Edited on Saturday, August 27th 2011 for accuracy.
In Isaiah 45:7, God plainly says, "I make peace and create evil." What do we do with a statement like this? Is it possible that a good God can create evil? "If God exists, why is there evil in this World?"
The Problem of Evil
Philosophically there are two things we need to bear in mind. When you say something is evil, you assume there is something good. When you assume something is good, then you assume there is moral law by which to differentiate what is good and evil. And if you assume there is a moral law then you must ultimately deposit there is a moral law giver. But that’s not what your question offers. It is trying to disprove and not prove a moral law giver (God). If there is no moral law giver, there is no moral law, and if there is no moral law, then there is no good, and if there is no good then there is no evil. And the question really self-destructs in terms of objectivity of an objective rule to measure good and evil. You see, the question in fact affirms there is a moral framework exists in life.
Now if you’re addressing the issue of evil and why God allow it, let me explain something: God has a plan to get rid of evil, but not yet. In order for him to prove himself as good, there must be evil. How does God show us evil? By showing us that we are not good; if we were good, then we’d be God. In order to understand evil, we must look at what is the origin of evil. The original creation was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). There was no sin, no evil, no pain, and no death. Yet today the world is permeated with sin, evil, pain, and death. What brought these about? Scripture indicates that the turn downward came the moment Adam and Eve used their God-given free will to choose to disobey God (Genesis 3).
Some people wonder why God couldn't have created humans in such a way that we would never sin, thus avoiding evil altogether. The fact is, such a scenario would mean that we were not truly human. We would require that God create robots who would act only in programmed ways—like a chatty doll whose string you pull and it says, “I love you.” Who would want that? There would never be any love there. Love is voluntary. God could have made us like robots, but we would have ceased to be men. God apparently thought it worth the risk of creating us as we are. In this sense, we have to realise that Satan is on a leash, and can only go so far as to whispering in our ears evil thoughts. Satan does not have the power that God has, therefore cannot be God or good as you mentioned in your challenge.
As Ravi Zacharias would say, “Love cannot be programmed; it must be freely expressed.” God wanted Adam and all humanity to show love by freely choosing obedience. This is why God gave Adam and all other humans a free will. Norman Geisler is correct in saying that “forced love is rape; and God is not a divine rapist. He will not do anything to coerce their decision.” A free choice, however, leaves the possibility of a wrong choice. As J.B. Phillips put it, “Evil is inherent in the risky gift of free will.”
Philosophically there are two things we need to bear in mind. When you say something is evil, you assume there is something good. When you assume something is good, then you assume there is moral law by which to differentiate what is good and evil. And if you assume there is a moral law then you must ultimately deposit there is a moral law giver. But that’s not what your question offers. It is trying to disprove and not prove a moral law giver (God). If there is no moral law giver, there is no moral law, and if there is no moral law, then there is no good, and if there is no good then there is no evil. And the question really self-destructs in terms of objectivity of an objective rule to measure good and evil. You see, the question in fact affirms there is a moral framework exists in life.
Now if you’re addressing the issue of evil and why God allow it, let me explain something: God has a plan to get rid of evil, but not yet. In order for him to prove himself as good, there must be evil. How does God show us evil? By showing us that we are not good; if we were good, then we’d be God. In order to understand evil, we must look at what is the origin of evil. The original creation was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). There was no sin, no evil, no pain, and no death. Yet today the world is permeated with sin, evil, pain, and death. What brought these about? Scripture indicates that the turn downward came the moment Adam and Eve used their God-given free will to choose to disobey God (Genesis 3).
The Origin of Evil and God's Ultimate Purpose for Allowing it
Some people wonder why God couldn't have created humans in such a way that we would never sin, thus avoiding evil altogether. The fact is, such a scenario would mean that we were not truly human. We would require that God create robots who would act only in programmed ways—like a chatty doll whose string you pull and it says, “I love you.” Who would want that? There would never be any love there. Love is voluntary. God could have made us like robots, but we would have ceased to be men. God apparently thought it worth the risk of creating us as we are. In this sense, we have to realise that Satan is on a leash, and can only go so far as to whispering in our ears evil thoughts. Satan does not have the power that God has, therefore cannot be God or good as you mentioned in your challenge.
As Ravi Zacharias would say, “Love cannot be programmed; it must be freely expressed.” God wanted Adam and all humanity to show love by freely choosing obedience. This is why God gave Adam and all other humans a free will. Norman Geisler is correct in saying that “forced love is rape; and God is not a divine rapist. He will not do anything to coerce their decision.” A free choice, however, leaves the possibility of a wrong choice. As J.B. Phillips put it, “Evil is inherent in the risky gift of free will.”
When a woman has been raped, it has been the ultimate desecration and plunder of a human being because it has taken that which is the most private, sacred and invaded and violated experience. It defies human expectation.
