The problem of evil, and a function of suffering
By Easton Martin
Suffering is an inescapable human reality. For centuries, philosophers and skeptics have argued that the existence of pain is impossible, or at least, highly unlikely to exist alongside a loving, omnipotent God. This dilemma, known as the problem of evil, forms perhaps the sharpest critique of theism. If Christianity claims God is entirely good and completely powerful, the presence of disease, cruelty, and heartbreak demands a coherent answer. The sheer weight of human misery has driven many to despair. Pessimistic German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once said: “If you want a safe compass to guide you through life, and to banish all doubt as to the right way of looking at it, you cannot do better than accustom yourself to regard this world as a penitentiary.”
Is life truly like a penitentiary, a place of punishment and anguish? Or is there more to our pain than needless, pointless suffering?
Let us then consider, what is the point of suffering under the Christian worldview? Scripture gives us two main goals, or hopeful outcomes of suffering. These are two ways to look at the question, and are not exhaustive of scripture’s teaching on the topic.
First, suffering cleanses and purifies the believer. The fires of affliction burn away our reliance on the temporary and reveal what is eternal. The Apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:6 to 7, “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” The prophet Isaiah echoes this refining process in Isaiah 48:10, declaring, “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.”
Likewise, the Apostle Paul explains in Romans 5:3-4 that “we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
Suffering also serves to give context for joy. Without the experience of the bitter, how can we know what is sweet?. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” He reinforces this perspective in Romans 8:18, stating, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
The Puritan writer Richard Baxter explored this profound dynamic in his classic work, “The Saints’ Everlasting Rest”. He observed how our earthly trials function in the light of eternity:
”The memory will not be idle, or useless, in this blessed work. From that height the saint can look behind him, and before him. And to compare past with present things.”
Baxter points out that our earthly experiences are not simply erased in eternity. Instead, they serve as a necessary reference point. The ability to remember past grief is precisely what allows us to fully grasp the magnitude of heavenly peace.
”To stand on that mount, whence we can see the Wilderness and Canaan, both at once; to stand in Heaven, and look back on earth, and weigh them together in the balance of a comparing sense and judgment, how must it needs transport the soul, and make it cry out, “Is this the purchase that cost so dear as the blood of Christ? No wonder, O blessed price!”
Here, Baxter paints a vivid picture of eternal perspective. Viewing the struggles of the wilderness alongside the perfection of Canaan, the believer can finally see the true value of redemption. The experience of various pains in this life function to show us the greatness of what is to come, and drive us towards hoping for Christ’s return.
Baxter continues:
”Is this the glory which the Scriptures spoke of, and ministers preached of so much? I see the gospel is indeed good tidings, even tidings of peace and good things, tidings of great joy to all nations. Is my mourning, my fasting, my sad humblings, my heavy walking come to this? Is my praying, watching, fearing to offend, come to this? Are all my afflictions, Satan’s temptations, the world’s scorns and jeers come to this?”
Baxter reveals the ultimate vindication of the believer’s endurance. All the tears, the countless prayers, and the worldly ridicule suddenly make sense when placed next to eternal glory. The suffering was never in vain. It was the necessary path leading to an unimaginable inheritance.
Ultimately, suffering prepares us for the joys to come. It works deeply within us to make us the kind of people who can actually enjoy and take part in these eternal realities. Most importantly, it gives us the memory and the deep knowledge of what it is like to be without it. The darkness we face now ensures that the coming light will be appreciated in its absolute and brilliant fullness.
