Why Does God Allow Evil?

 

  

Did God Create Evil?  
No! The question of whether God created evil is one that theologians and philosophers have wrestled with for centuries. Whether God created evil can be better understood through an illustration. Consider how darkness is not an independent force but the absence of light. In the same way, evil is not a created thing but the absence of good, or more profoundly, the absence of God.  Here are some key considerations based on biblical texts and Christian doctrine:

1. God's Nature and Goodness

• According to Scripture, God is inherently good and holy:
  • Psalm 25:8: “The Lord is good and upright.”
  • 1 John 1:5: “God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him.”
• Because God’s nature is good, He cannot be the author of moral evil or sin.

God, who is inherently good and holy, did not create moral evil. Instead, He allowed for the possibility of evil by giving humanity and angels free will. If God had not allowed this possibility, we would serve Him out of obligation rather than genuine choice. God desires a relationship with beings who choose to love and serve Him willingly, not mechanized “robots” programmed to obey. So, to reiterate: God did not create evil, but He allows it.

• Deuteronomy 30:19: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.”

2. Evil as a Consequence of Free Will
The existence of free will means that humans have the capacity to choose good or to reject it. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God (Genesis 3), evil and suffering entered the world. This was not a result of God creating evil but of humanity misusing the freedom given to them. So, because humans have free agency, the possibility of moral evil exists. The Fall of Adam and Eve brought forth the consequences of disobedience and the introduction of sin into the world. Scripture explains why humanity experiences suffering, brokenness, and death. Yet, even in this righteous judgment (toward our disobedience), the Bible describes how God’s good promise of redemption through Christ offers the only true hope and lasting restoration.

• Romans 5:12: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people because all sinned.”
• 1 Cor. 15:22: "For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive."
• Genesis 2-3 explains how the serpent (Satan) deceived Eve by casting doubt on God’s word and character. Adam and Eve willingly eat the forbidden fruit, relying on their own judgment rather than obeying God, introducing sin into the world and human experience. They freely chose to disobey God, ushering in the consequences of the Fall and curse. Adam and Eve become aware of their nakedness, symbolizing their newfound shame and guilt. They hide from God, indicating a broken relationship and the beginning of alienation from Him. The Fall affects all aspects of life, introducing suffering, death, and broken relationships.  
• Genesis 3:15, known as the protoevangelium, foreshadows humanity's redemption, Satan's defeat, and the victory through Jesus' death and resurrection. 

3. God’s Sovereignty and God Permitting Evil for a Greater Purpose
Even though God did not create evil, He allows it for His sovereign purposes. While we may not fully understand His reasons, we trust God’s actions are holy, good, and ultimately serve His glory. We struggle to comprehend God's infinite wisdom from our limited, earthly perspective. God has incomprehensible wisdom, and there is a vast difference between human understanding and God’s divine wisdom. Our responsibility is to trust in God's plans. Many verses in Scripture remind us that even when we do not understand why things happen, we can trust in God’s higher purposes and plans. In times of confusion or suffering, the Bible offers comfort by assuring us that God's ways are perfect, even if they seem beyond our comprehension.  For example, consider the following verses:

• Romans 11:33-34: “Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord?”
• Romans 8:28: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:29 tells us for what end such good serves.  It is ultimately so that we become more like Christ)
• Genesis 50:20 (Joseph speaking to his brothers): “You planned evil against me; God planned it for good.”
•  Isaiah 55:8-9 is often cited when reflecting on God’s sovereignty and our limited perspective compared to His eternal and perfect understanding:
  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.”
  This is the Lord’s declaration.
  “For as heaven is higher than earth,
  so my ways are higher than your ways,
  and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

4. God Works Good Out of Evil
The question is often asked: "What about natural disasters?"  Hurricanes, droughts, floods, etc., are often categorized as “natural evil.” Humanity’s 'Fall' (Genesis 3) affected creation itself. Although God permits these things, He can redeem them for good purposes. Often, there is an opportunity for God to reveal His goodness and grace amid these events. This principle is evident throughout Scripture:

• Romans 8:20-22: Paul explains creation is subjected to futility and groaning due to sin. 
• Genesis 50:20: Joseph tells his brothers, “You planned evil against me; God planned it for good.”
• Romans 8:28: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

5. Isaiah 45:7 – What's this business about God “Creating Calamity?”

• Some confusion arises from passages like Isaiah 45:7, which says, “I form light and create darkness, I make success and create disaster; I am the Lord, who does all these things.” The word often translated as "disaster" or "calamity" (Hebrew: ra – רָע) can mean judgment, calamity, or hardship rather than moral evil. In this context, God brings judgment or hardship as part of His justice.

6. Why Not Create a Perfect World Without Evil?
Some might wonder why God didn’t simply create humans and leave them in heaven, free from suffering. The answer lies in God’s desire for genuine love and relationship. True love requires choice. If God had not allowed for the possibility of evil, we would lack the ability to choose to love and worship Him freely.  This, of course, should not confuse the issue that God sovereignly saved men and women-- they do not save themselves. While humans may reject God, salvation itself is an act of God’s grace, not human effort. The Bible teaches that apart from God’s intervention, we are spiritually dead and incapable of saving ourselves (Ephesians 2:1-9). It is God who initiates, accomplishes, and completes the work of salvation. True freedom to love and worship God genuinely comes as a result of His transformative work in our hearts through the Holy Spirit (John 6:44). This ensures that salvation is entirely by grace, ruling out any notion of self-made human merit or self-sufficiency. We must always be clear that God’s desire for genuine love and relationship allows for choice, but the capacity to choose God and be saved comes through His sovereign grace and Holy Spirit alone.  

• Joshua 24:15: “But if it doesn’t please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship?”
• Ephesians 2:8-9: "For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — not from works, so that no one can boast."

7. God’s Plan for Redemption and New Creation

• Revelation 21:4 (CSB):
  “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more because the previous things have passed away.”
  Insight: God’s plan is to create a new heaven and earth where evil, pain, and suffering no longer exist.
• 2 Peter 3:13 (CSB):
  “But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”
  Insight: The brokenness of this world is temporary, and God promises a future free from sin and evil.

Conclusion
God did not create evil but allowed for its possibility by granting free will. God is wholly good. Evil is the absence of good, like darkness is the absence of light, or cold is the absence of heat. Through this freedom, we have the opportunity to choose to love, worship, and serve God willingly. God permits evil because of human free will, and He can use it to accomplish His purposes. Even though we may not fully grasp His purposes, we trust that God’s plan is ultimately holy, perfect, and glorifying to Him. God may create or allow calamity (judgment or hardship) as part of His sovereign justice, but this is distinct from being the author of sin or moral evil.  Any Christian belief in this regard must preserve the belief in God's goodness while acknowledging the reality of evil and human responsibility.  While it is true that everything (all things) that touches our life must pass through the will of God, humans (biblically speaking) are always responsible for their actions and how they choose to live before God.

.... Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?  If not, why not? I invite you to turn to Jesus today as your Lord and Savior. Won't you turn to Jesus and have your life changed?  ...