The Claim: Evil exists therefore, God does not exist.
An all-powerful (omnipotent) God can do anything.
An all-good(omnibenevolent) God doesn't stop evil and suffering.
Evil and suffering exist; therefore, God does not exist.
Evil is only possible where there is human freedom. Romans 5:12 (NLT) When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.
Truth: Evil exists
Evil is not a thing; it's the absence of a thing.
A hole is not a thing. It's the absence of a thing.
Evil is the absence of Good.
Truth: Objective Morality Exist
What makes Mother Teresa a better person than Hitler
Conclusion: In order for the absence of Moral goodness to exist, Good must exist. There must be a source of that moral goodness..
Truth: God cannot do anything. Omnipotence doesn't mean that God can do anything. Omnipotence has to do with power, not ability. God can do anything that power can do.
God cannot create free moral agents that are not morally free. God is not obsessed with control; He is not a cosmic dictator.
The problem of evil isn't God's problem. Yet, he solves it. Romans 5:17 (NIV) For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
God provides solutions. God is not the problem, he is the solution.
Where do you get your information about God? Colossians 2:8 (NIV) See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
John 14:5–9 (NIV) 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.
Jesus reveals the way of the Father, the truth about the Father and the life in the Father.
Hebrews 1:3 (NIV) The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being…
Colossians 1:15 (NLT) Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.
God doesn't create problems; He provides solutions.
John 3:16–21 (NIV) 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
God provides a purpose in the pain.
God makes sure that no pain is wasted.
Pain serves us, we don't serve pain. Romans 8:28 (NIV) 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. Scars in the Kingdom - Scars take us from pain to power
Scars speak louder of the win than the wound
Wounds speak of death scars speak of the resurrection
