Skeptics find the problem of evil so repugnant and our solutions so hollow because they refuse to accept a fundamental reality that every Christian believes in: life after death. It’s an essential truth that’s part of a coherent Christian worldview. Because believers accept this truth, the solution to the problem of evil is palatable. But because skeptics reject this truth, the solution to the problem of evil remains unconscionable.

God has a problem. Skeptics and atheists love to point it out. They claim there is evil in the world that God either can’t destroy or won’t destroy. If he can’t destroy it, then he’s not all powerful. If he won’t destroy it, then he’s not all good. Either way, that’s not a God they can believe in.

This challenge is nothing new. It’s been around for millennia, but so have many thoughtful responses. Christians have typically offered a theodicy—a theological explanation of why God allows evil. For example, some say evil is a necessary consequence of human free will, or that God allows evil to accomplish a greater good, or that God uses evil to mold us into better people.

Non-believers rarely find these theodicies compelling. I’m not surprised. No matter how logical a theodicy might sound, the amount of misery is existentially too grievous to accept. How can a good and powerful God allow so much evil in one person’s 80-year existence?

Skeptics find the problem of evil so repugnant and our solutions so hollow because they refuse to accept a fundamental reality that every Christian believes in: life after death. It’s an essential truth that’s part of a coherent Christian worldview. Because believers accept this truth, the solution to the problem of evil is palatable. But because skeptics reject this truth, the solution to the problem of evil remains unconscionable.

Christian doctrine teaches that our existence extends past our physical death. God’s people will live forever in paradise, free from evil, pain, and suffering. If you don’t believe that, the problem of evil remains an intractable problem. Even Christians have a hard time truly internalizing the reality of an eternal paradise after their death. When they do, however, it makes theodicies more convincing.

The apostle Paul, for example, endured incredible evil, suffering, and pain. In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul describes how he went without food, water, sleep, and clothes. He was imprisoned, flogged, beaten, pelted with stones, shipwrecked three times, and received 39 lashes (it’s thought that 40 lashes would kill you) on five different occasions (2 Cor. 11:23–27). Paul’s misery surpassed what most people endure in a lifetime. Yet, in the same letter, he describes his horrific experiences as “momentary, light affliction” (2 Cor. 4:17).

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