The Misguidedness of Theodicy
12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And,
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
19So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
-1 Peter 4:12-19
The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis grapples with the age-old question of theodicy. Why do bad things happen to good people? This question is probably the biggest and most frequent question people have of the Christian faith. If God is all-powerful and all-loving, then why does he let these things happen? Because evil and God's omnipotence and omnibenevolence seem incompatible, we doubt. But as our passage subtly suggests, the theodicy question itself is the problem. There is something this question assumes prematurely. It assumes that there is a such thing as a "good" person. V. 18 says, "It is hard for the righteous to be saved." Really, the word righteous should be in quotes. Because this verse is hinting at what Romans 3:10 says explicitly, "There is no one righteous, not even one." Every single one of us deserves nothing short of eternal destruction. I don't like this. It is what Calvin called "the horrible decree." I don't really understand it. But just as I find unfathomable and incomprehensible the vastness and beauty of our universe--where billions of stars and galaxies a billion times bigger than ours spread out at distances unimaginable having existed for lengths of time that only crude analogies can help me to understand--so also is the holiness of the God who created such a universe equally unfathomable. And subsequently so is my own depravity. The heart and soul of the Gospel plants its feet firmly on the assumption of our uttermost unworthiness. And we must humbly accept this unfathomable truth if we are ever to find the freedom the Gospel offers.
Our passage takes us in the complete opposite direction of where the theodicy questions want to go. Suffering, it seems, isn't even simply something that God allows. The theodicy problem is much bigger. Because as our passage indicates, God is in fact behind suffering. "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God." What do we want out of life? Do we really want to become like God? Do we really want to be holy?
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
19So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
-1 Peter 4:12-19
The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis grapples with the age-old question of theodicy. Why do bad things happen to good people? This question is probably the biggest and most frequent question people have of the Christian faith. If God is all-powerful and all-loving, then why does he let these things happen? Because evil and God's omnipotence and omnibenevolence seem incompatible, we doubt. But as our passage subtly suggests, the theodicy question itself is the problem. There is something this question assumes prematurely. It assumes that there is a such thing as a "good" person. V. 18 says, "It is hard for the righteous to be saved." Really, the word righteous should be in quotes. Because this verse is hinting at what Romans 3:10 says explicitly, "There is no one righteous, not even one." Every single one of us deserves nothing short of eternal destruction. I don't like this. It is what Calvin called "the horrible decree." I don't really understand it. But just as I find unfathomable and incomprehensible the vastness and beauty of our universe--where billions of stars and galaxies a billion times bigger than ours spread out at distances unimaginable having existed for lengths of time that only crude analogies can help me to understand--so also is the holiness of the God who created such a universe equally unfathomable. And subsequently so is my own depravity. The heart and soul of the Gospel plants its feet firmly on the assumption of our uttermost unworthiness. And we must humbly accept this unfathomable truth if we are ever to find the freedom the Gospel offers.
Our passage takes us in the complete opposite direction of where the theodicy questions want to go. Suffering, it seems, isn't even simply something that God allows. The theodicy problem is much bigger. Because as our passage indicates, God is in fact behind suffering. "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God." What do we want out of life? Do we really want to become like God? Do we really want to be holy?
posted by Kevin Hanly at
7:43 AM
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