"If God is good, why is there evil"? Ah, the age old question, often used to blame God for the evils of the world or deny His existance all together. The church I attend on Sunday evenings, a church of about 10,000 people, is doing a series on this very topic. Based on the book by Randy Alcorn, the series addresses this question, giving Biblical answers to the issue of a good God co-existing with the evils in our world.
Answering this question seems to trip up a lot of Christians. Now, when I say Christians, I don't just mean individuals who say they believe in God and go to church and know a few key Bible verses. I mean individuals who have come to a believing and saving faith in God the Father and accepted the forgiveness and redemption that comes with the death of His Son, Jesus, repented of their sins and embraced the power of His resurrection in overcoming temptation and the power of sin in their lives and live a life surrendered to Christ's character and will. Now that we have this definition straight, let me continue...
To answer this question, we must go back to the beginning...to the very beginning...to our "genesis". Genesis, in Hebrew, means beginning and it is here that we learn where life began, and where sin began.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth..." (Genesis 1:1) For five days God created a perfect paradise with everything humanity needed and after God created the man, Adam, he knew that he would need a companion; someone "comparable to him" a "helper suitable for him"; so God created the woman, Eve. God provided a garden for their food and told them they could eat of ANY tree EXCEPT the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil".
How unfair! Is it? God had spent five days (regardless of one's views on a "long" day theory of creation or a "short" day theory, the point is God did it, and he did it for us) properly preparing the earth so that it was fit for humanity and life to live there, filled a garden with lush vegetation for them to eat and enjoy and only gave them ONE rule: don't eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
John Wesley in his Theology of Original Sin states that sin originated in the Fall of Lucifer (better known as Satan). Lucifer envied God and wanted His throne and therefore God kicked him out of heaven. His sin was a perversion of good. It was the sin of pride. Adam and Eve's sin was not simply a perversion of good, but it was a rejection of the good in the face of a choice between good and evil.
This theology is the foundation of my answer to the question of "If a good God, why evil?" It all started here. Humanity was given a choice between good and evil, and they chose evil. In the midst of a beautiful garden where all their needs were met by the God that created them, they chose evil. The consequence of this choice was a broken relationship with God, with each other, and with creation. Pain, death, loneliness, and a morality void of the knowledge of God and His standards was the result of their choice. And the consequence of this original sin has been felt by mankind since that day.
But we are not immune from responsibility. Not only are we under the condemnation of Adam's original sin, which we have inherited in our sin nature, but we are also guilty of our own rejection of the good in the face of choosing between good and evil. But if a good God, why does evil even exist? Why did God even offer such a choice? Because without free will, without the choice to choose or reject, genuine love is not possible.
In our fallen nature, we are incapable of knowing God or morality as God intended. Wesley taught (as did Calvin) that we are in a state of total depravity. But God did not leave us here. Wesley also taught that God extended prevenient (or preventing grace) which restores some semblance of our knowledge of God and morality which points us back to Him.
So, "If a good God, why evil?" Because God gave man a choice-- a choice between good and evil. And man choose evil. Through His Son, Jesus, however, who suffered and died as our perfect sacrifice to take the punishment for our sin, our choice is renewed. But the choice is still ours. And humanity as a whole still chooses evil. Therefore, evil and pain and death and heartache exists in the world-- the result of the original sin of Adam passed down to humanity and the result (direct and indirect) of individuals rejection of good.
How can we question the existance of God or the quality of His character when we have the choice between good and evil in front of us? He has given us His word, His standard, His steps for redemption in the Bible and yet we reject the Good, even now, in the face of a choice.
So before you question God or blame Him for the evils in your life or in the world, ask yourself this: what choice have you made?
Answering this question seems to trip up a lot of Christians. Now, when I say Christians, I don't just mean individuals who say they believe in God and go to church and know a few key Bible verses. I mean individuals who have come to a believing and saving faith in God the Father and accepted the forgiveness and redemption that comes with the death of His Son, Jesus, repented of their sins and embraced the power of His resurrection in overcoming temptation and the power of sin in their lives and live a life surrendered to Christ's character and will. Now that we have this definition straight, let me continue...
To answer this question, we must go back to the beginning...to the very beginning...to our "genesis". Genesis, in Hebrew, means beginning and it is here that we learn where life began, and where sin began.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth..." (Genesis 1:1) For five days God created a perfect paradise with everything humanity needed and after God created the man, Adam, he knew that he would need a companion; someone "comparable to him" a "helper suitable for him"; so God created the woman, Eve. God provided a garden for their food and told them they could eat of ANY tree EXCEPT the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil".
How unfair! Is it? God had spent five days (regardless of one's views on a "long" day theory of creation or a "short" day theory, the point is God did it, and he did it for us) properly preparing the earth so that it was fit for humanity and life to live there, filled a garden with lush vegetation for them to eat and enjoy and only gave them ONE rule: don't eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
John Wesley in his Theology of Original Sin states that sin originated in the Fall of Lucifer (better known as Satan). Lucifer envied God and wanted His throne and therefore God kicked him out of heaven. His sin was a perversion of good. It was the sin of pride. Adam and Eve's sin was not simply a perversion of good, but it was a rejection of the good in the face of a choice between good and evil.
This theology is the foundation of my answer to the question of "If a good God, why evil?" It all started here. Humanity was given a choice between good and evil, and they chose evil. In the midst of a beautiful garden where all their needs were met by the God that created them, they chose evil. The consequence of this choice was a broken relationship with God, with each other, and with creation. Pain, death, loneliness, and a morality void of the knowledge of God and His standards was the result of their choice. And the consequence of this original sin has been felt by mankind since that day.
But we are not immune from responsibility. Not only are we under the condemnation of Adam's original sin, which we have inherited in our sin nature, but we are also guilty of our own rejection of the good in the face of choosing between good and evil. But if a good God, why does evil even exist? Why did God even offer such a choice? Because without free will, without the choice to choose or reject, genuine love is not possible.
In our fallen nature, we are incapable of knowing God or morality as God intended. Wesley taught (as did Calvin) that we are in a state of total depravity. But God did not leave us here. Wesley also taught that God extended prevenient (or preventing grace) which restores some semblance of our knowledge of God and morality which points us back to Him.
So, "If a good God, why evil?" Because God gave man a choice-- a choice between good and evil. And man choose evil. Through His Son, Jesus, however, who suffered and died as our perfect sacrifice to take the punishment for our sin, our choice is renewed. But the choice is still ours. And humanity as a whole still chooses evil. Therefore, evil and pain and death and heartache exists in the world-- the result of the original sin of Adam passed down to humanity and the result (direct and indirect) of individuals rejection of good.
How can we question the existance of God or the quality of His character when we have the choice between good and evil in front of us? He has given us His word, His standard, His steps for redemption in the Bible and yet we reject the Good, even now, in the face of a choice.
So before you question God or blame Him for the evils in your life or in the world, ask yourself this: what choice have you made?
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