Homeschool Helper - April 2009 - (Page 6)

FEATURE ARTICLE CONT. the meantime, they increase our yearning for that future world that will be free of the sorrows of this one.14 Again, this answer is insufficient. What about those who do not escape? And is it really necessary for us to suffer the consequences of sin in order to appreciate the joys of eternity? Do the unfallen angels not appreciate those joys? Doesn’t God? more into that discussion than philosophy and abstraction; you need to turn to questions about the relationship and to solutions for spiritual health.16 In the end this is a devotional question, not merely a philosophical one. Sometimes we just need to trust Him—not blindly (because He has given us ample reasons to trust Him), but we need to trust Him nonetheless. Dr. Dan Olinger is chairman of the Division of Bible at Bob Jones University. The Role of Relationship A major inadequacy of the standard theories is that they tend to treat the problem of evil philosophically, objectively, abstractly, impersonally. There’s a place for that kind of investigation, of course, but limiting ourselves to that approach omits a key factor for us: God is a person Who has designed us to have a relationship with Him. And that changes both the way we investigate and the standard of proof. What do we conclude when God does something that looks “suspicious” to us? Well, that depends entirely on the state of our relationship with Him. If we know Him well, we trust Him; and if we do not, we don’t. That means that when you or your children express distrust about what God is doing, you are making a statement about the health of your spiritual life.15 As a parent, teacher, and counselor, you need to bring 14 This is actually one variation of a broader view, sometimes called the “greater-good” view: that God has determined that allowing evil into His universe will result in greater good in the long run than not doing so. One of these “greater goods” often suggested is the moral development of the soul—“no pain, no gain.” Another, obviously, is salvation—though not of all—and the greatest good, as the Westminster Catechism reminds us, is the glory of God. 15 I am not suggesting that anyone who doubts God is spiritually dead or even spiritually sick. In times of great crisis, great saints have great doubts and express great sorrow and frustration. We are not yet glorified. But when the believer’s first instinct is consistently to distrust God’s motives and to doubt His goodness, his relationship with God is pathological. Further Reading Anyone who wants to discuss this matter with a skeptic or even a sincerely questioning seeker needs to prepare himself well. Of the many books written on the subject, the most helpful, in my opinion, are as follows: Adams, Jay Edward. The Grand Demonstration: A Biblical Study of the So-Called Problem of Evil. Santa Barbara: EastGate, 1991. Carson, D. A. How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990. Frame, John M. “Apologetics as Defense: The Problem of Evil,” 2 chapters in Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 1994. Ham, Ken, and Carl Wieland. Walking Through Shadows. Green Forest, AR: Master, 2002. Lewis, C. S. The Problem of Pain. London: Centenary, 1940. Lloyd-Jones, David Martyn. Why Does God Allow Suffering? Wheaton: Crossway, 1994. 16 I have written before about the means of grace, the key to a spiritual exercise program, which is available online at http://www.bjupress.com/ resources/articles/t2t/0901.pdf. 5 http://w http://w.bjupress.com/

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Homeschool Helper - April 2009

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