In Are Our Most Important Questions Unanswerable?, we concluded that answers based on reasoning and observation provide us knowledge, though not absolute, as good as any knowledge humans possess. We concluded that, although our most important questions about God and life after death cannot be answered using observation, some can be answered using reasoning. We developed answers to two questions: “Why does a loving God expose us to suffering?” and, in Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen, “What happens at the moment of death to the many who are called but not chosen?”
But what about questions where reasoning and scientific observation fail us? Examples
might include “What is heaven like and what will our experience of it be like and feel like?” “What does God’s experience of love for us feel like for Him?” Their answers may satisfy our idle curiosity but are not answers we need in order to discover life’s meaning. However, we may need an answer to questions like, “Why did a perfect God not make His creation perfect and unconditionally loving?”. What makes the third question one we need an answer to? It is the implications of the answer. We’ll explore them shortly.
Before we get to implications, how are we going to develop sound knowledge of an answer if
reasoning and scientific observation fail us? Fortunately, we have another trick up our sleeve. It is called common sense. Merriam Webster defines common sense as, “sound and prudent knowledge based on a simple perception of the situation or facts”. It helps us develop sound knowledge and is an essential tool for navigating life effectively. How can we apply common sense to the question, “Why did a perfect God not make His creation perfect and unconditionally loving?”.
What simple perception can we apply? Do you perceive that those who love, want, but can’t make, their beloved love them and work together with them on common goals? If you accept that God loves us perfectly[1], would He not want, but be unable to force, our love and our choice to work with Him in making His creation perfect and unconditionally loving? Common sense, our simple perception of the situation or facts, provides us a sound answer to our question. Of course, like all human knowledge, it is not absolute and is subject
to correction. However, it is as sound as any knowledge humans possess. And now, to the implications of this knowledge.
Firstly, we see that God cannot make His creation perfect and unconditionally loving on His own. Why? God cannot make us love Him because, like all love, our love for Him must be given by us. For God’s creation to be perfect, must He not want all His creation, including each of us, to develop a perfect love of Him?
Because God knows we cannot achieve perfection on our own, must He not want to help us? But can He impose His will? Because our love for Him must come from us, must He not wait for us to ask for His help?
In summary, our knowledge of the answer to our question is based on common sense which,
though fallible, is as sound as any knowledge humans possess. The answer is that rather than unilaterally making his creation perfect and unconditionally loving, He wants to work with us to make it so. Are the implications not clear? Must we not ask for God’s help in doing our best to become perfect and unconditionally loving?[2]
What could be easier for us? Why doesn’t everyone ask for and use His help to become perfect?
Del H. Smith conducts research into life’s meaning and is the award-winning author of the
Amazon Best Seller, Discovering Life’s Purpose.
[1] If you need reassurance of this, you’ll find it in The Meaning of Life Video Series.
[2] All the Alls in The Greatest Commandment and The Neighbour in The Greatest Commandment explore what this requires of us.