God's Problem

1. The Problem of Suffering Challenges Faith's Core

I came to a point where I simply could not believe that there is a good and kindly disposed Ruler who is in charge of it.

A personal crisis. The author, Bart Ehrman, recounts his journey from devout, born-again Christian to agnostic, driven primarily by the pervasive problem of suffering in the world. He struggled to reconcile the existence of an all-powerful, all-loving God with the immense pain and misery experienced by humanity. This intellectual and emotional wrestling ultimately led him to lose his faith.

Theodicy's dilemma. Ehrman introduces the philosophical problem of theodicy, coined by Leibniz, which questions how three seemingly true assertions can coexist: God is all-powerful, God is all-loving, and there is suffering. He notes that common attempts to deny one assertion (e.g., God isn't all-powerful, or God isn't all-loving) are often deemed unsatisfactory or unbiblical.

Insufficient answers. The popular "free will" defense, which attributes suffering to human choice, fails to explain natural disasters like hurricanes, tsunamis, or diseases. Ehrman's personal experience, from witnessing global famines to the suffering of his own family, solidified his conviction that simplistic answers merely irritate the mind and grate on the nerves.

2. The Classical View: Suffering as Divine Punishment for Sin

If God’s people are suffering, it is because he is angry with them for not behaving in the ways they should.

Prophetic pronouncements. Many authors in the Hebrew Bible, particularly the prophets, explain suffering as a direct punishment from God for the people's disobedience. They believed God, being all-powerful, actively inflicted calamities like famine, drought, pestilence, and military defeat to compel Israel to return to his ways.

Examples from Scripture. Prophets like Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Jeremiah consistently delivered messages of impending doom and suffering due to Israel's sins, such as:

• Social injustice (oppressing the poor, taking bribes)
• Idolatry (worshiping other gods like Baal)
• Breaking God's covenant and laws

Widespread biblical theme. This classical view extends beyond the prophets, appearing in the wisdom literature (Proverbs, where righteousness brings reward and wickedness brings trouble) and the historical narratives (Genesis, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomistic History). The sacrificial system itself was designed to atone for sins and avert divine wrath, reinforcing the link between sin and suffering.

3. Human Sin: Suffering as a Direct Consequence of Evil Actions

Often “sin” leads to suffering, not because God is punishing the sinner but because other sinners are causing affliction.

Beyond divine punishment. While God's punishment for sin is a recurring theme, the Bible also portrays suffering as a direct consequence of human evil. This perspective acknowledges that people inflict pain, oppression, and violence upon one another, causing immense misery.

Biblical narratives of human cruelty:

• Cain murdering Abel (first direct victim of sin)
• Egyptian enslavement and infanticide of Israelites
• Slaughter of innocents in Jericho and by King Herod
• The Levite's concubine in Judges 19, leading to gang rape and murder
• King David's murder of Uriah to cover his adultery with Bathsheba
• King Solomon's use of forced labor for his building projects

New Testament examples. The suffering of Jesus through crucifixion, Stephen's stoning, and Paul's numerous persecutions are all depicted as consequences of human malice and injustice. These acts, while sometimes seen as part of God's larger plan, are still attributed to the sinful choices of individuals.

A call to action. This understanding of suffering, akin to the "free-will defense," highlights human responsibility. If suffering is caused by human beings' free will to do evil, then it calls for human intervention to stop oppression, torture, and murder, rather than passively attributing all suffering to divine will.

4. Redemptive Suffering: God Brings Good from Evil, Even Through Pain

Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.

Divine purpose in adversity. Some biblical authors suggest that suffering, while painful, can serve a greater divine purpose, leading to good outcomes that would not have been possible otherwise. God can bring salvation out of suffering, making it redemptive.

Key biblical examples:

• Joseph's story: His brothers' evil act of selling him into slavery ultimately leads to Joseph saving his family and the nation of Israel from famine.
• Exodus plagues: God hardens Pharaoh's heart and prolongs Israel's suffering to demonstrate his power and glory in their deliverance.
• Lazarus's death: Jesus delays healing Lazarus so that his resurrection can more profoundly display God's glory and Jesus's power over death.
• David and Bathsheba: From their sinful union, leading to Uriah's murder, comes Solomon, a great king and ancestor of the Messiah.

