God's Providence and the Problem of Evil
In 2008, best-selling author and agnostic professor Bart Ehrman wrote a book titled God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question—Why We Suffer
(2008). In the book, Ehrman presented his case for how the biblical
answer to the problem of evil is insufficient. His analysis is incorrect
and lacking in many ways, but the title of his book brings us to a
crucial question regarding evil—why would Erhman and a bulk of the
unbelieving world seek such an answer from the Bible? Why put forth so much effort attempting to refute the biblical answer to suffering?
In
truth, the “problem of evil” argument is built on the foundation of
what the Bible says about God. As it is historically set out, the
“problem of evil” contends that the three premises (1) God is
all-loving; (2) God is all-powerful; and (3) evil exists, cannot all be
true. Where did these three premises originate? The third, that evil
exists, is a matter of personal experience and knowledge that virtually
all humans can know intuitively. But the first two premises, that God is
all-loving and all-powerful, are distinctly set forth in the Bible as
attributes of God. Without the biblical insistence that God is
all-powerful and all-loving, there would be no “problem of evil.” With
that in mind, it would be unfair and dishonest for the skeptic to demand
that the Christian answer the problem of evil without reference to the
Bible. Yet, that is precisely what Ehrman and others expect. They
attempt to discredit the biblical answers to the problem of evil. These
attacks against the Bible’s answer have been unsuccessful (Warren, 1972;
Miller, 2015). In fact, one of the most impressive responses to evil is
the biblical understanding of God’s work through providence. For the
purposes of this discussion, we will define providence as the way God
orchestrates His will through natural laws. This idea is contrasted with
God’s miraculous intervention in human affairs. A miracle, such as
Jesus walking on water or God’s empowering Moses to put his hand into
his cloak and it become leprous, is a recognizable overriding of certain
natural laws. God’s providence, on the other hand, is seen in cases
where God works through natural laws to accomplish His will.
To illustrate this difference, let us consider specific examples. In 2
Kings 19, the story is told of Sennacherib’s campaign against the land
of Judah. The evil king and his Assyrian army encircled Jerusalem and
were confident that they would soon crush the city. That did not happen,
because one night an “angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the
camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when the
people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead” (2
Kings 19:35). This episode is a clear example of God miraculously
intervening in human affairs. On a different occasion, the prophet
Micaiah warned Ahab, the king of Israel, that he would be destroyed if
he attacked Ramoth Gilead. Ahab ignored the warning from God’s prophet
and attacked the city anyway. In the course of the events, “a certain
man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the
joints of his armor” (1 Kings 22:34). Ahab died of his wound exactly as
God had foretold. Ahab’s death, however, came about through what we
would call natural events, not miraculous ones.
Another contrast between providential and miraculous involvement can be
seen in the lives of Mary and Hannah. In the New Testament narrative of
Jesus’ birth, the Bible states that Mary would miraculously conceive
Jesus even though she was a virgin (Matthew 1:18-25). In contrast, we
read about the birth of Samuel to Hannah. She prayed earnestly for a son
and God answered her prayer. Hannah’s conception and birth of Samuel,
however, were not miraculous but came about through her union with her
husband Elkanah (1 Samuel 1:19-20; see Jackson, “A Study of Divine
Providence”). Samuel’s birth provides an excellent illustration of
God’s providence.
Throughout the course of human history God has worked His will through
miraculous and providential means. In many eras of history He has used
both at the same time, but in some instances and epochs, He has worked
primarily through providence with very little or no recognizable
miraculous activity. It is important to understand this truth, since it
is often affirmed that if God has worked miracles in the past to aid his
people, then He “should” be doing the same today. For instance, Bart
Ehrman demands, “If he [God] could do miracles for his people throughout
the Bible, where is he today when your son is killed in a car accident,
or your husband gets multiple sclerosis, or civil war is unleashed in
Iraq, or the Iranians decide to pursue their nuclear ambitions?” (p.
274). This idea is well-illustrated on Marshall Brain’s Web site
whywontgodhealamputees.com (2014). According to Brain, the fact that God
does not miraculously regrow limbs proves that He is imaginary. In
chapter 5 of his material, he says, “Nothing happens when we pray for
amputated limbs. God never regenerates lost limbs through prayer…. Does
God answer prayers? If so, then how do we explain this disconnection
between God and amputees?” (2014).
