If I were God, I'd end all the pain

It hardly needs saying that so much of the evil and suffering experienced in our world results from human decisions, from the potent reality of our will. Somehow, for all the wondrous glimpses of 'goodness' I see in society, there remains the unmistakable stain of selfishness, violence and greed.

In striking imagery, Genesis 1-3 makes the point that human beings from the very beginning misused their divinely sanctioned independence as rational beings and sought to become autonomous, that is, a law unto themselves, without reference to the Creator.

So began the long and tortuous story of the human will: men and women, made in God's image, defying their Maker for an imagined personal gain. And the result? A society scarred with the tyranny, betrayal, poverty and violence we see around us.

But all this raises a question: why does God not simply override our wills and so stop the pain we cause each other? He is surely able to do this. As the Lord of the universe, bending our wills occasionally should be a proverbial walk in the park.

In fact, biblical history furnishes proof that the Almighty is not averse to doing this from time to time. The classic example is that of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh in the time of Moses. The Pharaoh and his nation had enslaved and tyrannised the Jewish people for decades, and so Moses is sent to lead the people out of Egypt into the promised land. Once when Moses goes to Pharaoh demanding the release of the Jews, the text adds, 'But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let the Israelites go' (Exodus 10.20). In other words, God inclined the will of Pharaoh to act a certain way, locking him up, so to speak, in his own wickedness. The biblical God is clearly able to do what he likes with the wills of men and women.

But if God did step in to bend our wills on a regular basis, would the world be a better place? At one level the answer is, of course, 'yes'. We wouldn't be fighting each other, we would be generous and so on. But at the more profound level, the answer is clearly 'no'.

This point was illustrated well in the film The Truman Show. Truman is the unknowing subject of a huge television show, set in a small but delightful town he knows as home. From birth he has grown up unaware that those he thinks are his friends, work colleagues and even his wife are, in fact, merely actors and that his entire life is being secretly filmed and telecast live to millions of viewers around the world. Standing behind the show is Christof, the executive producer, who orchestrates absolutely everything. The result for Truman is an existence without risk, with little sorrow and no harm. If anything threatens to go wrong, Christof steps in and removes the possibility.

At first, those of us watching the film love the thought of Truman's existence. We almost wish we could live there in a world free of risk. The turning point comes, however, when Truman begins to catch on that something is not right. He notices people acting strangely, he accidentally bumps into some of the TV crew and so on. Eventually, Truman realises that his entire life is a monumental set-up. And so he tries to escape. To cut a long and brilliant story short, by the end of the film Truman's dramatic and passionate attempt to flee from the cool, calculated manipulation of the executive producer has us all cheering from the sidelines. We find ourselves longing for his freedom. Even though escaping from the TV set will thrust Truman into the real world - a world of risk, danger, pain and sorrow - at least it will be the real world, not some carefully orchestrated sham.

There are times when I wish God would bend human wills a little more - but in my more rational moments, as I think through the implications of this, it dawns on me that if God acted more like the executive producer in The Truman Show we would have a profound dilemma on our hands. True, we wouldn't be pondering, 'Why does a loving God permit evil and suffering?', for there wouldn't be any, but we would be here asking the more difficult and more tragic question: 'Why has God made us like this - without a will, without true personal expression?'

But God is not playing 'dolls-house' with the world. We are real independent beings designed for relationship with the Creator, but because of this we are capable also of defiance. Much of the suffering we experience in the world is a direct result of this God-given independence being turned to ill-effect, being turned into autonomy. And so we are able to say No to the ways of the Maker; No to justice and peace; No to marital faithfulness; No to sharing resources with the poor; No to equal rights for all; No to daily human kindness. It is the Garden of Eden all over again.

But this is not to imply that God will forever do nothing in response to the tyranny of our wills.

The pledge of justice

We look on the Jewish holocaust, the Kosovo crisis, the Dili massacre, and so on, and rightly cry out, 'Why didn't God do something? Perhaps we should be thankful that God allows us independent expression but once people have acted with evil intent why does he not step in and condemn them?'

The Bible's answer is that he will do something; he will step in. He has set aside a day at the end of history when his anger against all the tyrannous acts of men and women will be poured out in full. I am talking about the (in-)famous 'Day of Judgement', which has enormous implications for the question of suffering and evil.

The final book of the Bible, Revelation, describes it like this: 'Then I saw a great white throne and the one who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books' (Revelation 20.11-12).

The language is deliberately ominous, metaphorical and 'apocalyptic', but its point is clear. God, we're told, knows the deeds of 'great and small' alike as if recorded in a book, and will one day open the records and right all the wrongs.

For all its apparent doom and gloom, the biblical teaching about the Day of Judgement is not a mere theological scare tactic designed to make us more religious. It is, in fact, God's pledge to wounded humanity that he hears their cries for justice, and will one day console them by bringing his justice to bear on every evil act. Thus, in a strange sort of way, God's judgement is a consequence of his love. It is precisely because God loved the victims of the Jewish holocaust that he pledges to punish the perpetrators of this great evil. As odd as it sounds, the Bible's teaching about divine judgement brings profound comfort. It reminds us that the Creator hears our cries for justice, and will one day console us with a display of loving justice such as the world has never witnessed.

There is another aspect of God's love seen in the Day of Judgement. The God of the Bible is to be distinguished from the capricious gods of ancient Greece or the just principles of karma. He does not 'pay back' every time an injustice is committed - who of us would be standing if that were the case? Instead, he mercifully holds off his judgement, allowing ample opportunity for each of us to experience a spiritual and practical transformation, before he dishes out the full force of his justice:

'The present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men... The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise (to bring judgement) as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance' (2 Peter 3.7-9).

This judgement is not the last resort because the Almighty is unable or unwilling to exact his justice within history (remember ancient Egypt!). He has set a Day of Judgement at the end of history precisely because his personality is a unique blend of pure justice mixed with boundless patience, mercy and love.
Thus, God's pledge to console us with his justice becomes an exhortation to make use of this merciful interval he has allowed before the last resort. For clearly God does not see only the grand acts of evil such as those committed at Myall Creek in the 1800s or in Dili more recently. He sees the evils closer to home: in our own cities, suburbs and homes, and in our hearts. I am glad that the God of the universe intends to right all the wrongs - it's good to know that those who perpetrate evil against others will not escape - but I am also glad that he delays this judgement so that all of us, none of whom are stain-free, can experience the mercy and renewal that lie at the heart of biblical faith.

This article is an extract from John Dickson's new book 'If I were God, I'd end all the pain', published by the Good Book Company at £4.00, and is used with permission. Call 020 8942 0880.

If I were God, I'd end all the pain

The pledge of justice

Main Articles

Other articles