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This is not my work, but that of Bob Klynsmith who writes for a magazine called Face to Face which you can download on www.gci.org.za. A good read and worthy of unpacking. I have been asked on two occasions recently if God created evil. Whilst he has created us with the propensity to choose whether to commit evil or not, from my perspective, it was definitely not part of God’s plan. Think about it; in Genesis chapters one and two God created everything and saw that it was … good. Then something happens in Genesis chapter three … we (man) sins! The result? There is disease, suffering, pestilence, famine, hardship, and … evil. In fact Paul, in Romans 5:12 confirms this saying; “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned…”
Eugene Peterson in his translation, The Message, helps us understand it even more clearly and states that; (Romans 5:12-14); “You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we're in— first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses. So death, this huge abyss separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses. Even those who didn't sin precisely as Adam did by disobeying a specific command of God still had to experience this termination of life, this separation from God. But Adam, who got us into this, also points ahead to the One who will get us out of it.”
So where does this leave us and our understanding? That, if God is all-knowing, surely he must have known that man would sin and that evil would be the resultant effect? So let me hand you over to Bob and let’s assess his viewpoint, and then engage with these questions later. Enjoy!
The presence of evil is everywhere. Its pervasive influence often strikes without warning – from the horrendous Holocaust of World War II and the Rwandan genocide of the 90s to a relentless onslaught of modern day crimes such as hijackings, rape, murder, drugs, pornography, family abuse, greed and corruption. The list goes on and on. Daily newspapers thrive on the sensationalism of evil, a fearful reflection of a civilization that appears to have gone horribly wrong, despite all of its sophisticated technology.
Where did evil come from?
What about the catastrophic natural disasters that we have all witnessed over the past few years; volcanoes’, earthquakes, tsunamis’, floods, droughts and hurricanes that have left a trail of destruction and heartbreaking loss of lives, ironically described in legal terms as Acts of God. If God created this world and brought humankind into existence, why does he permit evil? Even more perplexing is the question, “Why would a loving God allow my dad, mom, daughter, son or dear friend to die at the unscrupulous hands of a criminal or become a victim of cataclysmic events?” “Where was God when the earthquake struck in Haiti?”
H G Wells is quoted as saying “God seems to be an ever absent help in time of trouble.” What a sad indictment on our beloved Creator! Perhaps we need to address these somewhat enigmatic issues by asking the question, “where did all this evil come from in the first place?” Is God the author of evil? While we may never have all the answers, let’s briefly explore a few passages of scripture and in so doing endeavour to gain some insight into this disturbing reality that surrounds us.
Why doesn’t God prevent evil?
The Bible tells us “God saw all that He had made and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31). Yes, God’s original creation was good! Furthermore, the very nature of God is wrapped up in love. We read in the first book of John chapter 4:8 – “God is love”. He loves us even when we are unlovable and fight back. His amazing grace has already forgiven all our sins, past, present and future. Still, why doesn’t God intervene and prevent evil before it unleashes a terrifying path of pain and suffering in our lives? Perhaps, God is busy with something far greater than meets the eye. The apostle Paul had something to say about creation and evil.
In certain respects, God took a risk with humankind; “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way, death came to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12)…”
Paul is referring to what has become known as “the fall of man,” which in turn, has had a far reaching impact on all of creation, “for the creation has been subjected to frustration not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time (Romans 18-22).” After Adam sinned, God cursed the ground (Genesis 3:17). This implies a creation that was very different prior to the time when sin entered the world.
So, Adam’s earth shattering choice, ushered evil into the world of humanity and its powerful influence has affected humankind ever since. The creation itself is suffering the consequences. It is important to be aware of the circumstances surrounding Adam’s choice. Adam and Eve allowed themselves to be swayed by the serpent, being Satan, a powerful angelic being, who with a host of angels rebelled against God and in so doing brought evil into the cosmos. Here we find that Satan turned on God through pride, thus becoming the author of evil.
Heading for a sure destination:
God has promised in his Word that He will, in His own time, deal with evil, and death will be swallowed up in victory, but in the meantime, we are on an earthly pilgrimage. The earth, like a ship in a storm, is heading for a sure destination. Christ will return to restore all things and establish His Kingdom as sure as the rising sun. However, in the meantime many on board will follow in Adam’s footsteps and choose a life contrary to what God offers.
So why did God create humans with the capacity to choose between good and evil? After all, He could have programmed love into our hearts. Ironically, this would do away with the concept of free will, probably affecting the nature of our character and unique persona as individual human beings. In essence, at the heart of choice lies our understanding of free moral agency, for without it, we cannot develop Godly character. The triune God, being Father, Son and Holy Spirit does not want a long term eternal relationship with pre-programmed robotic beings, but with a living person who chooses to love Him and other fellow human beings – who chooses to live the opposite way to evil. He wants us to respond to the grace of Jesus because we want to and not simply out of command or duty.
