People have often questioned concerning evil in the world. Why would God permit evil to enter his creation? Why did God make Satan if he knew he would rebel? Why does God create those he knows are not going to be saved? In many respects, these types of questions tend to call into question the wisdom, holiness, and love of God.
The Scripture reveals that God is perfect in all his attributes.
- He is omniscient. (all knowing) Ps 147:5 “…His knowledge is beyond comprehension.”
- He is omnipresent. (all present) Ps 139:7 “…I can never get away from your presence.”
- He is omnipotent. (all powerful) Ps 115:3 “…he does whatever pleases him.”
- He is holy Ps 5:4 “You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you, the wicked cannot dwell.”
- He is just. Ps 119:75 “You rebuke those cursed proud ones who wander from your commands.”
- He is truth. Nu 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie. He is not a human, that he should change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act?”
- He is love. 1 Jn 4:9 “God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.”
If God is the perfect author of all things, everything he makes has to be perfect. God declared them good when he completed his creation! One of the perfect things God created was free creatures; they possess freedom of will. In order to exercise this freedom, man must have a choice; to obey or disobey, to choose good or choose evil. Even love is a choice.
God made his will known to his creatures. They can obey God out of love and respect, but they also have the freedom to yield to self-will and disobey. In Ezekiel 28:15, Lucifer is alluded to: “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.” He was perfect until he chose self over God’s will.
The Scripture rejects the notion that God is responsible for evil, but it strongly shows that the Lord is involved in supervising the consequences that result after evil is chosen. Only through freedom of choice can God’s creatures be tested. Only through choices can love be demonstrated and developed. God risked perfection for the sake of faith, love and a relationship with his creatures.
When man fell through disobeying God, there was a ripple effect throughout creation as a result of sin. The curse touched man, the animals, the land and even the enemy himself. But God already had provided in His plan for a means of redemption for mankind through His Son. Those, who through their own will chose Jesus Christ as their Savior would be saved and live eternally. Those, who through their own free will rejected him, would be eternally condemned.
God in his grace, even placed the Holy Spirit into the lives of each true believer, to enable them to be strong and persevere in their faith and empower them to spread the good news of God’s great plan of salvation. Even then, man has a choice as to how much he will yield to the Holy Spirit.
In reality, life on this earth is just a testing ground to sift out true believers who will ultimately become part of God’s family. In this life we are put through the fire of adversity to test whether or not our faith is genuine. Even the enemy and unbelievers, who are responsible for much of the adversity in this world, have a purpose in God’s plan. God does not determine who will be saved or lost. Mankind chooses good or evil; life or death; blessing or curse. God even beckons the unbelievers to soften their hearts and turn to Him.
Evil will eventually be destroyed. This is the hope of every follower of Christ. There is a new world coming where there will be no more tears or pain because all things will be made new (Rev. 21:5).
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