ABOUT

I’m a nurse. Nurses care for people who are in pain, are suffering, or are dying.

I’m a Christian. Christians believe in an all powerful Creator who deeply cares for and loves us.

How can Christians claim that the Creator is both loving and all powerful when we see so much pain, suffering, and death around us?

A satisfying answer must take into account the following biblical claims:

• God created Satan and the fallen angels
• God created hell
• God created evil

An answer that makes sense to me is that the Creator has chosen to conquer evil and therefore had to create it in order to conquer it. But, why would a loving, all powerful Creator choose to create and conquer evil? The Bible says faith without works is dead. God claims to hate evil. This would be a “dead” claim if evil never existed and God did not “work” out his hatred for evil. The Bible claims that God is merciful to the wicked. This would be a “dead” claim if the wicked never existed and God did not “work” out his mercy to them. The Bible tells us that the Creator’s conquest of evil involved his own pain, suffering, and death.

Is God then responsible for evil deeds? No, the creatures that God created who are capable of doing evil (Adam, Satan, angels) were free of evil when they were created. But they were created with freedom to choose evil.

The Puzzle of Pain is a look at the problem of pain, suffering, and death through my eyes as a nurse and as a Christian. Please download the PDF file.