The fact that humans used God-given free choice to disobey God did not take God by surprise. C.S. Lewis suggests that God in his omniscience “saw that from a world of free creatures, even though they fell, he could work out . . . a deeper happiness and fuller splendour than any world of automata would admit.” Or, as Geisler has put it so well, the theist does not have to claim that our present world is the best of all possible worlds, but it is the best way to the best possible world:
The fact that humans used God-given free choice to disobey God did not take God by surprise. C.S. Lewis suggests that God in his omniscience “saw that from a world of free creatures, even though they fell, he could work out . . . a deeper happiness and fuller splendour than any world of automata would admit.” Or, as Geisler has put it so well, the theist does not have to claim that our present world is the best of all possible worlds, but it is the best way to the best possible world:
“If God is to both preserve freedom and defeat evil, then this is the best way to do it. Freedom is preserved in that each person makes his own free choice to determine his destiny. Evil is overcome in that, once those who reject God are separated from the others, the decisions of all are made permanent. Those who choose God will be confirmed in it, and sin will cease. Those who reject God are in eternal quarantine and cannot upset the perfect world that has come about. The ultimate goal of a perfect world with free creatures will have been achieved, but the way to get there requires that those who abuse their freedom be cast out.”
Doesn’t this reflect how our justice system works?
A critically important factor involved in the suggestion that this may not be the best possible world but it is the best way to the best possible world is that God is not finished yet.
In view of the scriptural facts, we may conclude that God’s plan had the potential for evil when he bestowed on humans the freedom of choice, but the actual origin of evil came as a result of a man who directed his will away from God and toward his own selfish desires. Norman Geisler and Jess Amanu note, “Whereas God created the fact of freedom, humans perform the acts of freedom. God made evil possible; creatures make it actual.” Ever since Adam and Eve made evil actual on that first occasion in the Garden of Eden, a sin nature has been passed on to every man and woman (Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:22), and it is out of the sin nature that we today continue to use our free will to make evil actual (Mark 7:20-23).
Even natural evil—involving earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, and the like—is rooted in our wrong use of free choice. We must not forget that we are living in a fallen world, and because of this, we are subject to disasters in the world of nature that would not have occurred had man not rebelled against God in the beginning (Romans 8:20-22). The Gardens of Eden had no natural disasters or death until after the sin of Adam and Eve. There will be no natural disasters or death in the new heaven and earth when God puts an end to evil once and for all (Revelation 21:4).
One day in the future, Christ will return, strip away power from the wicked and hold all men and women accountable for the things they did during their time on earth (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15). Justice will ultimately prevail. Those who enter eternity without having trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation will understand just how effectively God has dealt with the problem of evil.
Some sceptics may be tempted to refute that it should not take all of human history for an omnipotent God to deal with the problem of evil. God certainly has the option of doing away with all evil immediately—but choosing this option would have definite and fatal implications for each of us. As Paul Little has pointed out, “If God were to stamp out evil today, he would do a complete job. His action would have to include our lies and personal impurities, our lack of love, and our failure to do ‘good.’ Suppose God were to decree that at midnight tonight all evil would be removed from the universe—who of us would still be here after midnight?”
Even though God’s ultimate solution to the problem of evil awaits the future, as I have argued, God has even now taken steps to ensure that evil doesn’t run utterly amok. Indeed, God has given us human government to withstand lawlessness (Romans 13:1-7). God founded the church to be a light in the midst of the darkness, to strengthen God’s people, and even to help restrain the growth of wickedness in the world through the power of the Holy Spirit (e.g., Acts 16:5; 1 Timothy 3:15). In his Word God has given us a moral standard to guide us and keep us on the right path (Pslam 119). He has given us the family unit to bring stability to society (e.g., Proverbs 22:15; 23:13). And much more!
Trusting God in a World of Suffering
There are other inadequate explanations for the problem of evil we could examine, but they are not as prominent today, and space forbids further exploration.
Sometimes we wonder why God allows us to go through certain painful circumstances. But just because we find it difficult to imagine what reasons God could have does not mean that no such reason exists. From our finite human perspective, we are often only able to see a few threads of the great drapery of life and of the will of God. We do not have the full picture. That is why God calls us to trust him (Hebrews 11). God can see the full picture and does not make mistakes. He has a reason for allowing painful circumstances to come our way—even if we cannot grasp it.
If finite humans can discover some good purposes for evil, then surely an infinitely wise God has a good purpose for all suffering. We may not understand that purpose in the temporal ‘now,’ but it nonetheless exists. Our inability to discern why bad things sometimes happen to us does not disprove God’s benevolence, it merely exposes our ignorance.
(See also 2 Corinthians 4:17; Hebrews 12:2; 1 Peter 1:6-7).
Sometimes the ‘good’ that God brings out of our suffering involves drawing us closer to him. [When I was 19, I ended up in the hospital due to a night of drinking. It led me to cry out to God for the first time, just to know that he was there and willing to pick me up and give me a second chance to start life over.] Sometimes the ‘good’ that God brings out of our suffering involves a positive change in our character. Peter refers to this when he says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:6-7; modern paraphrase: “No pain, no gain”).
