A Common Question from Atheists
Atheists have a good question:
If God is all-powerful and God is good, why is there suffering?
Dr. John Lennox, a professor at Oxford University, gave the best answer I ever heard to this question.
Who Is Dr. John Lennox?
Dr. Lennox is a professor of mathematics with a PhD from Oxford. He’s not just a brilliant academic—he’s also a deeply thoughtful Christian.
Here’s how he tackled the question.
Reframing the Question
He said, “We’ve been wrestling with this question for 2,000 years. This is not a new question.”
And in mathematics, when we have a difficult problem—and this is a difficult problem—the way we get to the answer sometimes is to ask a different question.
A Different Approach to the Problem of Suffering
So, Dr. Lennox says:
Let’s put aside that there’s suffering in the world.
We all agree there’s suffering.
We all agree suffering is a problem.
(A side note from me: My atheist friends, if you didn’t think suffering was a problem, then we’d really have a problem.)
Now, getting back to Dr. Lennox…
He said the question should be:
Is there any evidence that we have a God who understands our suffering?
Is there any evidence that our God is not distant from our suffering?
Christianity’s Answer to Suffering
He said the Christian faith is founded on the evidence that Jesus died on the cross.
He suffered—for us.
And if Jesus’ story ended there, none of us would have even heard of Him.
But there’s overwhelming evidence of the resurrection.
That is the foundation of our Christian faith.
One Miracle vs. Many
This is John Lennox’s answer—a brilliant answer from a brilliant man.
So I’m going to say this to you:
As an atheist, you only have to believe one miracle—but it’s a big one.
You have to believe the miracle that everything came from nothing.
As Christians, we have the evidence of Jesus:
- Who lived
- Who suffered
- Who was resurrected
Personal Testimony: Millions Have Met Jesus
On a personal note, we have millions of people throughout history—maybe billions—who have experienced an encounter with Jesus.
They’ve felt His presence while they were suffering.
A Final Thought: What Do You Have to Lose?
You have nothing to lose.
If you’re right, I die—and there’s nothing.
If I’m right, now you’ve got another problem.
So all the time you spend thinking about how to invest your money, what house to buy, or which car is best—why not take that brainpower and research the life of Jesus Christ?
Look into the evidence for the resurrection, and be honest with the Lord.
Tell Him your doubts.
Say:
“Lord Jesus, if you are real, reveal yourself to me.”
Because:
“If you seek, you will find. If you knock, the door will be opened. I promise you.”
God bless
God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? Paperback, buy only on Amazon.com