Are We Asking the Right Question About God and Evil?

by Perry Hall

I have been studying and teaching "The Problem of Evil and Theodicy." The main question usually asked is, "If God is good, why does God allow evil in this world?" The question needs to change.
Change is needed because I am not sure that question is plainly asked and answered in the Bible. Theology and philosophy attempt to satisfy and give plausible answers. Considering we are having Bible classes and not philosophy seminars means we follow a different syllabus.

If not that question, then what? The Bible is filled with living out another question: "What is God doing about the evil in the world?" Study the question of theodicy from that perspective and we see how righteous our God is.

The last enemy to be conquered is death (I Corinthians 15). So the ultimate answer to, "What is God doing about the evil in the world?" is found in Jesus and the resurrection of both our spirits here (Romans 6), and our bodies later (I Thessalonians 4-5). Hope is the antidote to despair.

Fairness demands we ask the right questions and accept the questions being asked and the answers that are given. I wouldn't ask a mechanic to use his tools to diagnose my blood pressure.

Asking what we want to know is understandable. But if we demand an answer to a question that is not being asked, we will be left frustrated. I'm not convinced the Bible addresses clearly the question we want to be answered: "If God is good, then why does God allow evil in the world?" However, I am confident that the Bible demonstrates what God is doing about the evil in this world. That answer is Jesus.