The consequences of evil have brought untold suffering to humankind. Israel too, had to choose between life and death. They were given the commandments and other laws added later, but allowed themselves to be allured onto the slippery slope of sin and its miserable consequences. Yes, we live in a fallen, temporary sinful world. However, God gives us the assurance in his Word that He does intervene in our lives, especially at certain defining moments, and is an ever present help during times of suffering and pain. He will never leave or forsake us. Yet, if He were to intervene immediately at every turn, and literally at each moment we are about to sin, where would be our capacity to choose between good and evil?
This is the beauty of the grace of Jesus Christ, who through his incarnation suffered the evil onslaught of his perpetrators and opened the door of forgiveness, reconciliation and a new life in Christ. In certain respects, God took a risk with humankind, knowing that free moral agency in itself, allows for the capacity to choose between good and evil. This created the potential and reality of bringing evil into the world, as a result of wrong choices. However, the essence of Christ’s message lies in our transformation, an inner work of the Holy Spirit, which will enable us to rise above evil and love as God loves with authenticity, even our enemies.
Eternal perspective:
As God allows rain to fall on the just and the unjust, he allows us to suffer pain along with the world. In this we learn the dire consequences of sin and that a life apart from God is meaningless. Thus, when the storm rages on the high seas and the “earth ship” navigates towards its destination, both the just and the unjust suffer hardship. Romans 8:19 tells us that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Here God helps us to view the anguish we may be currently experiencing with an eternal perspective, looking to our glorious future destiny in His Kingdom.
We have a responsibility, looking to Jesus and the Holy Spirit for guidance, to exercise God’s gift of free will with wisdom, strength and understanding, especially when trials and tough choices confront us. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul said, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love.” We have a responsibility… to exercise God’s gift of free will with wisdom, strength and understanding
Is your way of life bringing you closer to God or taking you further away from Him? Are your choices having a positive or negative impact on those around you? Are these not some of the real questions we should be asking? Indeed, God has made the transforming presence of the Holy Spirit available to us, providing the insight and wisdom to make right choices that will enable us to grow and mature in Christ-like character.”
Thanks Bob! So where does this understanding leave you? Again, for me, it is my firm belief that God did not create evil, but, as weird as it sounds, he does allow evil. Think about it; If God had not allowed for the possibility of evil, both mankind and angels would be serving God out of obligation, not choice. He did not want “robots” that simply did what he wanted them to do because of their “programming.” God allowed for the possibility of evil so that we could genuinely have a free will and choose whether or not we wanted to serve him.
Excerpts from ‘Evil and the Justice of God’ – N.T. Wright:
Finally, and perhaps one of the greatest books I have ever read on this subject is N.T. Wright’s “Evil and the Justice of God” and I strongly suggest that you read it. Herewith poignant excerpts from the book;
“We are not told how and why there is radical evil within God’s essentially good creation.
One day I think we shall find out, but I believe we are incapable of understanding it at the moment. What we are promised, however, is that God will make a world in which all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well, a world in which forgiveness is one of the foundation stones and reconciliation is the cement which holds everything together.”
“The biblical story is about the messy way in which God has had to work to bring the world out of the mess—ever since the garden, ever since God’s grief over Noah, ever since Babel and Abraham. Somehow, in a way we are inclined to find offensive, God has to get his boots muddy and, it seems, to get his hands bloody, to put the world back to rights.”
“The personified force of evil, “the satan,” is important but not that important. It is wrong to think of the satan as “personal” in the same way that God or Jesus is “personal,” which is not to say that it is a vague or nebulous force. I use the term “subpersonal” as a way of refusing to accord the satan the full dignity of personhood while recognizing that the concentration of activity can and does strike us very much like that which we associate with personhood.”
“We are called not just to understand the problem of evil and the justice of God, but also to be part of the solution to it. We are called to live between the cross and resurrection on the one hand and the new world on the other. We are called to bring the two together in prayer, holiness and action within the present world.”
“The church is never more in danger than when it sees itself as the solution-bearer and forgets that every day it must say, “Lord have mercy on me, a sinner”—even as it stands boldly before the world and its crazy empires. In particular it is a problem if and when a “Christian empire” seeks to impose its will dualistically on the world by labeling other parts of the world “evil” while seeing itself as the avenging army of God. That is more or less exactly what Jesus found in the Israel of his day.”
“We urgently need restorative justice, wherein the whole community is committed to naming evil for what it is and addressing and dealing with it by bringing together offender and victim, with their families and friends, to look hard and openly at what happened and agree on a way forward.” |
