Last week we began a discussion of the problem of evil and suffering (often known as the study of theodicy). I would like to continue to address this topic for a number of weeks to come. However, before we get too far, there is one more piece of groundwork that needs to be laid.
To effectively approach some of these hard questions we first need to properly understand the relationship between faith and doubt. Many see faith as either the absence of doubt or the suppression of doubt, but biblical faith is neither. It is the conquering of doubt. Faith doesn’t mean we fully comprehend the answers to all the hard questions, but neither does it mean we refuse to ask them. Biblical faith involves coming to terms with these questions and doubts.
To do this, we must base our life on answers, not on questions. We must go back to what we do know, not get sucked into skepticism by the things we do not.
Job is one of the best examples of this concept. He struggled with doubts and questions more than most, but was able to overcome them in the end. How? Notice God’s first words in answer to him: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2). And what was Job’s final response? “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things to wonderful for me, which I did not know” (Job 42:2-3). God never gave Job all the answers, but Job found peace by going back to the things he did know about God and basing his life upon that foundation.
Just because we have doubts and questions about something does not mean we should automatically write it off as false. We must explore the available evidence and weigh the options fairly. The open and honest seeker of truth does not have to find a position logically inescapable before reaching a conclusion. He simply must find it the most reasonable option given the available evidence.
While many doubts and questions about God can be effectively answered, some inevitably will remain. Does this mean we cannot have faith in God? Not at all! What we must ask ourselves is, “do the answers outweigh the questions?” Does faith in God most effectively explain the dilemmas of life? What I believe we will find is that Atheism and skepticism actually leave us with more unanswered questions, not less. When all available evidence has been examined, faith in God just makes a lot more sense.
This series of articles will be primarily focused on the answering the hard questions, not necessarily presenting positive evidence for Theism or Christianity. That is a vast topic of its own. But hopefully this series will help you see that there are answers to the hard questions and faith in God does make sense.