Christ's ultimate redemption. For New Testament authors like Paul and Mark, Jesus's suffering and crucifixion are the ultimate acts of redemptive suffering. His death is portrayed as a necessary sacrifice that atones for the sins of humanity, bringing salvation and restoring people to a right relationship with God.

5. Suffering as a Test of Faith: Proving Disinterested Piety

Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.

The Job folktale. The prose narrative framing the book of Job presents suffering as a test of faith. God allows Satan to strip Job of his wealth, family, and health to prove that Job's piety is genuine and not merely a response to divine blessings. Job's patient endurance is ultimately rewarded.

Abraham's sacrifice. The story of Abraham being commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac is another stark example. God tests Abraham's obedience and devotion, demanding the ultimate sacrifice before intervening at the last moment. This demonstrates that faithfulness to God is paramount, even above human decency or God's own laws against murder.

Christian endurance. In the New Testament, Jesus's willingness to suffer and die according to God's will, and his subsequent resurrection, serves as a model. Christians are exhorted to endure suffering as a "fiery trial" to prove their steadfast devotion, rejoicing in their participation in Christ's sufferings, as seen in 1 Peter.

Ethical dilemmas. Ehrman critiques this view, finding it morally problematic. He questions a God who would inflict such immense suffering, including the murder of innocent children, merely to win a bet or test devotion. The idea that children are expendable and replaceable, as implied by Job receiving new children, is deemed obscene.

6. The Mystery of Suffering: No Divine Explanation Offered

I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted…. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

Job's poetic defiance. In the poetic dialogues of Job, Job vehemently rejects his friends' classical view that his suffering is punishment for sin. He insists on his innocence and demands an explanation from God, challenging divine justice in the face of his undeserved torment.

God's overwhelming response. When God finally appears in a whirlwind, he does not offer an explanation for Job's suffering. Instead, he overwhelms Job with a barrage of rhetorical questions about the creation and governance of the universe, asserting his omnipotence and Job's insignificance. God's message is clear: he is the Almighty, unaccountable to mere mortals.

Submission, not understanding. Job, confronted by God's terrifying majesty, repents not of sin, but of his presumption to question the divine. The poetic dialogues conclude with the stark realization that the answer to innocent suffering is that there is no answer, and humanity has no right to demand one from God.

Critique of divine unaccountability. Ehrman finds this "might makes right" explanation deeply unsatisfying and repugnant. If God can inflict torment and murder at will without accountability, it contradicts human standards of justice, which are supposedly derived from God himself. This view ultimately serves as a "cop-out," a refusal to grapple with the meaninglessness of suffering.

7. Ecclesiastes' View: Life is Fleeting, Suffering is Inexplicable, Enjoy What You Can

Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

Life's inherent meaninglessness. The book of Ecclesiastes, written by "the Teacher" (Qoheleth), offers a radically different perspective. It asserts that all of life is "hevel"—fleeting, ephemeral, meaningless, like a mist that quickly vanishes. The Teacher observes that despite human toil, wisdom, or pleasure, all things pass away, and ultimately, everyone dies.

Rejection of traditional wisdom. Ecclesiastes directly challenges the Proverbs' notion that righteousness is rewarded and wickedness punished. The Teacher notes that:

• Righteous people perish in their righteousness.
• Wicked people often live long and prosper.
• Rewards and punishments are often random, dependent on "time and chance."

No afterlife justice. For Ecclesiastes, there is no ultimate justice or reward in an afterlife; death is the end for all, wise or foolish, righteous or wicked. "A living dog is better than a dead lion," because the living at least know they will die, while the dead know nothing and have no share in what happens "under the sun."

Embrace simple joys. Given life's fleeting nature and the inexplicable presence of suffering, the Teacher's recurring advice is to enjoy the simple pleasures of life: eating, drinking, finding enjoyment in one's toil, and cherishing relationships. This is not despair, but a pragmatic acceptance of reality, making the most of the precious, temporary gift of life.

