God and The Problem of Evil Pt.2

”To blame God for the evil happening in the world is to praise man for all the good that is done. This would be inaccurate.”

-exert from: God and The Problem of Evil Pt.1

…Continuation of God and the Problem of Evil Pt. 1

Furthermore, a distinction should be made between natural evil and moral evil. Natural evil consists of natural disasters and problems resulting from mother nature. These would include events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, or death caused by these unpleasantries. Natural evil is what many atheists and unbelievers blame God for. They question why a good God would do this to his creation, and how could he be so good and see his creation suffer this way.

Moral evil, unlike natural evil, is that caused by man. It is defined as man’s inhumanity to man which is seen through injustice, oppression, murder, abuse, slavery, and the like. Frame, in his description of moral evil, says that “it is the sin of rational creatures (angels and men). According to Scripture, moral evil came first. Satan’s temptations and the disobedience of Adam and Eve led to God’s curse upon the earth (Gen 3:17-19).”[1] Atheists and unbelievers would blame man for such causes of evil, but still find God culpable for seeing these acts of evil, and either allowing it, or not doing anything to prevent it.

What does the Bible Say About Evil?

Throughout Scripture, God’s unrivaled sovereignty is displayed, and none can weaken it (Ps 115:3, Rom 11:36, Eph 1:11, Prov 16:4). God’s goodness is unequivocal and unmatched (Exod 33:19, Deut 32:4, 1 Jn 1:5, Ps 73:1), and God is not the author of any evil (Jas 1:13). However, if God is sovereign, and his goodness is unequivocal, and is not the author of evil, why does he will evil to be? Why do evil and suffering exist in God’s universe? And how does God will evil to be and exist, and does so without sinning? John Frame asserts,

Even human beings are sometimes called upon to inflict pain for a good purpose: surgery to heal, punishment of children to discipline them. So perhaps God has a good purpose in permitting evil, one which outweighs the suffering and pain – one which, in the end, makes this a better world than it would have been without the intrusion of evil.[2]

Although it is difficult to imagine how God’s greater purpose for evil could justify the evil done, Scriptures do reveal that God uses evil for a greater purpose than its original intention. God decrees the end and purpose of every evil done in the universe. He is pleased to use the evil done and transform it to show his glory through it. Through his sovereign decree, both the end and the means are decreed. God decrees the agency in which evil occurs, thus making the agency necessary as a tool used in the hands of God. Frame continues by saying, “God does bring sins about, but always for his own good purposes. So, in bringing sin to pass, he does not himself commit sin.” So, in permitting sin, God remains sinless, and in willing evil to be, God is not the author of it.

God and Evil

What Has He Done About It?

It is a misconception to believe that God allows evil to happen to his creation, and an explanation must proceed it. God owes no man an explanation as to why evil happens in this world. God is not, and was never, accountable to man for whatever actions he has done or allowed. It is important to remember that God is allowed to do whatever he pleases with his creation. Whatever he does is good (Eccl 3:14). The God of the universe is also the judge. This means that God is just to judge the world by any means he pleases. God’s justice and power is demonstrated through prior judgments seen in Scripture (Gen 3, 7, 11, Exod 7-12). God’s judgments are good, and his goodness is seen through his judgments (Gen 50:20). The cross of Christ, for example, also reveals God’s goodness in the midst of evil. The cross shows God as both just and justifier. For through it, the goodness of God and the evil of man were both displayed.

What Will He Do About It?

God will judge all evil upon his return (Rev 6-16). His final judgment would be his public response to all evil, and eternal punishment will be granted to those who are not his as a remedy for evil in eternal hell. This will be his justice to the problem of evil. God will bring all evil to an end through his perfect, divine, and eternal justice to all evildoers, and evil will be no more. There will be a new heaven and a new earth, and this will be God’s answer to put evil to a complete end. It is either that the sin and evil of man was taken care of at the cross, or will be taken care of in eternal judgment. All evil will be eradicated.

What Are We to Do About Evil?

What should be the response of the believer to the problem of evil? Evil and suffering will always be hard to accept, especially when it happens to ourselves or loved ones. Believers are reminded to trust God in and through all things, even evil. God always knows what he is doing, and always does what is best. God often surprises us by the ways in which he brings good out of evil.

God’s remedy to this problem was through the life and obedience of his son, Jesus Christ. Moral evil finds its remedy in the perfect obedience of the life of Jesus and his death on behalf of those who believe in him for the payment of sin. Christians are also reminded through Scripture to guard their hearts against hypocrisy (Luke 13:1-5). In response to the evil in this world, believers ought not to react as though they serve a God who is confused. Not only are they to trust him, but Christians should believe in the providence of God. Theologically, both cause and purpose [of evil and suffering] are embraced by the over-arching doctrine of providence, of which the problem of suffering is but one aspect. In addition to their response to evil, believers must learn how to relieve suffering and how to counsel those who are suffering (Prov 24:11-12). If evil and suffering are inevitable, then believers should adapt a mentality that God will provide, and counselling those who are suffering is mandatory. Finally, the apostle Paul reminds the church that all things work together for good (Rom 8:28). This is a reminder that believers should always see the evil and suffering of this world through a lens of an eternal perspective (Rom 8:18, 2 Cor 4:17). John Scott, in describing suffering, says:

To be sure, at present we experience sufferings and groans, but we are sustained in the midst of them by the hope of glory. So far it is only a ‘hope’, because it is still future, unseen and unrealized, but it is not on that account uncertain. On the contrary, our Christian hope is solidly grounded on the unwavering love of God. So, the burden of Paul’s climax is the eternal security of God’s people, on account of the eternal unchangeability of God’s purpose, which is itself due to the eternal steadfastness of God’s love.[3]

Conclusion

God always has a purpose through pain, and refuge through suffering. Although the origin of evil will always remain a mystery, God always uses evil for the greater good, and all evil will one day be obliterated and be no more. However, until then, God shall be trusted in the midst of it. God is both omnipotent and good, and everything that happens, whether good or evil, happens within the decree of God. Nothing happens outside of his decree. God sees and knows all things because he is omniscient. And because of his all-knowing power, nothing happens outside of the surveillance of God. Therefore, the problem of evil is not that God is either good or omnipotent, or neither. The problem of evil is creation. Man is evil, with evil intentions. It is man that causes the moral evil in this world, God is not the author of it. Should man demand justice for the evil in this world, then man would be demanding justice upon himself for the evil he has done. However, as God has promised, he will turn all things for good for all those who are his and are called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28), and man should believe that promise.

[1] Ibid, Kindle Locations 2017-2018 of 12312.

[2] Ibid, Kindle Locations 2127-2129 of 12312.

[3] John. R. W. Stott, The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 246.