***At the Crossroads***

This is an essay I wrote for THE250: Foundations of Christian Theology. Hopefully it's an interesting read. ;)

At the Crossroads of Good and Evil: Theodicy in Light of the Words and
Works of Jesus Christ

Theodicy—a thorny issue that has confounded and at times divided Christian apologists through the centuries. It is a response to the question of how an all-loving, all-powerful God can allow evil and pain into the world. On the surface, the idea seems preposterous, even contradictory at points. However, it is my intent to show that the possibility of evil in the world is necessary despite an omnipotent, just God. Furthermore I intend to show what role our Savior, Jesus Christ, plays in the understanding of this complicated subject, and how this crossroads of good and evil is to be understood.

My answer to this question of evil presupposes the idea that we as humans have free will, a concept in itself that has been debated ad infinitum. However, I think that it is clear that we indeed do have free will. It is certain throughout the Bible that God desires a relationship with us, and to have any sort of meaningful relationship with us would require some sort of free will on our part. Without it, we would simply be automatons, carrying out whatever will God set forth for us. Clearly, this would not allow us to freely love God and have relationship with God as God desires.

However, since God did give us this free will, the ability to make our own decisions, there are logical consequences. The freedom of choice intrinsically implies that there are things to choose between- in this case, good and evil. In giving us this choice, God must therefore allow the possibility that we will choose evil--choose that which is against God’s will and desire. The choice was between a perfect, yet mundane world filled with creatures that were simply subservient but lacked the capacity to truly worship and love God, or a world in which creatures had this power, but in which the possibility existed for the same creatures to love themselves, to love evil, and even to deny God’s very existence. There was (and is) nothing in between. To say that God could have given us free will and yet guaranteed a perfect world is simply nonsense.

There is, however, intended or not, a purpose behind the allowance of continued suffering and evil in the world. This is most effectively shown in the Book of Job. God does not directly address this question of theodicy, but in God’s questioning of Job and later castigating of Job’s friends, it is clear what God’s answer is. Job’s friends’ view of suffering is that it is punishment for sin. Obviously, as in Job’s case, this is not always true. Elihu tells Job that God uses suffering to teach and refine God’s people. God, however, refutes both of these claims, and shows that we are to trust God for who God is rather than what God does. This is shown throughout the life of Jesus as well. One example of this is found in the Gospel of John, when Jesus confronts Thomas after Jesus’ resurrection. “Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." (Jn. 20:29, NRSV)

Unfortunately, we as a people, and especially as a modern society, have grasped on to our free will and jumped in the wrong direction with all our collective might. Humanity is a fallen race. Each of us daily chooses evil over good in some greater or lesser form, thus distancing us from our Creator. Jesus addresses this by saying that we are slaves to sin, and must be freed through him. “Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The Slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’” (Jn. 8:24-36, NRSV)

What, then, must occur for us to receive reconciliation, healing, and right relationship with the One who gave us being, who loves us greatly, and who desires our love? This is answered for us in 2 Corinthians: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” (2 Cor. 5:18-19, NRSV) Jesus’ words, works, and most of all his death and resurrection, allowed us to be reconciled to God. This is the true crossroads, wherein the break that evil created is irrevocably fixed, for those who choose it, through Jesus. It is important here to note that, although we must also take some action, ours is merely a response. It is God who is reconciling us to Godself, rather than any sort of reconciliation that we could create or obtain through our own power or wisdom.

However it is not simply Christ’s death and resurrection that aids in reconciling us to God. His life, ministry, and sinlessness provide us with a perfect example on which to base our lives and practices. He shows us what is expected of those who believe in God and how we are to live. One analogy, admittedly a simple one, may help clarify this point: think of heaven as a house. This house has certain rules (love of God, obedience to God’s will), and those who choose to break those rules are not allowed in the house. However, those who try to follow the rules, even if they have made mistakes, can live there. Jesus is the example of these rules- obeying and serving his father, even to the point of death. More eloquently stated, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15, NRSV) Jesus had to abide by the same rules that we do and has provided a model lifestyle for us to follow.

As you can see, the ministry, life and person of Jesus, is intimately involved in the question of theodicy. Jesus stands at the crossroads, showing us right living and choices, freeing us from our sin, and reconciling us to God. I am thankful each day for Jesus’ involvement, because without him we would be unable to be in right relationship to our Maker. I pray that as I continue in my studies of him that I would follow in his footsteps and allow his life to guide mine.