On Supralapsarianism And The Problem of Evil.

I had fun kicking around a solution to the problem of evil a couple weeks ago and wanted to post something about it. 

I did a paper on Supralapsarianism for Christian Faith And Philosophy class that drew heavily from the work of retired Notre Dame professor, Alvin Plantinga. This post contains sections of my paper so it is a little more rigid and wordy but I tried to smooth it out a bit to make it more fun.

To many, the supralapsarian/infralapsarian debate is a strong case for theology run amok. In many ways, I totally agree. But if it can help the theodicy mystery then it is still worth talking about. Often it is only the Reformed community that is willing to touch these words and debate this way. I am staying philosophical on this and keeping a boundary on Calvin and his peeps. 

Background

For many years theistic philosophers have grappled with the traditional “How could God be good, powerful and all-knowing if he allows evil?” question. One of the ways to answer this question is to posit the “Best-Of-All-Possible-Worlds” scenario. Before you leave, allow me to explain quickly.

What Would Be The Best Possible World You Could Imagine?

The best-of-all-possible-worlds argument begins by asking the question, “Given all the various possibilities of universes that could have been actualized, which one would be the best to live in?” What characteristics might be expected from the best possible world that could exist? There would, some would argue, be an abundance of love (love of/for both God and humanity), and creaturely happiness. Alvin Plantinga adds, “Other characteristics on which the goodness of a world depends would be the amount of beauty, justice, creaturely goodness, performance of duty, and the like.”

That’s a nice world if you ask me. It could get better.

According to the doctrine of the God’s necessary existence, any world in which God exists is better than a world in which he does not. There is yet a better world than one that simply has a God.Plantinga writes,

There is also a contingent good-making characteristic of our world—one that isn’t present in all worlds—that towers enormously above all the rest of the contingent states of affairs included in our world: the unthinkably great good of divine Incarnation and Atonement.

Supralapsarianism (the philosophical side of it that is) begins with the premise that the best possible world that could be actualized is one where God exists, incarnates to earth and then displays his attributes in the atoning work of saving humanity from their own sin. 

If God must incarnate and atone in this world then prior to the creation of humanity, he must permit his creation to rebel against him. This rebellion described in Genesis 3 is the root of sin, evil and suffering in this world.

In order for God to have something to atone for, he allows suffering and evil to exist in this best possible world. Whatever evil goes on in the world, it cannot override the greatness of the incarnation and atonement.  

Why Supralapsarianism Is Important

As mentioned, the best possible world in which God could create is one in which he will incarnate and atone. In these dynamic, historic events God personally reveals who he is and how he wants to relate to his creation. It was German theologian, Karl Barth, who argued that if humans are to have any knowledge of God, it must come from God’s own initiative. A world in which God reveals himself is better than one without revelation.

In the incarnation one encounters Jesus, the person and Word of God himself. Jesus said to his disciples, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” (John 14:7). Jesus, the incarnate Word, shows his creation what God is like and how we are to relate to him.

The atonement of Jesus gives a greater demonstration of God’s desire to reveal himself and his nature to humanity. The death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion on a Roman cross is the event that Christians believe provided sufficient atonement for the sin of the world. Plantinga explains,

Jesus Christ, the second person of the divine trinity, incomparably good, holy, and sinless, was willing to empty himself, to take on our flesh and become incarnate, and to suffer and die so that we human beings can have life and be reconciled to the Father.

The crucifixion event is the greatest display of God’s attributes. On the cross, Jesus showed that the holiness of God and the justice of God demand reparition for humanity’s sin. Additionally, Jesus’ willingness to pay this price also displays God’s love, grace and mercy of God towards his creation. “Could there be a display of love to rival this? More to the present purpose, could there be a good-making feature of a world to rival this?”

The incarnation and atonement, therefore, are the best possible ways in which God could reveal himself in a best possible world.

Conclusion

Simply put, God allows sin, suffering and evil because what he will do with incarnation and atonement are far greater. In order for God to atone, there must be sin to atone for. If there is sin then there is its companions, evil and suffering present as well. The Christian belief is that no matter what kind of evil is permitted to run amok on the earth, God will deal with it according to his characteristic being all powerful, all knowing and completely good. 

Convinced? If you want to read Plantinga’s paper on this, here it is.