If God is Good, Why Covid19?

Foundational to the Christian faith is the understanding that God is good. His character and nature are explicitly taught throughout the Bible.
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The challenge we face in judging God is what our human subjective experience informs us about goodness. The “good” is often confused with the “kind”, and kindness is often measured by feelings rather than righteousness.

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In the classic argument of “If God, why evil”, there are two primary problems for those of us that hold and defend the Christian faith. First is the problem of moral evil, and the second the problem of natural evil. The first is more easily answered than the second, but together they pose the most problematic objection to the existence of the Christian God.

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Moral evil is posed by the question: “Why would a good God allow children to be abused, young mothers to be murdered, or Stalinist regimes to torture and execute millions”? The shocking answer is love. I could make a theological argument for this answer but allow me a philosophical proposition based on the Biblical representation of God.

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The Bible states that God is love, therefore He can act no other way. Love requires freewill. So, the argument is this: if love requires freewill, and God took away that free will every time there was a possible moral evil, He would be defying His nature and acting against His immutable attributes. This is more than clever sophistry. It is a reasonable assertion.

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The alternative? God could have created a universe of robots that did what was right and never were allowed the freewill to chose evil over good. But because He is love, He could not create for relationship that which was in direct contradiction to who He is.

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The Christian, however, must face the more disturbing reality of natural evil, which would include the Covid 19 virus. In events like hurricanes, earthquakes, famines, plagues, disease, and a host of other natural disasters the answers tend to not satisfy the human sense of morality. But perhaps in that statement lies a potential explanation, even if it does not totally satisfy. And I admit, it does not satisfy nor give answer to the human experience of pain and suffering that often results.

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The key word is “morality”. We tend to judge what is moral by what we perceive is good. Almost no one would argue that Covid 19 is anything but evil. From where does a common morality like this find its genesis? Does this morality have universal standards, or could it possibly be that the Corona virus is good for one person and totally evil and objectionable to another? Obviously not. Unless we are so delusional to believe that nearly all humanity could agree on any set of morals, those morals, which are written on the hearts of men, demand one thing: a single, immutable moral law giver. Is this a humanly satisfying argument for the existence of God despite the fact of natural evil? Perhaps not, but to think the purpose of life is our own satisfaction would be self-centered arrogance. God never promised, despite our sin, all things would be good. He did promise that “all things work together for good to all who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Lastly, Christ did not suggest that He would erase all that is evil in this world. He did say that He would overcome it. He did. He has risen! That’s good news in this Covid storm. Hang in there.

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Dr. David T. Seaford has a Masters in Apologetics and a Doctorate in Practical Theology. He authors the syndicated blog “Truth is Truth”, teaches at Veritas Bible Institute in Eureka CA, is a popular conference speaker and the pastor of First Baptist Church, Redway.  For more information or to ask questions email: d_seaford@msn.com or go to www.fbcredway.com.