One of the most oft repeated questions in the field of apologetics (the defense of the Christian faith) is “Where is God in the midst of all this evil and suffering?”  The presence of evil first entered the universe when Lucifer and those angels who followed him rebelled against the Creator (see Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:11-15).  At this point, Satan and the fallen angels became morally evil.  However, there is no indication that this moral evil affected the present earth.  Lucifer became Satan (“the adversary”) and the fallen angels were delivered “into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment [by Christians]” (2 Pet. 2:4; 1 Cor. 6:3).

When Adam and Eve were created, God gave our first parents one restriction:  “the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it” (Gen. 2:17).  Of course, Adam and Eve disobeyed God, giving heed to Satan’s temptation, and at this point they possessed a nature of sin.  Moral evil was now imputed to all of mankind so that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).  As a result of this sin nature there have been numerous crimes against humanity throughout the centuries.  Additionally, God cursed the physical creation (Gen. 3:17, 18).  The curse will continue until Christ establishes His kingdom of peace and righteousness on the earth (Rom. 8:19).

It would be incorrect to say that everyone accepts the biblical explanation of the presence of evil.  For instance, the only logical conclusion for an atheist regarding the presence of evil is nihilism since there is no ultimate good.  Others believe in reincarnation which is the belief that people have lived hundreds or thousands of prior lives and that they will continue to live hundreds or thousands of lives until the soul reaches a state of perfection.  It is a cyclical process that is the result of people’s karma.  Good karma will lead individuals on an upward evolution toward perfection, whereas bad karma leads to regression to a lower state of life.  Karma and reincarnation is the Eastern process of dealing with the principle of sowing and reaping.

By its own definition, reincarnation is an impersonal law that creates pain and suffering.  For instance, bad karma would result from someone murdering, abusing, or inflicting some other offense upon another in this present life.  Therefore, when that person dies they must regress to someone who is also mistreated.  According to the law of karma, any evil that is done to another must also be reciprocated upon the one inflicting the harm.  In other words, if someone does wrong in this life then there has to be someone who in turn treats him or her wrongly.  The cyclical process of reincarnation perpetuates evil rather than solving the problem. 

Hinduism, Gnosticism, Manicheism, Christian Science, Religious Science/Science of Mind, and Unity are but a few groups that believe evil is only an illusion.  Such explanations do not adequately explain the presence of suffering as a result of evil in the world.  For example, disease can be treated as an illusion or “sickness of the mind,” but eventually the reality of an untreated disease has the potential to kill.  If evil is an illusion then there is no need for morality in any form. 

In contrast to the above theories, the God of the Holy Bible is personal and cares very much for His creation.  In fact, man is the crowing achievement of His creation (Gen. 1:26).  The holiness of God demands that evil and sin be dealt with.  God does act in judgment at numerous points in history to restrain evil.  Though God is love, He will not allow what His righteousness condemns.  To satisfy the demands of His righteousness, God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross of Calvary.  Pain and suffering are a result of man’s rebellion against his Creator.  Other times it will confront complacency, pride, and wickedness in one’s life toward the goal of Christlikeness.   

Liberal theologians have presented an explanation of evil on the basis that God is finite.  This “new” form of liberalism is called openness theology.  Apparently, the premise that God does not know the future is intended to bring peace to many facing the tragedies of life.  It is critical that Christians have a proper view of God.  One cannot emphasize God’s love to the exclusion of his holiness.  God is not surprised by pain and suffering as the result of evil.  It is God’s holiness that guarantees His infinite power and knowledge.  Simply because God does not act at all times to restrain evil does not mean that He is limited in power.  Mankind must accept the just recompense of his rebellion against God and the fact that the Creator may have a reason for allowing pain and suffering.

The reaction of Job to having lost his family, possessions, and stricken with ailment was not one of indifference to the will of God.  His response was “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee” (Job 42:2).  Certainly, one’s mental image of God is critical.  In his popular book, The Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer wrote the following exhortation:  “…the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.  We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.  This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company that composes the Church.”

To assume whether or not the experience of pain and suffering in this world is fair is to assume that mankind deserves something more than God’s wrath for sin.  Is it fair that mankind rebels against God’s righteous decrees?  God created mankind pure and holy (Eph. 1:4) and loved humanity so much that He sent His only begotten Son to save those who would trust in Him by enduring the horrible death that mankind deserved (Jn. 3:16, 17).  Was it fair that Christ died in the place of sinners (1 Pet. 2:21-25)?  The greatest example of evil perpetrated by mankind is that wicked men would crucify the sinless Son of God.  “The wages of sin is death” and, therefore, a debt owed the Creator that sinful humanity could never pay through his own might.  However, “the gift of God is eternal life” by grace through faith to all who believe in Jesus Christ alone as the sinner’s Substitute (Rom. 6:23; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:8, 9).