COVID-19 AND THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
WHERE IS GOD WHEN THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE DYING?
Key Facts
The Coronavirus is a serious disease which can cause pneumonia in both lungs, multi-organ failure, and in some cases death.[1]
Due to over-purchasing and stockpiling, many grocers across the nation have imposed buying limits on food and household items.[2] There are lines outside of many grocery stores before they open for the day.
This disease has currently spread to 215 countries, infecting 3,181,642 people and causing the death of 224,301 people as of May 1, 2020.[3]
Key Scriptures
Luke 13:4-5 “Those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Genesis 3:17 “To Adam He said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.”
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Want to Know More?
Where is God in a Coronavirus World? by John Lennox
Theodicy of Love: Cosmic Conflict and the Problem of Evil by John Peckham
The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis
Wandering in Darkness by Eleonore Stump
Analysis
There is no question that this global pandemic has created an immense amount of suffering both for those who have endured the virus and those who have lost loved ones. Such an event is leading many to ask why God would allow this seemingly senseless evil to take place.
Coronavirus differs from other types of evil that exist in the world because it does not have a human who perpetrates it. This type of evil, called natural evil, can be seen in the story of Job. Like many others, Job’s friends attempt to explain the losses and pain in his life by arguing that he has done something sinful and now is experiencing God’s judgment. God rebukes them for these claims of divine judgment on Job. The reader can see from God’s rebuke that blaming the individual and claiming divine judgment of sin is not likely the correct interpretation of disaster. However, even with this, the question of why Job suffers is largely left unanswered.
The answer we are ultimately left with is that we are far too finite to comprehend the wisdom, understanding, goodness, and sovereignty of an infinite God. Humans are limited and cannot see the full picture of why he allows certain evils to occur in this world. As humans, we usually don’t know why God allows evil, but we know why we don’t know. God’s perspective is so much greater than ours; it is logical that humans would not understand all His allowances in this world.
There is no one clear answer to why God is allowing this coronavirus to exist in the world. The answers Christians can provide come only from a limited perspective. However, here are some possible reasons that God might allow this to happen.
First, Christians must remember that although God allows evil to occur, he himself is never the source of that evil. When God created the world, he created everything good (Genesis 1:31). The evil that we see in the world ultimately stems from sin entering the world through Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). Because of the entrance of sin into the world, all of the generations after Adam and Eve have seen horrible tragedies. This is, in part, due to the effects that sin has on the world. The world is in a fallen state and will remain that way until God redeems the earth and makes it new according to Revelation 21.
Second, this virus could be revealing that temporal things do not truly satisfy the longings of the human heart. As each person is home and spending time on social media and television, this could be a time in which they realize a deeper need that the world cannot satisfy, namely, the need for God himself.
Third, the Coronavirus can function to remind people of their mortality. In Luke 13, Jesus teaches that those who are struck by natural disasters are not more sinful than other humans. Instead, He shows how these disasters can be a pointer to our need for God and salvation. The significance of His teaching here is that all humans are sinful and in need of repentance and reconciliation to God. This awareness of mortality and disaster can help humans seek security in the One who is in control.
Fourth, God could use this to bring about a greater good. If humans are ever able to see the larger picture of God working things out for good, it is usually not until much later. However, God is in the habit of bringing redemption to our tragic circumstances. This theme of God’s work is revealed in narratives throughout the Bible.
Lastly, it's good to keep in mind that the challenges that come with the problem of evil are not just challenges for Christians. Do atheists have a better response to the coronavirus? Atheists respond to evil in the world, like the Coronavirus, by removing the agent who allows suffering—God. They say that since there is no God, he is not responsible for suffering. However, if the agent is removed, there is no possible good or redemption that can come from the suffering. Instead, the suffering, in their view, is the result of random chance, characterized by nothing but pain. If a baby dies of the virus, this is just the result of chance and living in a world in which people die. Christians, on the other hand, do believe an event such as the hypothetical one described is horrible; however, the suffering of losing a child may ultimately be used for good and the child is in the presence of God. Redemption for evil through God’s power is not less compassionate than atheism, but rather more compassionate by giving value to the pain instead of claiming that it is wholly arbitrary.
Conclusion
There may only be potential explanations for the coronavirus, but these demonstrate how God many be working even when humans cannot see the whole picture. The possible reasons for suffering mentioned reveal how God can be both good and allow suffering at the same time.
Even if we can answer the logical problems of why a good God might allow evil, a simple head-knowledge does not suffice to bring comfort in pain. Ultimately, God’s presence is the only thing that brings peace through suffering. God is not indifferent to our suffering. In fact, Christ endured physical suffering and death on the cross for the salvation of humanity. This is a key example of how God can bring good from evil. He does not pull away from human suffering, but even entered into it for the sake of humanity. Jesus has been through the suffering and continues to come alongside humanity in their suffering. God’s presence in trials can bring rest to our hearts as they struggle in a broken world.
In the final analysis, Christians won’t have all the answers here on earth. Nevertheless, we can rest in the fact that we serve the only true and infinitely wise God who says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).