Skeptics and scoffers love to stump Christians with this question: if God is good, why does evil exist?
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Philosophers have framed the problem like this:
- If God is able to prevent evil, but not willing to do so, he is evil himself.
- If God is willing to prevent evil, but not able, he is impotent.
At first blush this paradox seems impossible to answer. But take a second look at the Bible and you’ll not just make sense of this difficult question… you’ll find an answer that can change your eternity.
We’re going to find today’s answer in 2 Peter chapter 3, and we’ll get to that by the end of the lesson (I promise). But let’s frame this whole question with this verse:
2 Peter 3:3 (NLT) Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.
- A “scoffer” asks the question without really wanting to know the answer. They’ve already made up their mind, and they simply want to disprove.
- A genuine seeker is different. They ask the question in good faith, and have a heart that’s willing to submit to God. I hope this is the attitude you have as you approach the question.
So let’s start with the first part of the question: God is good - this much we know for sure! From The Pursuit, Lesson 1:
- Jesus shows us the truth: God is for you, not against you. Through his life and teachings, Jesus shocked the religious world with his attitude toward the lost and irreligious. He invited lowly fishermen and despised tax-collectors – not religious experts – to be in his inner circle. And then he went around rubbing shoulders with drunkards, healing the demon-possessed, and touching the untouchables. Jesus didn’t avoid the broken and the lost, he sought them out. Here’s a perfect example:
- Matthew 8:2-3 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
- The leper knew that Jesus had the ability to heal – he just didn’t know if he had the willingness to do it. For most people, it’s easier to believe that God is powerful than to believe that he is good. But here’s the truth: he is both!
- And consider how Jesus healed the leper: he touched him. That was unthinkable in Jesus’ day.
Now to the second part of the question: why does evil exist? This will take some explaining. But consider this: God does eradicate some evil.
- Genesis 6:5-8 (NLT) The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke
