The whole Bible can be read as an extended solution to the "problem of evil."
God works on cosmic rather than worldly scales. Any pain or suffering that humans experience in this life is extremely fleeting in comparison to the whole of eternity. God has secured eternity for us through the atoning work of the cross. Christus Victor! O death, where is thy sting?
Why didn’t God just create us all already in heaven then? What’s the point of the brief prelude in this evil-ridden world?
Would ANYTHING good have a true, meaningful value without something bad? I genuinely do not think so.
Well, even if that’s true, the problem is that much of the evil that currently exists and has historically existed in the world seems extremely excessive for these purposes; after all, if the amount of good and evil in the world were perfectly balanced by God to bring out “true, meaningful value”, then how could all of our efforts to reduce human suffering — many of which have of course been very successful — be morally justified?
