The Problem of PainSample

Major objections

The faith of countless people has been shaken, even destroyed, by the problem of pain. Here’s why: In the Bible, God claims to be (1) all-knowing, (2) all-powerful, and (3) entirely good. If God is entirely good but didn’t know about the abuse you endured, you couldn’t blame him for not stopping it, but God did know. He is all-knowing. Or if God knew about your learning disability but didn’t have the power to cure it, you couldn’t be any madder at him than your mother. But God does have the power. He is all-powerful. Or if God knew and had the power but wasn’t good, you would get why he’d just sit there and watch you struggle to find meaningful work, but he claims to be entirely good. The combination of those three qualities—all-knowing, all-powerful, entirely good—add up to a major objection to God’s existence.

Have you thought about that tension? Have you dealt with it? In the devotions to come, I want to explore some of the most powerful answers that suffering Christians have held on to when pain shakes their faith. But for now, ponder your own answer. If someone asked you how a good God can exist in such a bad world, what would you say? When their souls are crying out, how would you respond to this: “My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest” (Psalm 22:2)?

How do you personally deal with the problem of pain?