Why would a loving God allow evil?

If He is such a good God, and He knows all things, why does He still allow evil to happen? Does He not have control over the evil that happens in this world? Is He really as powerful as we say He is? Why then would a loving God allow evil to happen, even to those who are His children?

This is a very strong case to bring against God, and anyone, including antitheists, atheists, or even Christians, can build the case using the premises mentioned above. When we do not have answers to some of these questions, it is easy to come to what we might call a logical conclusion about the nature of God.

For instance, if God does know all things, then He knew a loved one would get on a plane that would ultimately crash and claim their life. If the crash happened, then He knew and did nothing about it? Or if He is truly all-powerful, He could have stopped the plane from crashing, but He did not? Or maybe it is not that He decided not to, but that He could not stop the plane from crashing. Therefore, maybe He is not all knowing? Or He is not all powerful? Or He is not as loving as we say He is? Or, ultimately, maybe the God we are describing as all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving does not even exist?

Even people who are Christians could experience some of these tough and challenging moments, and without answers, they may slowly begin to arrive at some of these conclusions. I once read a book about the most common reasons Christians lose faith – the loss of a job and the loss of a loved one. These are truly tough for anyone to go through, and without a deeper understanding of who God is or why these things happen, it is easy to get to a point where we lose faith and grow weary in our faith walk.

In our blog post last week, we addressed the conversation on whether a loving God would send anyone to hell (Link: HERE), and one of the important concepts we learned last week was the impact of human beings created with free will. Man has a choice, and there are consequences for our decisions. Man decided to follow the enemy and chose sin consciousness. As a result, man stopped being innocent and now had knowledge of sin and evil. Have you thought about Cain? How did Cain know, after his sacrifice was rejected, that He could do something to kill his brother? See what 1 John 3:12 says,

[And] not be like Cain who [took his nature and got his motivation] from the evil one and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his deeds (activities, works) were wicked and malicious and his brother's were righteous (virtuous).

We see that the consequence of Adam choosing to side with the enemy did not only end with us being separated from God eternally, but it also brought the ‘motivation’ from the enemy to do evil in the world. This immediately answers the first question that we have not asked – evil did not come from God. It came from the devil.

In the world today, there are people who do not act out of love for others (either as a result of the fallen nature or because they simply decided to side with the enemy) – someone who will drink and drive, someone who will take a bomb into a building full of people and detonate it, someone who will make wrong and selfish political and economic decisions, someone who will cut corners with proper training or maintenance and end up putting other people’s lives at risk, and so on.

It is also a real task to encourage someone who is on the receiving side of the evil in the world if they do not have a good understanding of who God is or why some of these things have happened – someone who has just lost a job, lost a loved one, or been involved in a tragedy. I mean, how does a distorted view of God’s word and His nature, and a disdain for God, bring anyone real comfort at such a time?

I also do not have answers to some of these questions. We simply grieve with those who are grieving and share the truth of God’s word with them as we encourage them through those tough times. But what does the word of God say? Two scriptures to remember:

John 16:33

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

1 Peter 4:12-13

Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you. But insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, rejoice, so that when His glory [full of radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may also rejoice with triumph [exultantly].

There are two things to take out of both scriptures. When we take them together, we see that Jesus not only provided answers, He became the answer. I’d explain. You see, it is only within the confines of the Cross and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that the above scriptures bring any real comfort. Evil, sufferings, tragedies, pain, and hurt are such harsh realities caused by the enemy in this fallen world, but we see Jesus stepping into the same evil world. He went through all the sufferings. He saw it all. He became familiar with our pain and hurt and paid the ultimate price – death. The good news is that He did not just die, He overcame death for us and then told us that He has deprived this evil world of its power to harm us.

Let’s bring this to a close. When we see evil, or better still, when we go through pain and hurt, we should know a few things – Jesus went through this. He understands. He overcame. This is temporary, and we look forward to a time with our savior when

Revelation 21:4 will be fulfilled

God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away.

If we lost a job, God can replace the job and give us double for our trouble. Better still, He can make us employers of labour. If we have lost a loved one in Christ, then we are guaranteed to see them again. If we are hurt, He can heal us and restore us to peace and true comfort. And even if, by some reason, it does not seem as though the hurt ever ends, then we know that there would come a time when there would be no more pain, tears, hurt, sorrow, and anguish, and we will eternally enjoy peace and joy with our savior. This is how we go through this evil world. This is how we encourage ourselves and others going through tough times.

If you’d like me to pray with you or lead you to Christ to enjoy this life with God, please feel free to reach out to us at info@theananexperience.com or call 204-963-6397. We’d be glad to connect with you.

Yours in Christ,

Testimony.

[All scriptural references are from the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)]