him who said “I am the truth.”
Not only is God defined as light, love and good, but He is also defined as “just,” (De 32:4; Ne 9:33) and “Justice and judgment are the foundation of His throne.” (Ps 89:14) In Hebrew justice means “to make right.” To make right or restore all things is an ultimate goal of God’s. The mystery of His will is to “gather together in one, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are in earth, in Him.” (Eph 1:9-10) Apparently the restoration of all things cannot occur as long as there is an accumulation of unresolved sin in the universe. Justice demands a verdict and a consummation. In eternity things cannot be left undone, the universe needs to be “made right” through justice.
Divine justice manifests as this terrifying emotion called the wrath of God. There is no way to minimize the awful dread of God’s wrath. Paul testified: “knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men.” Apparently Paul had insight into this aspect of God. But he had far more insight into that place of refuge where the wrath of God will never manifest - Jesus Christ. “Being justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” We can’t understand God’s wrath in terms of corrupt human emotions. Man’s wrath is listed as a work of the flesh, and it “works not the righteousness of God.” To the contrary, God’s wrath is an expression of His righteousness. His love and His anger are pure and holy, and incomparable to carnal human emotions.
In spite of perplexing questions about unrelenting evil and the staggering prospect of hell, there is a reality that is eternal, safe, secure and not defiled. It is only found in Jesus Christ. All the blessings of God are found only in Him. (Eph 1:3) Outside of Jesus Christ are only lies, perversion and death, and if I refuse Him I have every reason to be terrified! In spite of my philosophical problems, I have assurance of God’s goodness because I personally know Him. Remember, the most intelligent and powerful beings in the universe can only bow before God continually crying "Holy, Holy, Holy! (Rev 4:8) How vain is our carnal human reasoning before this unspeakably awesome loving God!
Job did not receive a single answer to his desperate questions, but after his encounter with God they were no longer relevant! After terrible pain and confusion, Job humbly admitted, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too incomprehensible for me to know.” (Job 42:3) We must concede that any explanation of evil regardless of its accuracy, falls pathetically short of the whole truth, because explanations are nothing more than symbolic attempts to grasp the incomprehensible. There is a great gulf between beholding the Truth, and our feeble attempts to explain it. Explanations may clarify our intuitions, but it’s only by beholding Him that we can be deeply impacted and changed. (see 2 Cor 3:18) Now we know in part, but when we see Him face to face we will declare, "Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God almighty, Just and true are your ways." (Rev 15)
The Psalmist wrestled with questions about evil, but found no satisfaction . . . “Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture.” (Ps 73:17) In the presence of God his philosophical questions about eternal judgment were perfectly satisfied. Where explanations leave you empty, revelation brings assurance and resolution. “A good understanding have all them that do His commandments.” (Ps 111:10) If we walk in the love of God that fulfills all commandments, we will have insight from the Holy Spirit who declares "I am understanding." (Prov 8:14)
The implications of evil and eternal judgment need not distract us. Remember, Jesus was the answer in space and time to all man’s questions about the Father. He is the Word. He is wisdom and understanding. Jesus is the “revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.” Theology has no part in Him. Yes, doctrinal issues are important, but the purpose of sound doctrine is not to “be right.” The goal is love. “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.” When we finally stand before God, our doctrine of evil will seem irrelevant. The fiery question will be, “How much did you love?” “And though I understand all mysteries . . .and have not love, I am nothing.”
Copyright 2009 by Hayden Humphrey
