The Greatest Possible Evil
As Suan Sonna argues in his Two-Worlds Theodicy, if we expect God to create the greatest possible world, then this would necessarily be a world in which evil exists. Sonna points out that, although finite goodness can certainly exist without evil, the maximum depth of goodness cannot. The example he gives is one of a soldier rushing into battle to save his comrades. If it’s absolutely impossible for any harm to befall the soldier as he’s charging into battle, then there’s really nothing virtuous or brave about the act. While it’s certainly good in itself, the act cannot achieve the maximum quality of goodness unless some evil actually exists that could harm the soldier. As such, evil is shown to have the ability to amplify finite goodness to its maximum degree. Thus, if God truly is all-good and all-powerful, and we would expect Him to create a world with maximum goodness because of this, then the only world He could have possibly created that accomplishes this is one in which evil exists in actuality, and not simply potentiality.
Once we’re operating within this paradigm, I think the question could be reasonably posed: If God requires maximal evil in order to bring about maximal goodness in this world, and He does indeed plan on bringing about maximal goodness, then what is this maximal evil? Does it already exist, or has it already existed? Well, the maximally evil thing someone could do in a world in which God exists as the source and standard of goodness, is attempt to directly destroy this very source and standard. That is, attempt to annihilate God Himself. And it just so happens that, in Christianity, this is exactly what we believe happened through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Through His incarnation, the eternal Son of God became the Son of Man and truly “dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14). In Him was life, and this life is the light of men; He came to His own people, His own creation, yet they knew Him not (Jn. 1:11). We believe that the greatest evil that has ever happened in the history of the world, happened when God Himself was sentenced to death by His own people. As we solemnly proclaim during the service for Holy Friday:
Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung on a tree… He was struck on the cheek by hands that He himself had formed.
However, it was precisely in and through the greatest evil mankind had ever done, that the greatest possible good was accomplished, namely, the redemption of the sons of Adam in Christ Jesus. “The wages of sin is death,” as St. Paul wisely writes, and because we all sin, we all must die. But what Jesus has done is create a way for us to truly die, and yet truly come out alive on the other side. This is the hope of the resurrection. Yes, you will suffer. Yes, you will die. However, if you follow Jesus into your death, then you will also follow Him unto resurrection. Death will never have the final word, rather this belongs to the sons and daughters of the Kingdom.