Christian Theodicy: Free Will, Evil, and the Cross
This essay examines the problem of evil from a Christian theological perspective, arguing that evil is best understood not through philosophical abstraction alone but through the full narrative of Scripture and Christian doctrine. Drawing on thinkers such as Alvin Plantinga, C. S. Lewis, N. T. Wright, and John Feinberg, the paper traces evil's origin to the free will of God's creatures, its perpetuation through Original Sin, and its ultimate defeat through the sacrificial death of Christ. The essay contends that both moral and natural evils are connected to humanity's fall, that the free will defense adequately addresses natural evil within a Christian framework, and that the Cross represents the decisive response to evil's apparent triumph over goodness.
- Introduction: The Problem of Evil and the Christian Context: Christianity's unique answer to why evil exists
- The Cross as Symbol and Entry Point: Suffering as the path to God through the Cross
- Original Sin, Covenant, and the Sacrifice Motif: Eden's fall and God's covenantal response to sin
- Free Will, Divine Creation, and the Drama of Human Choice: Plantinga on God, freedom, and created beings
- Natural Evil and the Free Will Defense: How Original Sin explains natural disasters and suffering
- Conclusion: Faith, Christ, and the Overcoming of Evil: Christ as the only answer to insurmountable evil
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What makes this paper effective
- The essay builds a coherent apologetic argument by integrating Scripture, patristic themes, and modern philosophical sources (Plantinga, Lewis, Feinberg, Wright) within a unified Christian framework, giving the analysis both theological depth and academic grounding.
- The author effectively anticipates and refutes counterarguments — particularly Feinberg's objection that the free will defense fails to account for natural evils — by returning to the Genesis narrative and demonstrating how Original Sin connects moral and natural disorder.
- The use of the Cross as a structuring metaphor unifies the essay thematically, linking the discussion of suffering, sacrifice, and redemption across sections without losing argumentative focus.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper models the technique of theological rebuttal: it presents a philosophical objection (e.g., Feinberg on natural evil), acknowledges its force, and then systematically dismantles it by appealing to a broader doctrinal framework. This move — concede, contextualize, refute — is characteristic of strong apologetics writing and demonstrates awareness of the opponent's position before responding.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens by situating the problem of evil philosophically before asserting Christianity's superior explanatory power. Subsequent sections treat the Cross as the theological centerpiece, then trace evil's origin through Original Sin and covenant history. The paper then engages the free will defense directly, responds to the natural evil objection, and concludes by affirming that faith in Christ is the only fully satisfying resolution to the problem. Six sections move from diagnosis to defense to resolution.
Introduction: The Problem of Evil and the Christian Context
The problem of evil is something everyone must face sooner or later. As Schlesinger points out, philosophers want to understand "why there is any suffering in the world at all."1 The difficulty with a purely philosophical approach to suffering, however, is that it does not reveal the whole story — or the whole picture — of why suffering (evil) exists. Religion, on the other hand, does provide that whole story, and depending on the religion, the account will differ somewhat.
Christianity teaches that evil is a result of sin — that it did not enter the world of its own accord, nor did God create it, but rather that His creatures chose it of their own free will. The choice to pursue evil, defined as an absence of the good, altered God's world — or at least humanity's perception of it. Prior to the fall, man lived in happiness in the Garden of Paradise. His sin led to his expulsion from that happy state into a world full of danger, suffering, and death. He now had to face the repercussions of his actions — that is, the evil of his sin, made apparent to him in all of nature.
Yet God did not abandon man to evil, lest man despair of ever returning to God, his origin and his end. God even provided man with the prescription for overcoming evil. This was demonstrated by Christ, Who went into the desert for a period of fasting to show that we must strengthen and prepare our spirits for battle with evil. Even Christ was tempted by Satan — not once but three times. Because He had conditioned Himself to do battle against the spirit of evil, Christ prevailed.
Today, however, Satan uses different tactics in trying to pull souls away from God. He argues that since he exists and evil reigns across the earth, a good God must not exist — for if a good God did exist and was all-powerful, why would so much evil be permitted? That is the central question with regard to evil today. It is a question that can ultimately only be understood in the Christian context, for it is the Christian religion that gives the fullest and most meaningful expression of the problem of evil and how that problem is resolved — for it was Christ who defeated death and Satan once and for all through the Cross.
The Cross as Symbol and Entry Point
The Cross is the perfect symbol and the perfect entry point for a discussion of the problem of evil. It is a reminder that in this world, one must be prepared to suffer in order to reach God. Suffering is often associated with evil — pain with unhappiness and misery. So why would the path to God run through such suffering?
The Old Testament prepared us for this question. The Psalms and Isaiah 53 show that the "suffering and death of the Servant himself" — that is, the Son of God — occurs because he shoulders the punishment for sin: "He embodies the covenant faithfulness, the restorative justice, of the sovereign God; and with his stripes 'we' (presumably the 'we' of the remnant, looking on in wonder and fear) are healed."2 This is not a matter of bringing an end to suffering in the world, but rather of beginning a way to God through suffering. Instead of seeing evil and fleeing from God because the evil seems overwhelming, one may see the evil, embrace the suffering, and do so out of love for God and a desire to unite oneself to Him. Just as Christ suffered and died on the Cross so that the gates of Heaven might be opened to us once more, we too can take up our crosses and follow Him out of love.
Original Sin, Covenant, and the Sacrifice Motif
Christ's sacrifice was a direct response to the first sin — Original Sin — the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, which resulted in the closing of the gates of Heaven to mankind. God provided humanity with a succession of promises and covenants, assuring man that He would not abandon him but would provide a way to redemption. Along the way, the sacrifice motif became unmistakable: whether it was the sacrifice of Abel, the near-sacrifice of Isaac, or the sacrificial lamb slaughtered to celebrate the Passover, God was sending repeated messages to His people that they must be ready and willing to sacrifice in order to return to Him.
Suffering was a punishment for sin — but it was a just punishment, much as a student who disobeys is punished: it is part of the process of establishing or re-establishing order. The student's act of disobedience should not be taken as evidence that order does not and cannot exist. Yet that is precisely the argument made with respect to evil: since evil exists, the order and beauty of a good God cannot exist. This is essentially a non-sequitur.
Conclusion: Faith, Christ, and the Overcoming of Evil
Explaining the existence of evil, whether natural or moral, is straightforward once one apprehends that God is the source of all life and that Christ came to redeem mankind and give man hope of reunion with God in Heaven. Without the promise given through the Holy Cross, man would live in despair, and the problem of evil would indeed seem insurmountable. In such a state, one could reasonably argue that the existence of insurmountable evil nullifies the existence of a good, all-powerful God.
Yet because of Christ, evil is not insurmountable. Those who argue that the existence of evil negates the existence of God demonstrate a lack of faith or knowledge of God — of the Triune God of the Christian religion. Because of that lack, the existence of evil does appear insurmountable and deeply problematic. It is a problem that can only be overcome and understood fully through faith in Christ.
Bibliography
Adams, Marilyn McCord, and Robert Merrihew Adams. The Problem of Evil. Oxford University Press, 1990.
Feinberg, John S. The Many Faces of Evil. Crossway Books, 2004.
Lewis, C. S. The Problem of Pain. Samizdat University Press, 2016.
Plantinga, Alvin. God, Freedom and Evil. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1974.
Schlesinger, G. N. "The Problem of Evil and the Problem of Injustice." Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought 13, no. 2 (1972): 42–51.
Wright, N. T. Evil and the Justice of God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006.
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