It is easy for most of us to explain what evil is, but it is certainly difficult to attempt to explain why evil is. Although I do not presume to have the ultimate answers regarding these issues, I endeavor to present here what I have come to believe about why evil exists in a world created by an all-loving and all-good God. I believe there are reasonable answers that can help us better understand our world and our God…and how it all fits together.
There are, philosophically speaking, two general types of evils: moral evils (committed by free moral agents, i.e., humans) and natural evils (those naturally occurring in the world, such as sicknesses, diseases, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornados, earthquakes, etc.). The answer to the moral evils in the world has been effectively provided by theologians and philosophers throughout history. Basically, we are created as humans with free will (which is a good thing), but like all good things, free will can be misused to do evil things. God, in His infinite wisdom, knew–and knows–that to have free will and evil is better than not to have free will and evil. Below, however, are further explanations of why moral and natural evils exist.
Moral Evils
There are many possible reasons for God permitting our moral evils, and those possibilities are enough to make the existence of God and evil in this word logically compatible—in other words, it is not a contradiction in logic for there to be an all-loving and all-good God and, at the same time, for there to be the evil there is in this world. We don’t know the mind of God, and we could be unaware of the good He can bring about through allowing these evils. We are given a glimpse of this reasoning in Joseph’s story when, after having been given over to slavery by his brothers, Joseph was able to say to them, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” God’s providence is for the ultimate good—the salvation of people.
Now, given our free will, God knew that the best way to bring people to Him to save them would be to do an act of love—such a great act of love, in the midst of evil, that people would not be able to nonchalantly dismiss it when fully understanding it; namely, the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ suffered great evils at the hands of the Romans and the Jews, but He chose to die for us because of His love for us. Jesus chose to go through all those evils so that we would see His unsurpassable and unconditional love for us. It is, by us learning this fact, that we are freely moved to love Him—He first loved us and died for us (undergoing a horrific evil) so that we would be spared from eternal separation from Him (the ultimate evil).
Natural Evils
But what about natural evils? These “evils” are harder to explain, for wouldn’t God want to either create a world where such evils don’t exist, or at least where such evils would not cause the suffering and death of so many people? Well, how do you know that He would be able to create a world in which free creatures do not commit evil and that the largest amount of people would freely love and believe in Him? It may be that such a world is not feasible. Also, how do you know that He doesn’t allow such evils to happen in a way that brings about the least amount of death now? Believing that He is a good God, this seems to be the natural thing for us to accept as Christians. But again, as with the moral evils, maybe He allows natural evils to happen because He knows that only through them people will freely turn to Him.
All evils serve as a reminder that God is in control, but also that having life is good—they are a reality check. When we say that natural disasters are “evil,” what do we mean by that? We usually mean that people get hurt, suffer, or die as a result of those disasters. If there weren’t any humans or even animals on the earth that could get hurt, suffer, or die, would we still say those natural evils are evil? Probably not. So, we concur that evil includes hurting, suffering…and dying. Well, if you remember, we were created to be at peace with God, probably without pain and suffering, and immortal—but Adam and Eve messed that up. Moral and natural evils are a reminder to us of the reality of our inevitable physical death, and possible spiritual death (the eternal separation from God)—unless we turn to the only Savior, Jesus.
So, by way of the moral evils we commit as free creatures, and the natural evils in the world, God reminds us that life is good and death is bad, especially spiritual death that will separate us from Him. But because of His love for us, and because we are so special, He became a human (not an animal) to come save us, and He Himself went through the very same evils we go through. Hebrews 4:15 says, “we do not have a high priest [speaking of Jesus] who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus knows of our temptations to commit evil; He knows of the power of Satan; and He knows of the power of nature. But Jesus set us free from sin’s grasp; Jesus defeated Satan; and Jesus calmed the storm. He has ultimate power; He has the power to overcome moral and natural evils—not to mention, the evils committed by the demonic forces.
Why Evil?
Therefore, the purpose of the evils in this world, in terms of God’s providential plan, may only be to show us that life is precious, important, a serious matter, and a good thing. It may be to show us that we are not in control, that God is in control. And evil’s purpose may also be to demonstrate to us how much God loves us—so much so that He was willing to send His Son to go through many of these evils so that He would overcome them and give us hope. Evil may exist to show us that God is the only one who can overcome it, and that Jesus already overcame the evil of death on the Cross for us…and all we have to do for life is to believe in Him. God will completely defeat all the evil in the end; no other religion or system of belief gives us the hope and assurance that evil will be defeated, and that faith, hope, and love will remain.
Therefore, God is not the creator of evil, per se, but He has allowed it to be a reality in this world because He knew it would serve a greater and an infinitely better purpose than not allowing it to exist. His purpose is not to make humans happy, but to have them be saved. To make it practical, think about the times when everything was going well for you and you had no “evils” in your life. If you are like most people, you might not have been relying on God as much; you might not have been thinking about Him as much; and you might not have been seeking Him as much. That is human nature.
When things are good and going well, we tend to forget about God. When is it, then, that we remember God? Usually when things are going wrong; when moral, natural, and spiritual evils are all around us; and when all we have left is God. It is, then, not hard to see how a good and loving God would allow certain evils to happen in order to bring as many people to Him who would not have otherwise freely chosen to seek Him.
With all the evil happening in the world today, open your eyes to the reality of God’s love today, knowing that He has allowed these things to take place so that His name may be glorified—and so that His Son would be lifted up, for He alone had and has the power to overcome evil. And know that He has allowed these things to take place so that many, including you, may not perish eternally, but have everlasting life in His Son. Through Him, you and I can overcome the evil grasp of sin in our lives and help others see the goodness and the love of our God. To Him be the glory and power, forever and ever. Amen.
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