The Problem of Pain and Suffering

OBJECTION: Christians claim that God is good, all-powerful and all-loving. If this is the case, why does God permit the pain and suffering that we see all around us? A good god would not allow the kind of suffering we see in our world.

The Answer Lies in the Priorities and Values of God
Those of us who have tried to comfort a gravely sick child understand the difficulty of explaining how a good God could allow such agony, particularly when the person suffering appears to be innocent or helpless. If an immaterial, immortal God does exist, however, it is reasonable to expect this God to value the immaterial and transcendent over the physical and temporal pleasures we often seek as humans.

Humans Often Overvalue the Pursuit of ‘Comfort’
A good God values character over comfort. Creature comforts are temporary, but character transcends time. It shouldn’t surprise us that a transcendent God would understand the difference, even when we don’t. Unfortunately, character is often best developed as a result of our temporary pain and suffering. Patience, determination, the will to persevere and ability to retain hope all result from the trials and tribulations of life. God allows some level of temporary pain and suffering in order to develop our eternal, transcendent character.

Humans Often Misunderstand the Nature of ‘Love’
A transcendent God understands that ‘love’ is the perfect balance between mercy and justice. We, as humans, often hold a very temporal understanding of love; we think of love as that warm instantaneous feeling, that lustful desire, or that passionate season of romance. But God understands that true love transcends the moment and often requires discernment, discipline and judgment. We could hardly say we loved our children if we didn’t care enough about their future to discipline them, and discipline often feels painful. Love often requires a concern for justice that focuses on the future, and justice often requires the infliction of pain and suffering in order to achieve the greater good. God, therefore, allows some level of pain and suffering in order to maintain the just and transcendent character of ‘love’.

Humans Often Underestimate the Danger of ‘Immediate Gratification’
An eternal God provides humans with an existence beyond the grave. We usually want our desire for comfort, love, mercy and justice to be satisfied in this life (and immediately if at all possible!) But our pursuit of immediate gratification often leads us to do things that are ultimately harmful to ourselves and to others. Most crimes, for example, are committed in an effort to immediately satisfy some perceived need. If there is a transcendent, eternal God, our desire for happiness, love, mercy and justice need not be satisfied in this life; all these desires will be satisfied in eternity. God, therefore, allows some level of pain and suffering because he knows (and has communicated) the fleeting, short nature of our mortal experience.

So, how can a loving all-powerful God allow pain and suffering? The same way a loving father can allow his infant child to suffer the doctor’s needle. From the child’s perspective, the shot is terribly painful and unwanted, but the father knows that the pain of the injection will result in something that benefits the infant. And the father also knows that he is acting in love, even though a painless day (from the child’s perspective) might seem like a more loving approach. And finally, the father knows that the pain of the shot is fleeting relative to the life of the child. For these reasons, it is reasonable to surmise that a good, loving God might allow pain and suffering in our own lives as well.