Notice that Brain and Ehrman insist that if God is capable of miracles,
then we should be seeing them now. But why must that be the case? Could
it be that an all-knowing God has very good reasons why He is not at
work in the same miraculous ways He worked in the past? In addition, the
same Bible that tells us about God’s miracles also lays out a very
strong case for God’s working through providential means. To demand that
God must operate in the way that we insist He operate is more than
slightly presumptuous, especially in light of the fact that He has given
us ample information about other ways He works.
This play by unbelievers is more clearly seen in the proverbial story
of the atheistic professor who stands before a class of freshmen and
dares God to strike him dead. When nothing happens, the professor glibly
comments, “I thought not,” and assumes he has made his point. Could it
be possible that there are good reasons God does not strike the
professor dead? Certainly. Maybe God knows the man will repent in the
future. Maybe He knows that this professor will find a cure for cancer,
and although he will lose his soul, he will save many lives. The
possibilities are virtually endless.
Ehrman and other unbelievers challenge Christians to produce modern
miracles as evidence that God intervenes in the world today. They do so,
however, refusing to recognize two important truths. First, even during
the ages of human history when God performed miracles, He did not
intervene to stop all suffering. People still got sick, had accidents,
broke bones, suffered emotionally, and died. It is as if the skeptic
insists that the Bible paints a picture of a God who swooped in
miraculously to stop all suffering. Such was never the case. Miracles
were isolated events designed to confirm the validity of the message of
certain divine messengers (Miller, 2003). The Bible has never presented
them as a wholesale answer to the problem of pain and suffering. Second,
to insist that God must use miracles today discounts the pervasive
biblical theme of providence. Throughout history, one of God’s primary
modes of operation has been to providentially work through natural laws.
To deny that this is the case is to turn a deaf ear to a massive amount
of biblical testimony.
A Biblical Case for Providence
When many people think about God working through miracles, they have a
picture in mind of a God Who periodically interrupts the regular flow of
things and tinkers with the laws that are usually in place. They see
God as an intruder into the natural order that He initially set up and
that He leaves alone for a large portion of time. It is as if God has
created a cosmic aquarium filled with fish, rocks, hiding areas, and a
water filtering system. He sits outside the system watching patiently
until He is needed, dipping His hand into the system to add something
here or take something away there. The problem with this view is that it
pictures a system that somehow works independently of God. In this
system it is thought that if God does not miraculously intervene, then
the system still works fine.
The Bible provides a picture of God’s activity in the world that is
much different from this model. Instead of a self-sustaining system that
God created at the beginning and primarily has left to its own devices,
Scripture teaches that the entire system constantly relies on God. The
writer of Hebrews explains that God appointed Jesus Christ as the heir
of all things and that He is presently “upholding all things by the word
of His power” (Hebrews 1:2-3). It is not that at one time (but not now)
He created and upheld the world, but that He is at present
still upholding “all things.” Paul confirmed this idea in Colossians
when he spoke of Jesus, saying “All things were created through Him and
for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist”
(Colossians 1:16-17). Notice that not only was Jesus active in the
Creation, but the created world continues to “consist” in Him. It is
important to recognize that God originally designed a world of natural
laws that would be ideal for Him to providentially use throughout the
course of human history. His use of these laws to bring about His
purposes is not an interruption of the regular flow of things, since the
regular flow of things constantly depends on His power to sustain it.
As Richard Bube wrote in his book The Human Quest:
The natural order exists only because God is constantly active in
upholding it. God does not use natural processes as if they existed
without him. God does not take advantage of natural laws to accomplish
his will as if the laws existed without him. We see immediately why the
question “Can God intervene in a world ruled by orderly laws?” is
meaningless. There is no world ruled by orderly laws except that one
constantly maintained in existence by the activity of God (1971, p. 28).
It is because of this fact that scholar John Walton defines providence
as “the way God acts through all so-called natural processes, whether in
creation, nature, or history” (2001, p. 101). His addition of the
adjective “so-called” highlights the fact that the laws of “nature” are
perpetually dependant on the supernatural God. In the term providence,
then, we see God’s perpetual upholding of the entire Universe.
Special Providence
The general providence of God upholds all nature. The way the term
providence is usually applied, however, refers to God’s coordination of
events in order to bring about specific desired outcomes. This has been
referred to as God’s special providence. It often is spoken of in the
Bible as it is seen in the lives of those who follow him (May, 2014, p.
