“This is the message we have heard from
him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”
(1 John 1:5 - New International Version)
God is undeniably good and He is categorically not responsible for evil that
happens. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world, where free will allows
people to make their own moral choices
that fall outside of the law of God.
”Everyone who sins
breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.”
(1 John 3:4 - New International Version)
Would evil things happen if everyone
lived according to God’s will? No. Yet, even the most committed follower of
Christ will fall from time to time, and these errors have sinful consequences. None of
us are perfect and none of us are able to live lives fully free from sin. To avoid evil we must not
give into the temptations of things which lead to evil. The Bible is clear-cut
about this:
“Reject every kind of
evil.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:22 - New International
Version)
At the start of creation there was no
evil. The world and all that was in it was perfect. One of those aspects of
perfection was that God created all beings with free will. It is what we do
with free will that can lead to evil. Every person faces choices about that
which is morally right or morally wrong. In giving us free will, God created us
with the potential to do wrong, as without
that potential, how could we choose to reject
evil? How could we choose to have
faith and obey God’s laws if there were no choice?
“Blessed is the one who
perseveres under trial because,
having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting
me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is
tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and
enticed.”
(James 1:12-14 - New International
Version)
When we consider the existence of evil
in the world, we must first look at ourselves. What choices have we made? Have
we given in to temptation? Did we pass the test?
What is evil?
If we understand that God is always
good, then it is easier to understand what evil is. Evil is the absence of God,
just as darkness is the absence of light. If God is not in a situation
or decision, then the potential for evil is there.
Evil is not something of God…evil occurs when God is rejected or neglected.
Think about all of the terrible acts of
evil that have occurred over all of history. Was God at the centre of people’s
plans? Were the people committing these acts doing so according to God’s laws?
No.
Some believe
they act according to God’s will, some are deceivers, but when their actions
are measured against The Bible, it becomes clear that they are not acting in
God’s will. The Bible even warns that people would come and do wrong in His
name, interpreting scripture to suit their own purposes, or telling lies, and
that many people would not just be deceived by it, but would desire it:
“And many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of
most will grow cold”
(Matthew 24:11-12 - New International
Version)
“The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people
love it this way. But what will you do in the end?”
(Jeremiah 5:31 - New International
Version)
What can we do about evil?
God does not disappear during times of
evil. In fact, He is often more clearly present in the lives of those who are
suffering, and those who answer the call to go to their aid. Through Him there
is courage within danger; reward following sacrifice; joy in the easing of
pain. God does not abandon us during times of strife and struggle. He is
constantly with us and wants to help us, providing us with the strength and
wisdom we need to get through to the other side, if only we ask for His help
and give Him our love.
“And we know that in
all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
(Romans 8:28 - New International Version)
It is up to Christians to speak out and
act against evil, in all its forms, in accordance with God’s will. Through us
God works his purposes in the world and we must allow Him to do so, no matter the cost.
Suffering and Sorrow
Dorothy Sayers said this about God and existence
of evil: “For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is— limited and
suffering and subject to sorrows and death. He had the honesty and the
courage to take His own medicine.” “He has kept His own rules and played
fair. He can exact nothing from man that He has not exacted from Himself. He
has Himself gone through the whole of human experience, from the trivial
irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work and lack
of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair and
death. When He was a man, He played the man. He was born in poverty and died in
disgrace and thought it well worthwhile”
We can remind ourselves that, whatever evils
we face, Jesus went before us. On the cross He bore all the sins and evil of
mankind for all eternity. He faced more suffering, as one man, than all of humankind
put together. It is a difficult concept to grasp – the enormity of its
importance is so great. Through Christ we escape the clutches of the enemy. In
Christ we have a shield against evil. This does not mean we won’t face hard
times, but it does mean we’re not alone - we are redeemed.
God did not create His world to have disasters,
wars, disease, famine…they are the result of this being a broken world that
turned against His will. God’s perfect design was tainted the moment sin
entered the world when Adam gave into temptation:
“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of
your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you.”
(from
Genesis 3:17-18 - New International Version)
Could God remove all evil from the
world? Of course he could…he is all powerful. If God wanted it, all evil would
be destroyed in an instant.
But wait - if all evil were destroyed -
and evil is sin - and all people sin - who would be left?
Let’s thank God that he doesn’t destroy
evil, but provides a way to Heaven and overcome evil:
“The Lord will rescue
me from every evil attack and will bring
me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
(2 Timothy 4:18 - New International
Version)
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