The Cross: God’s Answer to Evil

Why Theoretical Answers Are Not Enough

Up to this point, we’ve clarified definitions and cleared away false solutions. We’ve seen that God’s omnipotence does not include contradictions, that His goodness is more than kindness, and that evil itself is not a “thing” but a privation of the good. All of this matters, but in the end, it still leaves us asking: Why?

When a child suffers, when injustice crushes the innocent, when death tears apart a family, logic alone cannot comfort us. The problem of evil is not solved on paper. It is lived in flesh and blood. And so God’s answer is not only an explanation, but an action. The answer is the Cross.

The Dilemma of Evil: Justice and Mercy

Evil confronts us with a dilemma. On the one hand, justice demands that evil be punished. To ignore evil would be to condone it. On the other hand, mercy desires to forgive. But how can mercy be shown without denying justice?

This is the great tension of human life. We long for justice, but we also long for forgiveness. When someone betrays us, we feel both desires: to see justice done, and yet also to see reconciliation.

At Calvary, these two desires meet. Justice and mercy, which seem opposed, are united in the sacrifice of Christ. The punishment of sin is real, yet it is borne by the innocent Redeemer for the sake of the guilty. In the Cross, God does not compromise justice, and He does not compromise mercy. He fulfills both perfectly.

Jesus and the Woman Caught in Adultery

We saw a glimpse of this earlier when Jesus confronted the woman caught in adultery (John 8). He did not deny that she had sinned, nor did He condemn her to death. Instead, He named evil as evil while extending forgiveness: “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more.”

Here we see the principle in miniature. Forgiveness does not mean condoning sin. Mercy does not mean ignoring evil. It means dealing with it in a way that restores rather than destroys. At the Cross, Jesus does for the whole world what He did for that woman: He names sin for what it is and then offers Himself as the one who bears it.

The Cross as God’s Solidarity With Us

The emotional problem of evil cries out: “Where is God when I suffer?” The answer is: on the Cross. God does not remain distant from suffering. He enters into it.

• He takes on betrayal and injustice.

• He bears physical agony and death.

• He endures the loneliness of abandonment.

In Christ, God suffers with us and for us. This changes the question. We no longer ask only, “Why does God allow suffering?” We also see, “What has God done about it?” And the answer is: He has entered into it, transformed it, and made it the very path to life.

From Evil to Redemption

The Cross also shows how God’s omnipotence works in relation to evil. His power is not shown by preventing every act of sin, but by bringing good out of even the worst evil. The greatest crime in history, the murder of the Son of God, becomes the source of the world’s salvation.

It is crucial to be clear: God never directly wills evil. He only permits it. Evil is the natural consequence of sin, a distortion of freedom. Much of what we call “punishment” is not God lashing out in anger, but the result of actions running their natural course. Like a parent who allows a child to feel the sting of a bad choice, God allows us to experience the consequences of sin, not to harm us, but to teach us that sin is destructive and that true life is only found in Him.

And here is where God’s wisdom turns even consequences into redemption. One of the ways sin is redeemed is by detaching us from the wrong things, so that we can focus on the greatest good. Suffering loosens our grip on passing goods and exposes how fragile they are. It directs us toward the one Good that cannot be lost: God Himself.

In Christ, even these consequences are not wasted. Suffering itself can be redeemed, purifying our hearts, uniting us to God, and allowing us to share in Christ’s work of salvation. No evil, however bitter, is beyond His ability to transform into good.

The Personal Answer

This is why Christianity insists that the problem of evil cannot be solved by philosophers alone. What we need most is not an apologist, but a Savior. Logic can take us far, but only Christ can remove guilt, heal sin, and restore communion with God.

Guilt is not just a feeling. It is the reality of a broken relationship with God. Only Jesus, by His sacrifice, can take that away. As Karl Barth once said, the deepest truth he ever learned was simply this: “Jesus loves me.”

That is the Christian answer to the problem of evil. Not a neat formula, but a crucified and risen Lord.

Looking Ahead

In the next post, we will turn from the Cross outward, asking what this means for us. If evil is not only explained but redeemed, how should we live? How does Christ’s answer at Calvary shape our understanding of happiness, suffering, and the hope of eternal joy?