WHAT IS THE PROBLEM OF EVIL?
The sufferings and pain people experience in this world are beyond the imaginations of many people. However, for sensitive people, what happens to humans is intolerable to the heart and mind. It deeply grieves us and even makes us angry. It is easy to assume that there is no God or that He doesn’t care. Even Christians can have a hard time believing in God when He seems to be unresponsive to their pleas.
If God is supposed to be good and is powerful enough to prevent evil, then why does he let evil continue? Lots of people have bad things happen to them and God does not answer their prayers for help. This makes people question the existence and the goodness of God. How can God be love and let people suffer? None of us would want that for our children. If we are kinder than God, then maybe there is no God, or else He doesn’t care about us.
Why is there evil? My mind tells me that the potential for evil has always existed. For God to be good there must be an opposite of good. For God to be moral there must be an opposite of moral. According to Genesis, the first man and woman were created good, but had a choice to choose the good, or to yield to the potential of evil and go against good. This brought to them the experience of evil. As a result of their choice they came into a knowledge that only God previously possessed, that is, a knowledge of both good and evil. People have identified three kinds of evil. (1) Moral evil which is the result of human choices. We choose to kill, steal, lie, and so forth. We also make poor judgments which result in accidents. Moral evil has been brought into the world due to human choice. (2) There is also natural evil – earthquakes, fires, famines, and so forth. It seems that the earth was cursed as a consequence of humans letting evil into their lives. (Gen. 3:17 Rom. 8:20-22) (3) Satanic evil. There are supernatural beings that can influence or cause evil on the earth.
Evil abounds, but why doesn’t God stop it? Some reasons are probably known only to God as to why He lets life continue to produce such horrendous sufferings. But, some Scriptures give reasons as to why He at times withdraws and is silent. For example, to let people go their own ways so as to suffer the consequences of their self-chosen and non-godly paths. (Deut. 31:17-18 Rom. 1:28-31) Arguably, this is in hopes that they would see the self-destructiveness of their ways and turn to God for the right way. We sometimes do this when we remark something like “we must let them go and learn the hard way” because that seems to be what they are bent on doing.
Even though evil exists, God does have an answer. He does promise an end to it. God never promises us freedom from suffering in this world, but He does promise to give us a future world where suffering is no more. The Bible, in 2 Peter 3, tells us that God allows the world to continue as is to give time for people to come to Him for salvation. But at the right time, He will destroy evil and create a new heaven and a new earth where only righteousness dwells. This is the hope of all believers in Christ.
In a sense, it might be said that God allowed Himself to suffer with us in the person of Christ Jesus. It is as though God assumes responsibility for evil and enters our world to deal with it and destroy it. Jesus went through sufferings, but he overcame them by his resurrection from the dead. We may go through them, but if we continue trusting that God is good and Jesus can save us, we also can overcome through the power of resurrection. I choose to trust God and His goodness and His plans, even though evil appears to be winning. The answer to “If God is good and all powerful He would destroy evil” is that He will, but not yet.
In the meantime, those who are trusting Jesus can gain some value from sufferings, even though we do not desire them any more than Christ desired to suffer humiliation and the cross. As long as evil is here, we may as well ask, “what value is there in suffering?” and ask God to be with us and give us grace to learn and persevere.
Here are some things I can see are of value in suffering: (1) Suffering evil can bring us nearer to God for the experience of help and comfort so that we can be of comfort to other sufferers. Suffering is common to man and it helps us find one another and deepens our compassion and love. (2) Suffering evil can cause us to be less connected with a material world and plug us into greater values having to do with loving people and being aware of and enjoying the more important or finer things of life. (3) Suffering evil can bring about repentance and cause a turning to God for salvation from this corrupt world.
Some people like to point out that Christians are a great cause of evil in the world because they have been involved in so many religious wars, or killing of people who disagree with them, such as in the inquisition days. It must be recognized that Christians are not the only ones to commit evil atrocities. Other movements in history, such as atheistic communism and Hitler’s persecution of people must also be blamed. While it is true that Christianity can be blamed for evils, (because no one is perfect) it needs to be pointed out that sometimes evil done in the name of God is done by misguided Christians who do not truly follow God’s teachings. Jesus taught people to love God and neighbors. If people followed the Bible correctly, no evil would be done in the name of God.
Some might point to the commands of God in the Old Testament to destroy other peoples. It should be remembered that such commands were acts of judgment on ungodly and wicked nations, God using His nation as the instrument. He also brought judgment on His own people using other nations. Only God had the right to command such a thing. But He seems to have always given those wicked nations time to repent before He determined that their time for judgment had come. And it must be remembered that God does not take any pleasure in the death of the wicked. They bring it on themselves. Christians are taught never to gloat over the judgment of their enemies, but to pray for and love them. Love is the job of Christians. Judgment is God’s responsibility. Also, consider this: Is judgment evil when it eliminates the evil and brings deliverance and peace to the oppressed?
The problem of evil is a difficult problem. I don’t like or request suffering. It causes me to wince at it, but also to have compassion on those who suffer. As a believer, I need to do what I can in my sphere of influence to do good and alleviate what suffering I can. I should also do my best to make sure I am not a part of the problem by seeking God and rooting out my own evil desires and actions. I am part of the problem. That is why I need God and a savior.
