Searing pain that goes on and on, suffering that seems so futile and needless: these are some of the most troubling circumstances of human experience. The inevitable question that we all ask is, "why?," particularly when we see the innocent suffer, such as young children or animals. If there is really a good God, how can He permit such evil? Why doesn't He force it to stop if He is really there and truly good?
To even begin a serious discussion of what the Bible has to say about this topic, it is crucial to understand that we rarely see the big picture of this world or ourselves as God sees us. How emphatically He spoke to the people through Isaiah, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." (The Bible, Old Testament, book of Isaiah, chapter 55, verses 8 and 9) Furthermore, it is critical to understand that the primary reason for this great gulf of mind and spirit between ourselves and God is that we live in a world that has fallen from the state in which God created it -- and us -- to exist. The Bible depicts that the whole world is in bondage to this fallen state, even nature itself (New Testament, book of Romans, chapter 8, verses 18 to 23), and that this was the result of God giving man the gift of freedom; freedom which he used to rebel against His Creator and give ear and allegiance to the Creator's Enemy instead (Old Testament, book of Genesis, chapters 2 and 3; New Testament, book of Romans, chapter 1, verses 18 to 32). Choosing to turn away from God meant choosing to turn away from perfect good. Satan, the enemy of God, has no other purpose but the destruction of that perfect goodness in us and around us (New Testament, Gospel of John, chapter 8, verses 42 to 44). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to save us from this condition, from ourselves and from Satan's destruction (New Testament, book of 1 John, chapter 3, verses 7 to 8).
At times, we have glimpses of how pain can have a very necessary function in this world. For example, those who suffer from Hansen's disease (leprosy) might well describe our sense of pain as a gift. Having often lost any feeling in their extremities (such as fingers and toes), they often damage them by burning or impact without even realizing it. What applies to the Hansen's patient physically, may be true for all of humanity spiritually: pain and suffering ring out the message that something has gone terribly wrong in this world.
C.S. Lewis, the late Christian apologist and professor at Oxford and Cambridge Universities in Great Britain, gave a masterful discourse on the subject of pain and suffering in his book, The Problem of Pain, which we recommend for further study. Douglas Gresham, his stepson, who is a psychotherapist working in healing ministries in Ireland, has graciously contributed some of his thoughts on the subject. As portrayed in the "Shadowlands" movies and stageplay, Doug is uniquely qualified to comment on this subject from his personal as well as professional experience:
"Suffering comes from Satan as he constantly tries to inveigle us away from Christ. God, if we allow Him, will take the very worst tragedies that Satan inflicts upon us and turn them to good. [New Testament, book of Romans, chapter 8, verse 28] I do not believe that God causes our pain. [New Testament, book of James, chapter 1, verses 16 and 17] God does chastise those whom He loves. [New Testament, book of Hebrews, chapter 12, verses 6 to 13] Chastisement and agony, however, are not the same thing. All the ills of humanity can, if studied carefully and honestly, be traced back to man's own doing as he succumbs to temptation. Every plague, every famine, and every war can be followed back to our own sinfulness. Even what we euphemistically call "accidents" are in reality no such thing, but nearly always the result of someone making a bad decision. It is thus that Satan cons us into blaming God for what he has instigated and we have carried out. As long as we have free will to choose to do good or to do evil, we will cause each other suffering, and Satan's aim is to persuade us to blame God for it when, in fact, it is we who cause it.
"God could have put an end to suffering and pain at any time by merely removing our free will, but that would be the very worst tyranny imaginable. We would all become mere automatons. To do so, God would have to deny His own loving nature as He has revealed it to us. Indeed, all human tyrants try as hard as they can to steal away that very free will that God has given us and they always fail in the end. Satan himself always tries to do the same thing and never can quite manage it, so he tries to persuade us that he has by trickery. As soon as human beings hear the thought that they have no choice about something, they must know that they are being lied to. There are always alternatives, and often the one that seems the more attractive is the wrong one.
"Even love has its associated suffering and that, too, is the result of our imperfection. Take bereavement, for example: When we lose someone whom we love, we grieve, and grieve we must. We feel the pain of losing them, and if we are honest about it, we have to admit that our pain is selfish in essence. We are wailing because we don't have them with us anymore. Our grief is not really for them, but for us. All human relationships end in pain, but that is again because of our Fall from God, and is a kind of value-added tax that our fallen nature allows Satan to place on God's free gift of love. Yet even that grief has immense value to us, for it is by its depth and intensity that we are enabled to gauge the depth and strength of our love for the one whom we have lost. All of Satan's schemes backfire on him in the end."
Christians are not exempt from pain or suffering, despite the claims of many modern evangelists and churches that they ought to be and can be. Even the apostles themselves were not exempt from great suffering, either physically (New Testament, book of 2 Corinthians, chapter 12, verses 7 to 10) or because of their witness for Christ (Peter is believed to have been crucified as Jesus was, though possibly upside down: New Testament, Gospel of John, chapter 21, verses 18 and 19). Cyprian, an early Christian leader, wrote of a severe plague that swept across North Africa:
"It disturbs some that the power of this disease attacks our people in the same way it attacks the pagans. As if the Christian believed [in Christ] in order to have the pleasures of the world and a life free from illness, instead of enduring adversity here and awaiting a future joy. As long as we are here on the earth, we experience the same fleshly tribulations as the rest of the human race, although we are separated in spirit ... So when the earth is barren with an unproductive harvest, famine makes no distinction. When an invading army captures a city, all are taken as captives alike. When the serene clouds withhold rain, the drought is alike to all ... We have eye diseases, fevers, and feebleness of the limbs the same as others."*
Perhaps the Bible sums up the Christian attitude towards pain and suffering best in the words of James (New Testament, book of James, chapter 1, verses 2 to 4):
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
The writings of C.S. Lewis are widely available in public libraries. However, if you wish to have your own copy of The Problem of Pain, or his related work on bereavement, A Grief Observed, you may click here to order.
Christ's Church of Deer Park