14). We see the difference between general and specific providence when
we compare Matthew 5:45, which says that God “makes His sun rise on the
evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust,”
with Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to
those who love God, to those who are the called according to His
purpose.” In one sense, all life comes from God and the fact that anyone
can take a breath is a providential blessing. In another sense, God has
promised that all the events in the lives of those who love Him will be
orchestrated in a way that they will work together for the ultimate
good.
It is important to recognize what the Bible does not say about God’s
providence. There is an idea that if a person is a faithful child of
God, then God will make sure that he or she is always prosperous, has a
wonderful spouse, is blessed with children, and lives a life of comfort
and ease. That is not what the Bible says. In fact, the Bible is clear
that those who love and follow God often experience serious hardships
and trials. Paul told Timothy that “all who desire to live godly in
Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). James told his
readers to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing
that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2-3). Peter
told his readers who were suffering governmental persecution not to
“think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as
though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent
that you partake of Christ’s sufferings” (1 Peter 4:12-13). Even the
Lord was disciplined in obedience by the things which He suffered
(Hebrews 5:8). God does not promise that everything that happens to
those who love Him will be good. Instead, He promises that they will
work together so that the end result is good.
Bible Examples of Special Providence
Esther
The name of God is never mentioned in the book of Esther. For that
reason, some have questioned its inspiration and place in the canon. A
close analysis of the book, however, shows that it meets the criteria
for inspiration. The fact that it does not use God’s name is
significant, because the events that happen in the book provide some of
the clearest examples of special providence in all of Scripture.
Let us briefly summarize the story. Esther is a Jew who lives in
Shushan, the capital of the Persian Empire. She is orphaned, so her
cousin Mordecai raises her as if she were his. In the course of events,
the Persian king Ahasuerus dismisses his wife and begins the process of
looking for another. Esther is among the young women that Ahasuerus
assembles at his palace. She surpasses the others in talent and beauty
and becomes the new queen. Mordecai warns her not to reveal that she is a
Jew. On one occasion, when Mordecai sat in the king’s gate, he
uncovered a plot to kill the king. Those involved were found guilty and
the event was written in the history book that Ahasuerus kept.
During this time, the wicked general Haman began to advance in station
and status with the king. He hated Mordecai because the Jew would not
bow to him. Instead of killing Mordecai, Haman tricked the king into
issuing a decree that all the Jews should be killed. Esther courageously
pleaded with the king to save the Jews. Ultimately, Haman’s plot was
discovered, he was hanged, and the Jewish people were delivered from
destruction. The most interesting aspect of the book of Esther is the
underlying working of God through “natural” processes throughout the
events taking place.
For instance, of all the young women in the entire kingdom that
Ahasuerus could have picked, he chose the Jewess Esther. Her cousin
Mordecai was in the perfect place to discover a plot against the king’s
life, and his deed was written down in the history book. The entry,
however, went unnoticed for many days until one “fortuitous” night the
king could not sleep. Due to his insomnia, he ordered that the history
book be read, and it just so happened that Mordecai’s discovery was the
chosen text. While the king was deciding what to do to honor Mordecai,
Haman entered his presence hoping to request that the king hang
Mordecai. Instead, Haman was instructed to parade the Jew through the
streets as one whom the king chose to honor. Haman was later hanged on
the very gallows that he had built to hang Mordecai.
The number of perfectly aligned events that brought about the Jews’
salvation were not coincidences. As John Walton noted, “If we truly
understand Esther, it is not saying that there is no God at work, but
neither is it saying that there is no circumstance. Instead, it insists
that God works through the circumstance…. The only way to understand how
God works is to see circumstance as one of his agents” (p. 104). One of
the most familiar passages in the text is found in a statement that
Mordecai made to Esther. He admonished her to have the courage to go to
the king, even knowing that she might die. And he said, “who knows
whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther
4:14). Notice that Mordecai’s statement implies that the circumstances
that led to Esther being the queen could have been arranged
intentionally and purposefully for her to save the Jews.
