Suffering and Evil as Evidence for God

Atheists (those who believe that there is not God)  have often presented the argument that since there is evil in the world that God cannot exist. Specifically, the God of the Bible cannot exist.

Their argument progresses like this...

a) The God of the Bible is a God of love and goodness.
b) There is evil, suffering, injustice, and unfairness in the world.
c) Therefore, the God of the Bible must be a myth.

Their reasoning sounds good at face value, but after a closer look it falls apart quite quickly.

The atheist will deny the biblical account of creation and substitutes in its place a theory such as evolution (which most atheists hold to). So the evolutionist/atheist believes that everything we see today evolved slowly over billions and billions of years from a tiny speck of nothing that exploded without cause. For the atheist who believes this there is no basis for determining evil. If everything that is came from nothing and man is the ultimate authority then who is to say what is right when men disagree?  Does this make sense? With evolution there is no basis for determining what is evil, what is suffering, or what is unjust. You may think one thing is unjust or unfair, but I might disagree and say that it is just and fair. With an evolutionist view there is no basis for either of us being right; it is merely your opinion and my opinion.

So to argue against God with the argument of evil and suffering, is to argue for the God of the Bible. Because without the God of the Bible there would be no absolute standard by which to measure what is good or evil, pleasant or suffering, just or unjust, fair or unfair...well... you get the picture.

The Bible tells us that God created the world and everything in it for his glory (Genesis 1). Man sinned, and therefore, sin and death entered into the world and was passed to all men (Genesis 3; Romans 5). After man had sinned, God promised to provide a way of salvation (Genesis 3:15, the "offspring" of the woman speaks of Christ). God fulfilled that promise in Jesus Christ by sending Jesus to die in man's place, taking man's penalty for sin (John 3:16; Romans 5:17).

This is the joy of the Christmas season. We take this time to remember when the grace of God in Jesus Christ dawned upon the earth. So even in the midst of pain, suffering, and evil we can rejoice, because of the free gift of God's grace.