If God is all-powerful and all-good, why does suffering exist? Explore 6 philosophical and theological responses to the hardest question facing faith.
If God is all-powerful, God can prevent suffering.
If God is all-good, God wants to prevent suffering.
Yet suffering exists.
Therefore: Either God is not all-powerful, or God is not all-good, or God does not exist.
This is the problem that haunts believers and drives skeptics. A child dies of cancer. A woman is assaulted. An earthquake kills thousands. Where is God? Why doesn't God stop it?
A theodicy is an attempt to justify God's goodness despite evil. Expand each to explore its arguments, strengths, and limitations.
The ultimate Christian answer to suffering is not a philosophical argument—it's a person: Jesus Christ. God didn't remain distant from suffering. God entered into suffering.
Jesus experienced betrayal, pain, abandonment, death
We don't suffer alone—God is present in pain
Jesus' suffering accomplished redemption
The resurrection shows death is not final
Matthew 27:46 (KJV)
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" — Jesus experienced what feels like abandonment by God. God entered into the deepest human suffering.
Dive into the complete 30,000+ word resource exploring the problem of evil from philosophical, theological, biblical, and pastoral perspectives—with specific responses to different types of suffering.