It is at this point that we need to consider an important aspect of
special providence. God performed miracles in a way that, to the honest
observer, left no room for doubt. Anyone who observed a miracle
performed by Jesus or another empowered spokesperson from God, if the
person was dealing honestly with the situation, could be sure that God’s
power was directly responsible for the event. When considering
providence, however, God’s work is often not clear until after the
events take place, and even then it is difficult to put a finger on
exactly how and where God was active. Mordecai’s sentiment of “who
knows” captures this facet of providence well. We see this idea in the
New Testament as well. When Paul wrote to his friend Philemon, he
mentioned that he had come in contact with one of Philemon’s former
slaves. This slave, Onesimus, had run away from Philemon and become a
Christian during his time away. Paul was sending him back, and he wrote
to Philemon, “perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you
may receive him forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as
a beloved brother” (Philemon 15-16).
Paul’s use of the word “perhaps” echoesMordecai’s use of “who knows.”
Both writers were acknowledging that God works through natural,
providential means. But they were also conceding that the circumstances
under discussion could only be viewed with some uncertainty when trying
to determine exactly what parts of their lives and the lives of others
were related to God’s activity. As May correctly wrote, “Miracles are
clearly from God. Providence is always ‘perhaps,’ except when God in
Scripture tells us He is working behind the scenes” (p. 69).
Joseph
The life and times of Joseph, son of Israel, consume the bulk of
Genesis chapters 37-50. His story provides another clear example of
God’s providence in action. Joseph’s dad favored him above his other
brothers, because he was the son of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel. This
favoritism led Jacob to treat him better than his brothers, which fueled
their jealousy and hatred toward the young man. In addition, Joseph had
dreams in which his brothers, Jacob, and Leah bowed down to him. This
infuriated his siblings all the more.
On one occasion, Joseph was sent to check on his brothers as they
tended their father’s flocks. They conspired against him, captured him,
and sold him to a band of slave traders. The traders sold him into
Egypt. In Egypt, Joseph spent many years in slavery and in prison, but
through a series of remarkable events, became the second most prominent
man in all the land. Due to a massive famine, his brothers journeyed to
Egypt to buy food. There they bowed to Joseph just as he had seen in his
dreams. Eventually, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and brought
his family to live in Egypt. When his father died, his brothers feared
that Joseph might seek revenge on them. They came to him, begging for
his forgiveness. He calmed them and said, “[D]o not be afraid, for am I
in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God
meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save
many people alive” (Genesis 50:19-20).
As we read through the events of Joseph’s life, we see many people who
were not trying to help Joseph, nor were they attempting to obey God.
His brothers sold him into slavery. Slave traders cruelly sold him into
Egypt. His first master’s wife lied about him. His master, Potiphar,
then threw him into prison. And the chief butler forgot about him for
two years before bringing his name up to Pharaoh. Obviously, the people
in Joseph’s life could not see the hand of God, nor were they complicit
in God’s plan to elevate Joseph. In addition, many of the events were
unjust, wrong, and painful to Joseph. God, however, orchestrated these
events in Joseph’s life so that eventually they turned out “for good.”
This is the nature of providence.
Providence and Human Free Will
A study of divine providence naturally leads to questions about human
free will. If God orchestrates events to bring about desired outcomes,
does He force people to act in certain ways? Does He override human free
will in order to work providentially? The stories of Esther, Philemon,
and Joseph provide us with the answer. God used the choices that the
people in the stories freely made, and worked His providence through
those choices. At no time did God in the past, or will God in the
present or future, override a person’s free will.
If God works His providence through the decisions that various people
freely choose, that must mean He knows what they will choose. Some have
argued that if God knows what a person chooses, then that person is not
free to choose, since he or she is “stuck” choosing what God knows
he/she will choose (see Barker, 2008, p. 127). The flaw in this argument
hinges on the difference between knowledge and cause.
Just because a person may have knowledge of an event does not mean that
he caused the event or that the person who makes the choice is somehow
constrained by this knowledge. A brief thought experiment makes this
point clear. Suppose, hypothetically, you knew that a friend of yours
drank coffee yesterday morning. Now suppose you could go back in time
and watch him choose to drink coffee instead of milk. Did your knowledge
that he would choose coffee somehow force his decision? Not at all. He
could have chosen coffee because he liked the taste or wanted the
caffeine. The fact that you knew what he would do does not mean he was
forced to do it or that your knowledge somehow caused it. Similarly, God
knows what every person will do. Using that knowledge, He can arrange
events to accomplish His ends through natural circumstances.
