Why Does God Allow Evil?
Various Scriptures
I. Introduction
Why does God allow evil?
If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world? Why do we have war and murder, atrocity after atrocity, famine after famine?
Why do innocent children die at the hands of cruel men? Why do the ravages of war tear families apart in death and imprisonment?
Why this? Why that? Why do we suffer needlessly? Why, why, why?
Most, if not all of us have asked this question when faced with pain, suffering, or tragedy.
And while I don’t pretend to know everything there is to know about this, I do intend to at least attempt to give us some direction in our thinking about this very important issue.
And I hope that we will leave here today with a clearer perspective not only about the problem of evil and suffering, but more importantly, a clearer perspective of the sovereignty of God.
I need to acknowledge at this point that much of what I will be sharing is taken from material by Rick Rood, formerly of Probe Ministries.
II. Body
A. Why does God allow evil?
There is a line of questioning that goes like this:
A good God would destroy evil.
An all-powerful God could destroy evil.
Evil is not destroyed.
Therefore, there cannot possibly be such a good and powerful God.
And on the surface, to someone not grounded in Scripture who has experienced some form of tragedy, this would seem logical. After all, if God were good and all-powerful, wouldn’t it stand to reason that He would destroy the evil that plagues our world?
Then why doesn’t He? Could it be that He is not really a good God? Let me read Psalm 34:8:
-Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.-
Many other verses tell of the goodness of God. In fact, the whole Bible is an outline of God’s goodness in His dealings with man.
Could it be that He is not all-powerful? I don’t think so. Listen to Isaiah 40:25-26:
-“To whom will you compare Me? Or who is My equal?” says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.-
I would venture to say that the Creator of the Universe is plenty powerful, wouldn’t you?
BUT, did you know there are some things God CANNOT do?
Wait just a minute, Preacher! Didn’t you just get done saying God is all-powerful?
Yes, but hang on. Let me list a few things God cannot do, and you will see where we are going in a bit.
First, God cannot lie, according to Numbers 23:19. James tells us that God cannot be tempted, nor can he tempt people to sin.
In other words, God cannot do anything out of His character. The reason God cannot lie is because He is truth. He cannot sin or tempt to sin because He is pure.
He also can’t undo the past, create a square triangle, or make what is false, true.
So what do we make of all this? God is good and He is all-powerful to perform any and all things within His character, and yet we have evil. Why?
Listen closely to this next sentence, because it forms the basis of the answer, and I will explain it in more detail as we continue. This is going to be a little on the theological side of things, so track with me.
God could not eliminate evil without eliminating the possibility of accomplishing other goals that are important to Him.
God created humans in His own image, capable of having and sustaining a personal relationship with Him. But to really be in His image, they have to be capable of freely loving Him and following His will without being forced.
BUT, creatures who are free to love God must also be free to hate or ignore Him. And when people act in ways outside the will of God, great evil and suffering is the ultimate result.
God is capable of destroying evil – but not without destroying human freedom.
Professor Norman Geisler has an interesting take on this, that I like. He says that the free choice of humans is the source of evil. He used the analogy of rust. Rust does not exist on its own – it is part of the metal. The same is true with evil. It does not exist on its own – it is part of our makeup as a result of the fall.
So, the reason God doesn’t destroy evil is because He would have to destroy US as well.
B. Our Response.
Well, that’s all fine and dandy. So God doesn’t want to destroy us by destroying evil. I think I can track with that.
But why is there so MUCH evil? Why do we live in a world in which we can’t even let our kids listen to the evening news because of the horrible events taking place around the world?
Here’s my answer. And I want you to pay close attention, because this is going to get a bit technical and I don’t want to lose anybody. Ready?
I don’t know.
How’s that?
I don’t know.
But while I may not be able to pin-point reasons for the why there is so much evil, that doesn’t mean reasons don’t exist.
Please allow me to read Isaiah 55:9:
-“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”-
My kids don’t always understand the reasons behind what I allow or don’t allow them to do. It would be unrealistic for us to expect to understand all of God’s reasons for allowing all that HE does.
So how do we respond to what we see all around us? I think of several.
First, we can reflect on what we just discussed. God has His reasons for allowing what goes on.
Second, we can allow ourselves to experience the emotional pain involved and express it.
The book of Psalms records numerous instances where the writer is crying out to God about his suffering, and the injustices he sees. In fact, there are almost as many psalms of laments as there are psalms of praise and thanksgiving. And it is interesting to note that sometimes sadness and praise are mixed into the same psalm.
We are encouraged to pour out our hearts to God. And we can be sure that He hears and He understands. Remember, He knows what it is like to experience grief and suffering, including the loss of a loved one.
A third response is to focus on one of the greatest truths in Scripture: that even in severe trials God is working.
We have looked at Rom. 8:28 recently, but it bears looking at again:
-And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who Him, who have been called according to His purpose.-
This does not mean that evil is somehow good, but that even in suffering, God is at work to bring about His good purposes in our lives.
What are some of these purposes you may ask? Great question!
For one, suffering can provide an opportunity for God to display His glory-to make evident His mercy, faithfulness, power and love in the midst of painful circumstances.
Suffering can also allow us to give proof of the genuineness of our faith, and even serve to purify our faith.
Severe trials also provide an opportunity for believers to demonstrate their love for each other as members of the Body of Christ who “bear one another’s burdens” as mentioned in 1 Cor. 12:26.
These are just some purposes in suffering, but there are others.
A fourth response could be to look at all instances of pain and suffering as some sort of cosmic conspiracy against you. This is not a healthy response.
Another unhealthy response is to react with cynicism and bitterness toward God, rejecting Him and His sovereignty in the affairs of men.
C. God’s Ultimate Triumph
We’ve seen that God has not destroyed evil because He would have to destroy us. We have looked at some responses to evil and suffering.
But there is another aspect to all this. There is another response. And that response is to LOOK AHEAD.
You see, even though God won’t DESTROY evil, He will ultimately DEFEAT evil. And what a glorious day that will be, amen?
I’ve read the end of the book! Satan and his deceptions will be done away with forever, and we will no longer be at the mercy of a world gone mad, because we will be in the presence of God forever!
Go ahead and check it out!
III. Conclusion
The problem of evil is, indeed, a problem, and not one to be taken lightly. But it doesn’t have to leave us in defeat and bitterness.
We can take it with the understanding that our good and all—powerful God is also all-loving.
He has our best interests at heart. And He sees the bigger picture.
There’s the story of the man flying his plane above a mountain road. He looked down to see a car trying to pass a semi truck. However, the man in the car could not see around the truck to pass due to the dips and curves in the road.
The pilot could see that there were no other vehicles in the area, and that the car would be in no danger in passing the truck.
All he could do was sit up there and reflect on the fact that from his vantage point he could see what the man in the car could not see. Because he had a bigger picture.
It is the same with God. He sees the BIG picture.
Trust Him in the present and look forward to the future.
Let’s pray.
