The Question of Pain

​The presence of pain in the world is sometimes used to challenge the existence of an all-powerful, all knowing and good God.  Often aimed at the God of the Bible which presents Himself as omnipotent, omniscient and good.  The argument is made that if God is all powerful, all knowing and good then He would do something to eliminate pain.   Therefore, He is either ignorant of pain, is not all powerful or not completely good.   Of course, like all things about reality God is not limited to only 3 simple attributes.
 
The stated attributes must first be defined.  Omniscience, being all knowing, means what?  The Bible indicates God knows what is, what has been, what will be, and what could have been.  That fits the bill on all knowing.  The case can be made that such knowledge enables God to also know what is best.  Best as in His purpose in Creating.  That God has a destination in mind for the creation changes the argument.  It is no longer a question why pain exists, but does pain serve a purpose?  I submit it does. 
 
Pain let’s us know when something is wrong with us physically.  Imagine what would happen if you could not feel a broken bone, or an infected wound.  Hansen’s disease, also known as Leprosy, provides the answer and it is not good.  Pain actually works to preserve life.  It motivates medical innovation.  Pain avoidance is a great deterrent of bad and risky behavior as it is foundational to our sense of self preservation.  It is not perfect but things would likely be a lot worse if painful consequences did not exist for bad behavior. 
 
No one likes pain, including God.  The Bible points to the original creation as being a wonderful paradise.  Adam and Eve would have lived forever in total harmony with the world around them.  Adam’s disobedience, driven by his unbelief in God’s goodness, is what ruined that perfect world.  God knew to what a growing population of people with unrestricted free wills would.  So, God set limits on how far we could push the boundaries of our desires.  Pain is not pleasant, but it does serve a purpose. 
 
Unfortunately, it can be abused.