Big Questions: Why Does Evil Exist?

Last year, while in an impoverished township in South Africa, I witnessed blatant human trafficking. There is nothing that can prepare the heart to see that for the first time.

So, what do we, Christians, do about the question of evil. Honestly, this very question led me to a crisis of faith a few years ago. The question fleshed out goes like this:

If God is all-powerful, He is able to prevent evil.

If God is entirely good, He wants to prevent evil.

But, evil exists. So, is God not all-powerful or is God not entirely good?

God’s Word

Starting point if we are to believe that the God of the Bible is the one, true God as I made the case two weeks ago: God is in no way evil and has no sinister motive or component whatsoever. If God is a moral monster, then the Bible is disproved outright.

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Darkness and light cannot coexist. And, as an aside, have you ever considered that the most powerful darkness is no match for the dimmest light? Light always defeats darkness.

So, it is unacceptable to say that evil exists in God or that any motive of God or attitude of God is evil. For ‘in him is no darkness at all.’

But, we know that evil exists! Horrible unthinkable evil. Last year, I read Night by Elie Wiesel, who was a Jewish teenager that was sent with his whole family to a concentration camp. He was the only one to survive. In the book, he writes about arriving at the camp for the first time and noticing a huge plume of smoke billowing against the night sky. Later, he would realize that smoke was the result of mass graves being burned to dispose of the corpses. He writes about that night: “Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.” So, we know that evil exists.

Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.

God permits evil because its existence brings about greater good to his creation and greater glory to his Name.

Now, I want to concede that this is not a totally satisfying answer. The human mind will always struggle with evil. But, I am convinced that this is the MOST satisfying answer. What worldview provides a better answer?

Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.

What good can possibly be brought about that justifies evil?

The presence of evil allows the Christian to experience and exercise godly virtues that would be otherwise impossible.

Compassion, forgiveness, self-denial, self-control

Supreme Allegiance to God over all else.

Chief good: God is glorified through the accomplishment of his redemptive purposes.

Grace, mercy, justice

A self-sacrificing God

Without this reality, what song would you sing to God?

What is God’s relationship with evil?

God permits evil, but He never does evil.

God’s relationship with evil is always indirect. He rules over it, but He never does it. He uses it for the accomplishment of his purposes, but He doesn’t do it for the accomplishment of his purposes.

My premise: God manipulates evil to bring glory to his Name and ultimate good to his people.

Joseph

God gives Joseph a dream of his brothers bowing down to him.

Joesph tells his family, and his brothers get jealous.

His brothers plan to kill him. Reuben won’t let them. They throw him into a pit.

Reuben goes away. They sell him into slavery.

Joseph prospers in slavery to become head of the estate.

Potiphars wife goes after him and fakes a rape when rejected.

Joseph is thrown into prison where he meets the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker.

He interprets their dreams and wins favor with cupbearer (Baker dies).

The cupbearer forgets all about Joseph until he’s with Pharaoh who is tortured by a reoccurring dream.

Joseph is brought out of prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, which he does perfectly.

Joseph becomes the second most powerful man in the world.

Israel, where Joseph’s family is in famine.

They come to Egypt where Joseph, whom they don’t recognize, is the second in command.

Joseph saves their life and says in , “And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.”

God gave the dream to Joseph, but he only told it because he wanted to. God did not force the brothers to become jealous. They were simply naturally jealous. God did not give the brothers the desire to murder Joseph, for it was their own desire. God had Reuben present when He needed to be present to save Joseph’s life and away when He needed to sell Joseph to Potiphar. So, the brother did everything according their will and their desires and they were responsible. But, God was working the whole time! So much so, that Joseph could say that God sent me!

- “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”

The people of Israel and Rome crucified Jesus because they wanted to crucify Jesus. God did not overcome them and place evil in their hearts. They did it because they wanted to.

Yet, at the very same time, it was God’s plan. Their evil actions was God’s plan of grace in action. They did what they wanted to do, but God was using their evil desires and actions to bring about good they could not even perceive of.

God brings about his will through our willing choices.

Although God created us knowing that we would suffer at the hands of evil, He also created us knowing that He too would suffer evil for us through his Son.

What worldview provides a better answer?

What good can evil bring about? Look at the cross!

Evil is not pointless. The pain that it inflicts is not pointless.

Evil does not win! Evil is a servant of God!