“The important thing, I think, is not to be bitter. You know, if it turns out that there is a God, I don’t think that he’s evil. I think that the worst you can say about him is that basically he’s an underachiever.” – Woody Allen, Love and Death.
Kids, always be optimistic like Woody Allen. (I’m joking, of course.)
This quote is so funny because its weaves in and out of optimism, nihilism, and irony. Can God be God if he’s underachieving? Of Course not. But setting aside the obvious dismissal of the incredible nature of the world around us, the miracle of mountains and sunsets and the deep of the ocean or infinite expanse of space or the infinite complexity of matter and molecules or the miracle that we can even sit and pontificate about such things. Setting all that aside, Woody brings up an interesting and troubling issue which rings true. Things are not right in this world. There is so much suffering. But it’s not just external! Things are not right inside of me and my own mind. Things are not right in you! So what does this say about God? Why are things so “not right.” Couldn’t God have made things a little better? Couldn’t he have achieved more?
This question presupposes something that I believe is incorrect. It presupposes the He is finished with his creation. Maybe He isn’t finished. Maybe there is something new yet to come. Maybe you are not finished being created yet. Maybe this is not the best of all possible worlds, but maybe this world is necessary to get to the best of all possible worlds. (There’s a lot to unpack philosophically with that statement, but lets let it hang for a moment.)
Let’s ask a hypothetical question: What could you be if you were the best possible version of yourself? No jealously, laziness, hatefulness. Nothing bad came into your mind, and you did the right thing at all times. You were perfectly courageous and conscientious and hard working. But you were perfectly enjoyable and fun to be around too. All your best wishes about what people thought of you were true. (And you were perfectly humble too. 😉) What would your life be like if you were this perfect? Now what if everyone were equally redeemed and perfect? What might that world look like? What effect might that have on the external physical world? People like that might have a redeeming effect on all of creation!
So what’s the point of this hypothetical perfection? How could we possibly get there? We know the depth of our own depravity. We know who we are. (and if you think you’re perfect then think a little harder.) What could be done about all of this to get us to the ideal. What has been done?
This question, I believe, is answered in the person of Jesus Christ and the “Meta-Story” of the Bible. God created a perfect world and in that world he placed humanity. His perfect people, made in his image, meaning we had qualities that God has. He loved us deeply and said that we were good. He put us in a garden, in order that we might take care of his perfect creation, but he didn’t make us mindless automatons, he gave us free will and choice! And with that terrible weight of choice we chose to rebel against his authority and follow our own selfish desires. And we became corrupted along with the creation under our care. Our rebellion separated us from our loving God. But God wasn’t done with us. He wasn’t going to leave us in our debased state with all of creation and our lives crumbling around us. He set forth a plan for redemption. In fact, right in the story of the fall God had a plan, God would crush the power of sin and death under his heal. (See the protoevangelium, Gen 3:15). In this plan, God would come down as a human, Jesus Christ, and become the mediator between God and Man, our great High Priest. He would be tempted like Adam, but he would not sin. He would be perfect. He would show us the way of suffering. He would suffer and die in our place, taking on the punishment for our sins. And with his death he would pay for our redemption and enable us to be reconnected to the source of Life. The veil would be ripped open and we would be reconnected to God himself. But he was not done. Through his sacrificial suffering, he would reverse death itself and return to life newly created in a new body. The first born of the new creation. And he promises new life to us.
“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. “ 1Corinthians 15:20-26
Now, to the best of all possible worlds. He has begun the redemption of the world. He began by taking on the worst suffering into himself and dying. Then he defeated death and came back to life. Then he offers us forgiveness which can change our corrupted hearts and reverse the decay. We can participate in his new creation in ourselves. This is the process of our lives after choosing to follow Christ. But ultimate renewal of the new heaven and new earth is coming. Christ will return and set everything right.
And he will turn to us and say with a smile, “Behold, I make all things new!”