The Incarnation as Solution to the Problem of Evil

[Quack]

I read, in a review of the book “Faith and Certitude” by Thomas Dubay (Ignatius Press), that

**The Incarnation solves much of the Problem of Evil (as well as the other great problem of theism, the transcendence of God). **This is the essence of the Christian religion.

In thinking of what ways that the Incarnation solves evil, for a start, there is 1 Timothy 1:15

Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners

and from the Summa Theologica (Tertia Pars Q1 Art. 5)

Since the work of Incarnation is principally ordained to the restoration of the human race by blotting out sin, it is manifest that it was not fitting for God to become incarnate at the beginning of the human race before sin. For medicine is given only to the sick. Hence our Lord Himself says (Matthew 9:12-13): “They that are in health need not a physician, but they that are ill . . . For I am not come to call the just, but sinners.”

My question is: in what ways does the Incarnation solve these two important philosophical problems of theism? I ask because this would lend philosophical support to Christianity over other theistic isms.

 

[Genesis315]

God alone is incorruptible and eternal. If a thing is not God, it is corruptible (otherwise it would be God). Through the Incarnation, God united His incorruptible nature to human nature so that we too could become incorruptible–we could partake of His nature. That is why Sts. Athanasius and Thomas say “God became man so that man might become God.”

While evil (the absense of good) is due to the fact that creatures are not the incorruptible Creator, the Incarnation makes it possible for even creation to be incorruptible as the Creator is.

I think this explains well why evil exists, but also how God solves the problem of evil though the Incarnation.

 

[fhansen]

The fact that Deity, Himself, didn’t think it beneath Him to come here and live among us- suffering terribly and dying at our hands -puts Him in good stead because He was willing to experience first hand the very evil that causes the objections.

 

[The_Stig]

the “Problem of Evil” is, in a nutshell (and these things never fit comfortbaly in nutshells) “Why does an omnipotent God allow, by his passive will, the existence of evil which is contrary to his active will?”

The Incarnation “Solves” this to some degree by allowing God to express His nature (Fully Realized Love) to an infinite completeness. It is for this reason that the ancients sometimes called the Original Sin the “Felix Culpa” (happy fault), in that this evil allowed God to fully express His goodness in the sacrifice of Christ.

You are correct that is a much more satisfying explanation of the existence of evil than any of the dualisms concocted over the centuries.

I wasn’t aware of God’s transcendance being particularly problematic, but that just goes to show you what I know.

 

[HelenaMT]

from the Summa Theologica (Tertia Pars Q1 Art. 5)

Quote:
Since the work of Incarnation is principally ordained to the restoration of the human race by blotting out sin, it is manifest that it was not fitting for God to become incarnate at the beginning of the human race before sin. For medicine is given only to the sick. Hence our Lord Himself says (Matthew 9:12-13): “They that are in health need not a physician, but they that are ill . . . For I am not come to call the just, but sinners.”

My question is: in what ways does the Incarnation solve these two important philosophical problems of theism? I ask because this would lend philosophical support to Christianity over other theistic isms.

Well, the point from the Summa doesn’t really explain why He waited *that *long. We were sinning for thousands of years already by then!

I don’t know how this is supposed to solve the problem of why there is evil in the first place. To me, God just seems more merciful to sinners after the Incarnation than before. He didn’t stop sin or iniquity, just promised us we would have an eternal reward to make up for it if we repented.

Jesus modeled for humanity the way we are supposed to live to be in accordance with the Lord, and showed us a way into Heaven, but I can’t find any answer in the Incarnation alone as to the problem of evil.

 

[The_Stig]

Well, if you can’t find it, it must not exist.

 

[Quack]

This is the first thread that I have started and I regret trying to ask two questions at once, and throwing in those two quotes which were not necessary.

I now realize that the Christian answer to evil is found in the original sin story, the incarnation, the crucifixion, and judgment together and not the incarnation in isolation.

Genesis 315’s answer was very good, I think that this answers my question with regards to the incarnation alone.

Thank you all. I have now discovered that the Catechism has a great answer in paragraphs 456-460.

 

[Quack]

The lesson learned here is this.

When one has a question, it is good to

[SIGN]Read the Catechism first![/SIGN]

 

[Daedelus76]

What about the “Christus Victor” interpretation? It is not necessarily dependent on the Garden of Eden / Original Sin. However, it is less rationally explainable, it is more of a “bandwagon” type appeal.