All this is said with a view emphasizing the need for faith in the midst of this world of suffering. God is most assuredly working out his purpose in our midst, and we must trust him! Gary Habermas and J.P. Moreland put it:
Reference: gty.org, Who Made God by Ravi Zacharias and Norman Geisler, p.36-39, 45-47.
A critically important factor involved in the suggestion that this may not be the best possible world but it is the best way to the best possible world is that God is not finished yet.
In view of the scriptural facts, we may conclude that God’s plan had the potential for evil when he bestowed on humans the freedom of choice, but the actual origin of evil came as a result of a man who directed his will away from God and toward his own selfish desires. Norman Geisler and Jess Amanu note, “Whereas God created the fact of freedom, humans perform the acts of freedom. God made evil possible; creatures make it actual.” Ever since Adam and Eve made evil actual on that first occasion in the Garden of Eden, a sin nature has been passed on to every man and woman (Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:22), and it is out of the sin nature that we today continue to use our free will to make evil actual (Mark 7:20-23).
Even natural evil—involving earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, and the like—is rooted in our wrong use of free choice. We must not forget that we are living in a fallen world, and because of this, we are subject to disasters in the world of nature that would not have occurred had man not rebelled against God in the beginning (Romans 8:20-22). The Gardens of Eden had no natural disasters or death until after the sin of Adam and Eve. There will be no natural disasters or death in the new heaven and earth when God puts an end to evil once and for all (Revelation 21:4).
- 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.
One day in the future, Christ will return, strip away power from the wicked and hold all men and women accountable for the things they did during their time on earth (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15). Justice will ultimately prevail. Those who enter eternity without having trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation will understand just how effectively God has dealt with the problem of evil.
Some sceptics may be tempted to refute that it should not take all of human history for an omnipotent God to deal with the problem of evil. God certainly has the option of doing away with all evil immediately—but choosing this option would have definite and fatal implications for each of us. As Paul Little has pointed out, “If God were to stamp out evil today, he would do a complete job. His action would have to include our lies and personal impurities, our lack of love, and our failure to do ‘good.’ Suppose God were to decree that at midnight tonight all evil would be removed from the universe—who of us would still be here after midnight?”
Even though God’s ultimate solution to the problem of evil awaits the future, as I have argued, God has even now taken steps to ensure that evil doesn’t run utterly amok. Indeed, God has given us human government to withstand lawlessness (Romans 13:1-7). God founded the church to be a light in the midst of the darkness, to strengthen God’s people, and even to help restrain the growth of wickedness in the world through the power of the Holy Spirit (e.g., Acts 16:5; 1 Timothy 3:15). In his Word God has given us a moral standard to guide us and keep us on the right path (Pslam 119). He has given us the family unit to bring stability to society (e.g., Proverbs 22:15; 23:13). And much more!
Trusting God in a World of Suffering
There are other inadequate explanations for the problem of evil we could examine, but they are not as prominent today, and space forbids further exploration.
Sometimes we wonder why God allows us to go through certain painful circumstances. But just because we find it difficult to imagine what reasons God could have does not mean that no such reason exists. From our finite human perspective, we are often only able to see a few threads of the great drapery of life and of the will of God. We do not have the full picture. That is why God calls us to trust him (Hebrews 11). God can see the full picture and does not make mistakes. He has a reason for allowing painful circumstances to come our way—even if we cannot grasp it.
If finite humans can discover some good purposes for evil, then surely an infinitely wise God has a good purpose for all suffering. We may not understand that purpose in the temporal ‘now,’ but it nonetheless exists. Our inability to discern why bad things sometimes happen to us does not disprove God’s benevolence, it merely exposes our ignorance.
Romans 8:18
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
(See also 2 Corinthians 4:17; Hebrews 12:2; 1 Peter 1:6-7).
Sometimes the ‘good’ that God brings out of our suffering involves drawing us closer to him. [When I was 19, I ended up in the hospital due to a night of drinking. It led me to cry out to God for the first time, just to know that he was there and willing to pick me up and give me a second chance to start life over.] Sometimes the ‘good’ that God brings out of our suffering involves a positive change in our character. Peter refers to this when he says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:6-7; modern paraphrase: “No pain, no gain”).
All this is said with a view emphasizing the need for faith in the midst of this world of suffering. God is most assuredly working out his purpose in our midst, and we must trust him! Gary Habermas and J.P. Moreland put it:
“The God of the universe invites us to view life and death from his eternal vantage point. And if we do, we will see how readily it can revolutionize our lives: daily anxieties, emotional hurts, tragedies, our responses and responsibilities to others, possessions, wealth, and even physical pain and death. All of this and much more can be informed and influence by the truths of heaven. The repeated witness of the New Testament is that believers should view all problems, indeed, that entire existence, from what we call the “top-down” perspective: God and his kingdom first, followed by various aspects of our earthly existence.”
Reference: gty.org, Who Made God by Ravi Zacharias and Norman Geisler, p.36-39, 45-47.
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