If God is good, why is there Evil?
I thoroughly enjoy eating at a diner. Having resided in the Northeast for a number of years, diners were a common and desirous locale for culinary adventure. In fact, one can easily be mesmerized, even before the food arrives!
You see, one of the typical characteristics of the diner is the vast array of food choices. Sometimes the menu seems like a notebook filled with myriads of food and drink options. The combinations aren’t endless, but sometimes appear that way.
What do I order? It can be very hard to make a decision, because there are so many choices. Another reason it can be very difficult to make a decision is because I have the freedom to choose anything on the menu. Can you relate?
Life is similar to ordering from a menu at a diner, except much more complicated and comprehensive. How so? We have freedom – freedom in many areas of our lives. And with that freedom comes responsibility to choose, and the consequences of the decisions we make are a result of those choices!
Yes, freedom of choice is one of life’s great blessings. At the same time, freedom is also one of life’s great responsibilities. In fact, one could argue that in one sense, we are where we are in life as a result of the choices we’ve made.
The concept of free will is central to answering today’s question of the Christian faith:
If God is so good, why is there evil?
This is one of those challenging questions that Christians may struggle with. And so, interacting with it is a healthy personal spiritual exercise that undoubtedly will also strengthen our witness to others who sincerely are trying reconcile the tension between a good God and evil.
There are many books, videos and online material one can access on this topic to be sure. In this submission, we’re introducing the question in order help you form a foundation for appropriately responding.
There are two objects of the conversation that we need to fit into the puzzle in order to provide a cogent response: God and the individual human being.
As a starting point, we note this powerful and poignant quote framing the conversation from Norman Geisler and Jeff Amanu (New Dictionary of Theology, pg. 242): “Whereas God created the fact of freedom, humans perform the act of freedom. God made evil possible; creatures make it actual.”
From this starting point, we first go backward to explain man’s present condition.
The original creation of the universe was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). There was no evil, sin, pain, or death. How did we then get here from there? The fall of man (Genesis 3) brought about each of those ills, as Adam and Eve exercised the God-given free will to disobey God.
While free will allows for the possibility of sinful choices, it also provides the platform for voluntary love. For love is a voluntary choice. Human beings are not robots. We are free-will moral agents, with the capacity to choose evil or good, to express love or hate. The Lord desired Adam and Eve to demonstrate love by choosing obedience. That’s why He gave them and all humanity free will.
God’s plan provided the potential for evil when he endowed humanity with free will, but the actual origin of evil came as a result of man exercising that free will through rebellion and disobedience, not love and obedience.
In sum, a free choice leaves the possibility of a wrong choice. And as J.B. Philips adds, “Evil is inherent in the risky gift of free will.”
But God’s plan also provides for the reconciliation of all things, including evil. For nothing takes God by surprise, because in His omniscience, He knows the beginning from the end.
With that in mind, we move forward into the future from the starting point to explain God’s reconciliation of all things – including evil. In simplest terms, how does God ultimately reconcile the current presence of evil with a future devoid of all evil? Simply, God is not finished fulfilling His plans yet! Evil will one day be eradicated. And just because evil is not destroyed in this moment in time doesn’t mean it never will be and it doesn’t mean God doesn’t know about, God doesn’t care about and God isn’t powerful enough to do anything about it.
So we address the challenging question by framing the answer this way: Based upon the facts stated above, the existence of evil is compatible with the existence of an all good and all- powerful God.
How so?
- If God is all good, he will defeat evil.
- If God is all-powerful, he can defeat evil.
- Evil is not yet defeated.
- Therefore, God can and will one day defeat evil.
(1-4 taken from When Skeptics Ask by Geisler & Brooks, pgs. 64-65)
One day in the future, God will right all wrongs, judge the world in perfect righteousness (Psalm 96:13) and hold all people accountable for their actions (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15).
And the heavenly home for all who would voluntarily follow Jesus is characterized beautifully in Revelation 21:1-5:
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
Here are two articles and a short video to help shape your thinking and craft responses beneficial to your audience:
> Here’s a link to a powerful article penned by Apologist Norman Geisler
> Here’s another link to an excellent article by the Josh McDowell Ministry
As we consider a good God and the existence of evil, may we praise Him for overcoming evil – even the evil residing in our own hearts – with good!
“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galatians 1:3-4).