8. Apocalypticism: Suffering Caused by Cosmic Evil, Ending in God's Imminent Triumph

The time has been fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is very near. Repent and believe the good news!

A new explanation for suffering. Jewish apocalypticism emerged when the traditional prophetic view (suffering as punishment for sin) failed to explain why righteous people suffered, often because they adhered to God's Law. Apocalypticists believed God had revealed heavenly secrets to explain earthly realities.

Core tenets of apocalypticism:

• Dualism: The world is controlled by cosmic forces of good (God) and evil (Satan/demons). This "wicked age" is given over to evil, causing suffering.
• Pessimism: Human efforts cannot improve this evil age; things will only get worse until God intervenes.
• Vindication: God will soon intervene cataclysmically, overthrowing evil, judging the living and resurrected dead, and establishing his eternal, utopian Kingdom of God on Earth.
• Imminence: This divine intervention is "very near," expected within the current generation.

Jesus as an apocalypticist. The earliest Gospels portray Jesus as an apocalyptic prophet, proclaiming the imminent arrival of the Kingdom of God. He taught that a cosmic "Son of Man" would soon come in judgment, reversing the fortunes of the world: the humble would be exalted, the rich brought low, and the suffering rewarded in the coming kingdom.

9. The Transformation of Apocalyptic Hope: From Earthly Kingdom to Heaven and Hell

For the Lord himself, with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven; and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Paul's apocalyptic vision. The Apostle Paul, a Jewish apocalypticist, believed Jesus's resurrection was the "first fruits" of the general resurrection, signaling that the end of the age had begun and the final transformation of mortal bodies into imperishable ones was imminent. He expected to be alive for Christ's return and the rapture of believers.

Suffering in the interim. For Paul, the present age remained one of suffering, a period of "groaning" like childbirth, before the full redemption of bodies. He saw his own extensive sufferings (floggings, imprisonments, shipwrecks) as marks of a true apostle, aligning with Christ's passion.

Revelation's climax. The book of Revelation, a classic apocalypse, vividly depicts escalating earthly disasters, wars, famines, and persecutions, culminating in the final battle of Armageddon. It foresees the destruction of evil empires (symbolized by Rome/Nero) and the Devil, followed by a utopian New Jerusalem where all suffering, pain, and death cease.

Failed predictions and theological shift. When the expected apocalypse did not occur within Jesus's generation or Paul's lifetime, early Christians began to transform the temporal dualism (this age vs. the age to come) into a spatial dualism (earth vs. heaven). The Kingdom of God became a heavenly destination for individual souls after death, rather than an earthly transformation. This shift laid the groundwork for the doctrines of heaven and hell.

10. A Personal Conclusion: Rejecting Traditional Answers, Embracing Action

In the end, we may not have ultimate solutions to life’s problems. We may not know the why’s and wherefore’s. But just because we don’t have an answer to suffering does not mean that we cannot have a response to it.

Critique of biblical explanations. Ehrman finds most biblical explanations for suffering intellectually and morally unsatisfying. He rejects the idea that God causes or allows suffering for punishment, character building, or as a test, especially when it involves innocent lives. He also finds the "mystery" defense problematic if it implies divine unaccountability.

The appeal of Ecclesiastes. Ehrman personally resonates most with the book of Ecclesiastes, which posits that much of life, including suffering, is inexplicable and fleeting ("hevel"). This view, for him, is not a cause for despair but an invitation to embrace and enjoy life's good things while actively working to alleviate suffering.

A call to human responsibility. Ehrman argues that while ultimate "why" questions about suffering may remain unanswered, humanity has a moral imperative to respond to it. He emphasizes that much suffering is human-caused and preventable, urging individuals and societies to:

• Redistribute wealth and address poverty.
• Combat diseases like malaria and provide clean water.
• Oppose genocide, war, bigotry, and discrimination.

Embracing life and action. His conclusion is a dual call: to live life to the fullest, cherishing relationships, joys, and experiences, and simultaneously to work tirelessly to make the world a better place for everyone. The absence of divine answers does not negate the human responsibility to act with compassion and integrity in the face of suffering.