Jordan Peterson recently shared a conversation he had with Jonathan Pageau on his YouTube channel. During the conversation, Peterson espoused the undeniable reality of a divine moral standard impacting physical objectivity and the epitome of that reality being Christ. What that means is that our world has to be connected to a Creator and His moral standard, and we see that connection in Christ. The realm of “value” and “fact” is inevitably inseparable, says Peterson. The conversation can be found here. The 20 or so minutes following the time stamp on this link are worth the time it takes to watch it. I would recommend at least those 20 minutes, if not the entire conversation. Although it’s an Atheist and Orthodox in the video, neither position which I hold to, I do believe their conversation to be profitable.
I hold Jordan Peterson in respect, and am intrigued by his message. He is intelligent, genuine, humble, and responsible. Christians and Atheists alike have a lot they can learn from him. I include myself in that group. Peterson is an unbeliever whose heart, it seems, the Spirit may be tilling into good soil ready to accept the seed of the Gospel. God knows, and we can pray. But there’s a question that stumps Peterson. It’s the same question that unbelievers have been tripping on for generations. Even many Christians have a problem answering the question. Peterson admits the obvious connection between our physical world and a transcendent standard. He sees that in Christ, the Incarnate Deity, that connection is found. He understands that this inevitable reality must lead to worship, or in other words, “joyful attention.” And this is where his intellectual mind stumbles:
“The fact that I’ve been living in constant pain makes the idea of joy seem cruel…I feel that it is unjust, which is halfway to being resentful, which is not a good outcome.” – Jordan Peterson
For some, pain and suffering are simply an argumentative point – a pretext for them to hide behind as they refuse to submit to their Maker. They try to condemn their Maker, and in so doing think that they can rid themselves of Him. But Peterson seems to be sincere in his questioning, not argumentative. His dilemma seems to be personal, not hypothetical. Like Cornelius the centurion, he seems to be fearfully and honestly seeking the truth. And so, I pray that God sends him his Peter, opens his eyes to reconcile the pain in his own life with the call to worship, and allows his spirit to find rest in none other than Jesus Christ.
With that said, I don’t think that the problem of pain in our lives is unreconcilable with the call to worship. There are answers to these questions. That is what I’d like to offer in the next few sentences. I believe the answers, like most things that are true, good, and beautiful, to be hierarchal. Rivers come from springs. Buildings have their foundations. Conclusions, their premise. There is a surface-level solution to the suffering question that may be rational, and would suffice perhaps for a computing problem. But a person is more than his mind. And so, if the goal for the answer is to be satisfactory, then we’ll have to dig a bit deeper.
The first level, or the tip of the iceberg if you may, to the question, “How can we rejoice in the presence of God when God allows for suffering?” is of that rational type. One cannot use the moral standard sourced from the Maker to deny His existence. We cannot claim that God is unjust without appealing to a standard of justice. The tipping point is that any standard of justice is rooted in the character and commands of God. So, by appealing to justice (as we do when we try to condemn God and deny Him on that basis), we appeal to God. We need God to exist in order to deny his existence. It’s confusing because it doesn’t make sense. This is why the Bible calls the person who says “There is no God” a fool. It’s simply illogical, irrational, and foolish. Having a sense of injustice is already claiming that the Maker not only exists but has engraved righteousness in our being. So, when someone tries to deny God by accusing Him, instead of successfully condemning God, all they accomplish is to condemn themselves to an even hotter hell.
This is evident. Any more beating of the point will be to throw logs on the fire. When this argument is presented as a way out of submission to the Lord without any intention of repentance, then I would just put a door mat down so I can rub the dust off my shoes. But there is a time when this concern for justice is sincere. How is it just for me to be in pain? The answer is that it’s not only just for me to be in pain today, but for me to be in pain eternally. I, along with every other cousin of mine under Adam, are sinners by nature and choice. Our lives are lived under condemnation. The standard is set by the Maker and we choose to disregard Him. Any evil that happens to us cannot be charged to God as His injustice. In our relationship to other sinners there can be injustice, yes. Many times, there is. But in our relationship to the Creator, as sinners in His hand, there is no charge of injustice that can stand. The only thing that is unjust is all of the good things that happen to us. Pain in the lives of sinners is not a sign of the Lord’s injustice.
The above two paragraphs are the summary of my surface level, rational answer to the problem of evil. Injustice from God has nothing to do with it. But like I said, I don’t believe that rationality suffices. People have tried building worlds on the basis of rationalism and look where we’ve come. We are not walking minds. We have a heart and soul, conviction and experience. It’s true that facts don’t care about your feelings, but feelings, after the foundation is solidified with truth, should probably be addressed as well. The good thing is that truth also provides a solution there.
What I mean is that there is more to the answer than, “Because God said so, so shut up.” I will admit, I am tempted to close with that. But God does not close with that. He starts with that. And then He shows us more.
Our world is not a spreadsheet with God as the Great Accountant. In one sense that may seem like an accurate metaphor because God does not contradict. He is a God of order with everything calculated, aligned, and accounted for. He is the one who invented math and logic. Yes, all of that is true. But his calculations are of the sort an author makes when writing a story, as opposed to an accountant when working a spreadsheet. For a story to work, everything must also align. The difference is that in a story the alignment does not just present facts, but it brings about a resolution. And a resolution requires a problem.
A story will never be great if the problem is simply a speed bump in the road. A slight discomfort is not a conflict bestsellers are made of. A great story is one where the problem is overwhelming, with a resolution more satisfying than a glass of cold water in 110-degree temperature. Our Maker is a God of great stories, where terrifying problems have wonderful resolutions. Aimless suffering is not what God is after.
With that said, suffering for the sake of story can also seem cruel. Although it is true that without tension there wouldn’t be anything to resolve, Hamlet may have had a case to bring against Shakespeare for determining his suffering for mere entertainment.
This is where we near the base of the iceberg. God’s authorship is not one that flows out of His own mere amusement, like a spoiled prince torturing the horde of ants he stumbled upon. Rather, God’s determination flows out of His identity of love. God is love. He creates out of an overflow of who He is. When we reject His love, we choose life apart from Him, which leaves us with evil, sin, and horror. And because He is love, he does not leave us in our separation from Him. Unlike Shakespeare ever could, God steps into our tragedy, suffers on our behalf, and brings about the most glorious resolution that there ever was.
God is not in the distance watching us suffer in amusement. He has taken upon himself the pain and horror that our sin brought about, suffered in our place, and promises a glorious resolution beyond what we can imagine for those who accept His love. I pray that Mr. Peterson would be among them.
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