I spent a little time today visiting a forum where people posted images and pictures on things that gave them emotional responses. The images ranged between the absolute heart-wrenching to God-glorifying beauty. The contrast was astounding.

Of course, there were many things that exhibited the truthfulness of the fall. From families mourning the loss of loved ones from natural disasters and war to the effects of poverty on the image of God in people everywhere- whether the streets right here in Louisville to villages in third-world countries. The images are in-your-face digital realities of both sin and redemption. They cry out along with John, “Come, Lord Jesus!” They speak to us of our thirst for justice, and of our need of mercy. All the abstract talk on evil, sin, and salvation become frighteningly real.

So then, what are we Christians to do? Well, certainly, if someone brings up questions on God’s character and evil we should answer them, but there are a couple more points I want to bring out. These are in no particular order.

1) Let us weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice. In the case of the church, this is one aspect of community. Sometimes we just need someone to come along side us and cry with us. When one part of our body suffers, our whole body suffers. Likewise, when one part of the body of Christ suffers, the whole body of Christ suffers. The flip side of this is when one member of the body is rejoicing, let us rejoice with them. To be sure, we are able to do this simultaneously. In the case of humanity, we can cry out at suffering, especially under the understanding of imago dei (the idea that all humans are created in the image of God). As we see the suffering of other image-bearers, we can mourn with them and cry out for justice with them. Similarly, we can rejoice at their triumphs. On one hand we have a picture of God’s particular love for his community of sons and daughters, and on the other we have a picture of God’s love for the crown of his good creation.

2) Let us recognize our need for repentance, individually and corporately. The beginning verses of Luke 13 are well-known. In them, a crowd brings up the problem of evil and suffering to Jesus- the tower of Siloam falling and the genocide of some Gallileans. Jesus’ answer was not the expected one, “But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” To some degree or another, all evil in this world, amongst any other meaning it may have, is a sign for the need of repentance. Each disaster says to me, “Bryan, you must repent.” Every atrocity committed says to the community gathered at Sojourn- “Turn away from your wickedness!” In other words, it is a reminder of grace. How do I draw that conclusion? Because the very invitation to repentance from God to sinner is a graceful act. The fact that any should turn and repent is grace, which is why the Reformation call is salvation BY GRACE through faith. It points us to the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ gives us the resurrection of Christ. We have no hope if either of those two are omitted. And the resurrection of Christ is itself a sign-post which points us to the third point.

3)One day all evil will cease, Christ will be revealed, and the heavens and earth will be changed and brought into visible union under the rule of Christ. Each act of evil, each atrocity committed, each natural disaster, each event that causes some people to question God’s existence should instead point us to our ultimate hope- it should remind us that God will one day make everything right. In the new creation the lion will lay down with the lamb, the child shall play by the den of adders, God will bring justice through his judgment, and their will be no more tears or pain. As I said above, our cry should echo John, “Come, Lord Jesus!” There will ultimately be justice as Christ comes as Judge. Everything will be made right as Christ is revealed as the sovereign king. And for those in His kingdom, he will be the glorified Immanuel -God with us. It is the cry of every heart- for justice to come, and for everything to be made right.

N.T. Wright once countered Bart Ehrman’s question of the problem of evil, by essentially saying this (loose paraphrase): The question of why evil exists is not the main question the Bible seeks to answer. In many ways, it’s an assumed reality. The main question the Bible seeks to answer, and in fact has as its central idea, is “what is God doing about it?” The Bible’s unequivocal answer is the cross of Christ and His resurrection. This, of course, points to the reality of the new creation. In the crucifixion we see God’s justice and mercy mingle together as the blood flowed from Christ’s wounds. In His resurrection God overcame death, and the reality of the future new creation crashed into this present one.