The Problem of Evil - Hebrew 2:6-12

We're going to take a short break from the sermon series through Proverbs in order to do a mini-series entitled Challenges to Christianity. In this short series, we'll address various challenges Christians face as we attempt to live in this broken and cursed world.

The first challenge we'll consider is the existence of evil. If God is a loving God, then why does He allow evil to exist? Why does He allow people to suffer?

The sermon text I'll be using to address this challenge is Hebrews 2:6-12. Here are some questions to assist you in preparing for this sermon.

1. Verse 8 (quoting Psalm 8:6) identifies that everything has been subjected to Jesus. Yet the author of Hebrews also writes, "At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him." How do you explain this?

2. Who is verse 10 describing? According to verse 10, what result does suffering produce?

3. According to verse 14, how did Jesus destroy the devil? When did this happen?

4. Paraphrase verse 15 with your own words. What does the author mean by "fear of death"? What does he mean by deliverance from "lifelong slavery"?

5. What does the author of Hebrews want us to understand about our relationship to Christ? How does this impact the way you understand the evil and suffering around you?