How Knowledge of Providence Helps the Sufferer
One of the primary reasons to study providence is to assimilate the
idea into an overall answer that helps explain how a loving,
all-powerful God can allow those He loves to suffer. What does knowledge
of providence offer the sufferer? First, an understanding of providence
assures us that God will never allow any person to suffer or be tempted
beyond his/her ability to deal with the suffering. Paul explained this
to the Corinthian church when he wrote, “No temptation has overtaken you
except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not
allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear
it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
When we suffer, there are times we may feel that we simply cannot
endure the pain and sorrow that is crushing us. During such periods of
trials and troubles, we must remember that God is still in control of
the Universe, and He has solemnly promised us that He will never allow
us to suffer or be tempted more than we are able to withstand. While it
may seem to us that we cannot hold up under the trials we experience, if
God is all-knowing, and if God can providentially arrange the events of
human lives to accomplish His ultimate desire, then we can know that He
will provide the strength that we need to not only endure, but even to
grow through our struggles. The strength He provides may not come in the
form or way that we expect. It may come through what others do for us.
It may come through something we read in God’s Word. It may come through
an inspiring story that we read in a book that a friend happened to
lend us. Or it may come through a person coming into our lives that is
suffering worse than we are and needs our help, channeling our attention
from our own pain to constructive ways to help others with theirs.
Second, an understanding of divine providence can help the sufferer
understand that God can arrange events so that suffering can have
meaning and purpose, even though it is not inherently good. One
excellent biblical example is seen in the life of Paul. Paul’s life
after his conversion to Christianity was eventful to say the least. He
took three lengthy missionary journeys, during which he was often in
peril. He explained to the church in Corinth that he had been beaten
three times, shipwrecked three times, stoned, whipped by the Jews five
times, and spent a night and day in the ocean (2 Corinthians 11:22-33).
Paul often found himself trying to escape legal authorities that were
attempting to imprison or kill him.
On one occasion, Paul was lowered over the city wall of Damascus in a
basket to escape being captured by the governor of the city (2
Corinthians 11:32-33). Paul’s efforts to avoid capture, however, were
not always successful. Once, He was imprisoned and held by the
prestigious palace guard. Without an understanding of providence, this
situation would seem to the average observer to have a negative effect
on Paul and his preaching of the Gospel. Why did Paul have to suffer by
being thrown in prison? Why did the church have to suffer through their
concern for the apostle? Why did his relatives have to endure the mental
anguish of knowing he was imprisoned unjustly? Such questions are
legion. Paul provides us with some insight into his situation in the
letter he wrote to the church in Philippi. He told them, “But I want you
to know, brethren, that the things which have happened to me have
actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has
become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my
chains are in Christ” (Philippians 1:12-13). Notice Paul’s use of the
word “actually.” The implication is that at first, it would not seem
like prison would help the cause of Christ and the furtherance of the
Gospel. It turns out, however, that even though Paul had been unjustly
imprisoned and punished with evil intent, God providentially arranged
the events so that the Gospel message spread.
Conclusion
God created the world and upholdsit by the word of His power. He
designed the natural laws that He perpetually sustains in a way that He
can work through them to bring about His desired goals. Throughout human
history, He has worked both providentially and miraculously. The fact
that He used miracles in the past, however, does not mean that He still,
or must, use them today in order to accomplish His ultimate will. The
Bible provides extensive material on how God has providentially worked
in the past, and how He has promised to continue this activity in the
present and future. An understanding of God’s providence provides a
vital aspect of the Christian’s overall answer to suffering in the
world. Furthermore, the concept of providence can help those who suffer
find meaning and comfort through their suffering.
References
Barker, Dan (2008), godless (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses).
Brain, Marshall (2014), “Why Won’t God Heal Amputees?” http://why wontgodhealamputees.com/.
Bube, Richard (1971), The Human Quest (Waco, TX: Word).
Ehrman, Bart (2008), God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question—Why We Suffer (New York: HarperOne).
Jackson, Wayne (no date), “A Study of Divine Providence,” https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/
105-a-study-of-divine-providence.
May, Cecil Jr. (2014), Providence: The Silent Sovereignty of God (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate).
Miller, Dave (2003), “Modern-Day Miracles, Tongue-Speaking, and Holy Spirit Baptism: A Refutation,” Apologetics Press, https://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=264& topic=293.
Miller, Dave (2015), Why People Suffer (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).
Walton, John (2001), Genesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan).
Warren, Thomas B. (1972), Have Atheists Proved There is No God? (Jonesboro, AR: National Christian Press).
