Let's stipulate the following: Jesus died for all our sins (past and future) and as a result, you're not going to Hell, or whatever you want to call the eternal torture chamber. So, if certain "salvation" were guaranteed (where salvation here means no Hell), then why might anyone want to be Christian? What would be the point of submitting one's life to Jesus and living with the constraints Jesus demands?

It seems that escape from eternal Hell, can serve as a useful motivator. But isn't that kind of Christianity hollow at its core? The gratitude one might feel for God in that case is as a savior from Hell.

Isn't it better that one's Christianity, not be about escaping Hell, but about attaining God? To return to paradise, the Garden of Eden, free of the shame that came from disobedience. In this version of the Christian journey, Hell is not the concern. Rather, it is the search for the pearl of great price that defines one's motivation for the life of constraint. God is the goal, not escaping Hell.

"Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise" by Benjamin West 1779

In Albert Camus' The Plague, there is an interesting discussion between the protagonist, Dr. Rieux, and another character, Jean Tarrou, about God and suffering. Their town has been quarantined because of the plague. At the start of the plague, a Jesuit priest, Fr. Paneloux, preaches a fiery sermon about God's wrath and his justice. The priest is clear about why there is a plague and what the response of the people ought to be.

Dr. Rieux and Jean Tarrou use the occasion of the sermon to ask the question about God. They say many things of interest. However, one thing that stands out is this quote:

"After all," the doctor repeated, then hesitated again, fixing his eyes on Tarrou, "It's something that a man of your sort can understand most likely, but since the order of the world is shaped by death, mightn't it be better for God if we refuse to believe in Him and struggle with all our might against death, without raising our eyes toward the heaven where He sits in silence?"

It is fascinating that anyone could think it would be better for God if we refuse to believe in Him. Why? For the doctor, not believing in God is not for intellectual reasons or reasons of impiety. It's because the "order of the world is shaped by death." That is, we all die, are dying, and have, in a sense, already died, since death is a certainty. In a world shaped by death, we're bound by a single overwhelming mission: to fight against death. Even Jesus is consumed in the battle against death (Heb 5:7). So, since we all die and are obligated to fight against death, then we must fight whether God joins in the fight or not. For the doctor, God is absent. He is silent. Ultimately, for him, it doesn't matter then if we believe in Him or not; the task of evil and suffering is our task to solve.

Now, one might say that the motivation to fight evil comes from God or belief in God. But both men in the discussion argue to the contrary. They both, in their own respective ways, have immersed themselves in the fight against the plague, which means certain death. Yet, sans belief in God, they throw themselves into service to humanity at great possible cost and with no hint of faith in God. But then the logic is this. If it's God's will that we all live full, flourishing lives, then won't fighting against evil and suffering help God achieve His aims? Even if accomplished by atheistic instruments? Dr. Rieux and Jean Tarrou would say, yes.

Could the believer in God convince these men otherwise? Maybe, but why would we? If God is a distraction for the nonbeliever fighting evil, then should not the work of God (fighting evil/death) continue for them without belief in God? It all raises the questions for believers in Christ: What specific, unique thing does faith in Christ add to the fight against evil?

Whenever I ask myself this question, the response I settle on is something like this: it doesn't matter.

Mark 9: 38-41
"38 John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ 39 But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward."

Jesus instructs us in the Lord's Prayer to petition for God's kingdom to come and for deliverance from evil. We can't worry about what others are called to do. We must focus on what we are called to do: be holy, fear God, love God, love neighbor. Fighting evil and suffering is a human task. Whether God sits silent in heaven or is raging torrent here on earth in our lives, doesn't matter. We see what needs to be done and we do it.