Take a look at the world today, is it filled with happiness, joy, and righteousness at every turn? Of course not. It’s no secret that this world is filled with pain, suffering, and death. Evil is like a disease, and it has infected every corner of the Earth. These truths lead us to ask some very important questions:
- Is God causing suffering, evil, and pain?
- If God is so loving, why doesn't He put a stop to all this suffering?
- Is God in control, or is He powerless?
- Is there hope for humanity?
These are all good and logical questions to ask, and we hope that this brief article will provide comforting and satisfying answers to each of them.
God’s Role in our Present Situation
Some of us have experienced tragedy. More of us have experienced loss. ALL of us have experienced pain. In Romans 8:22, Paul writes, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” Violence, sickness, and death are with us in this world every day. It appears to be an unfortunate reality of our existence, then, that we are seemingly destined for death and pain. Some say that if there is a God, then He must be purposefully harming His own creation and causing these things to happen. To this we say, “absolutely not!”
The scriptures teach us that “God is love” and that God is “not wishing that any should perish” (1 John 4:8, 2 Peter 3:9). So, not only is God very loving, but He does not want any of us to suffer and die. Psalm 5:4 reads, “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You.” God detests evil and He would never share it, distribute it, or create it. How, then, can we justify the evil that fills the Earth? We come to this understanding: God does not cause evil to happen, but He permits or allows it to occur.
You may ask, “What? He allows evil to occur? Is that not just the same as causing evil?” Certainly not. When Satan tempted mankind in the Garden, and Adam sinned, evil entered humanity and it has been with us ever since. Sin is the root of all pain, suffering, and death.
Although God allowed evil to enter the world, it was Satan’s doing entirely, and the only way it could possibly be undone would eventually be through an atoning sacrifice for Adam’s original sin… The man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5-6, 1 Corinthians 15:22, 1 John 2:1-2).
God was grieved in sending His Son to suffer and die. Similarly, God’s heart does not turn away from the suffering of His creation; instead, Scripture shows us that our pain grieves God deeply (Genesis 6:6). His ultimate goal has always been to rescue and save, not to torture and destroy. God hates letting evil spread throughout His creation, He loves us.
In Isaiah 46:9-10, God says, “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” The Scriptures make it plain, God is all-powerful, and He is in complete control.
Based on what we know from Scripture, He is clearly powerful enough to end evil. Here lies an important question: If He loves us so much and hates to see us in pain, why doesn’t He put a stop to our suffering? The Scriptures tell us.
Why Does God Permit Evil?
In Ecclesiastes 1:13, our experience here on Earth is summarized as “this sore travail hath God given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.” This verse tells us that this present experience under the dominion of sin is for mankind’s exercise, teaching, and betterment. God is like a parent who allows His child to make a mistake so that the child can ultimately learn the lesson (more on this concept later).
It is no sign of weakness that God permits evil. Rather, it is a sign of amazing strength. He loves us so greatly and has the power to stop our suffering, and yet, He allows it to continue. Not because evil is good, but because the permission of it accomplishes good in the long-term. This requires extraordinary patience and love from God, to endure watching His creation suffer, knowing that this pain will lead to eternal good for those He loves.
Psalm 119:71 reads, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” Without affliction and tribulation now, mankind will never fully learn God’s ways. So why has God chosen this way to teach us? Why not simply create us as beings who inherently know His statutes? There is very good reason.
You may recall the popular phrase “experience is the best teacher.” But is that really the case when it comes to teaching mankind? Let’s find out.
In general, there are four ways to come about knowing or understanding something:
- Intuition
- Observation
- Information/Instruction
- Experience
Now imagine you were in God’s position, and you wanted to create a race of beings that voluntarily followed your ways. How would you do it? Which teaching style would you choose?
First, there’s intuition, this is the instinctive or “default” knowledge someone has about something. Unfortunately, mankind’s intuition often leads us astray: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). This will not work.
What about observation? This is the process of noting the experience of others and observing the consequences. This is a better method of gaining knowledge, but it is certainly not the best. If one child sees another child burn their hand on a stove, this could serve as a good reminder to the observant child, but the flame of curiosity will still be in their mind.
Information or instruction must be the best way to gain knowledge, yes? After all, that is how we go about learning most things in school, work, and in life! It is also the mode of teaching that God used in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:17). But did it work? No. Simply put, instruction was not strong enough to prevent sin.
Finally, we arrive at the final and most powerful teacher: Experience. Touching that hot stove yourself is painful, yes. But think of the strong impression it leaves! The lessons that are left behind are impactful and they stay with us. It is the same with God’s permission of evil. Our experience is painful, bitter, horrible even, but it serves as a profound and lasting reminder of the dreadful consequences of sin. Ultimately, this is the only way God can adequately teach His creation the dangers of sin.
If all of this is a little hard to hear, that’s very understandable. Although this topic might be somewhat easy to grasp intellectually, it is hard to grasp emotionally. Let’s try looking at an additional picture to help us better understand the permission of evil. Think of the day and night cycle. Sunshine is always valued and recognized more after a long night. If we had no nighttime, we wouldn’t see the day for its beauty, and we would take it for granted. What a blessing it is, then, to have the night (sin), not because it is good, but because it teaches us about the goodness of the day (righteousness).
But if God is teaching us about the effects that sin has on us, why isn’t everyone learning now?
The experiences we have NOW will serve as the best teacher, and reminder, LATER. Our experience of sin will serve a vital purpose in the future, when all of mankind is resurrected on Earth. God’s laws will be made known to all, and everyone will have an equal opportunity to choose righteousness. With the knowledge of sin that we gain through our present experiences, the choice to follow righteousness in the future will be clear for many. We know that without this experience now, we would still have curiosity about sin in God’s Kingdom, and we might eventually fall into it, just as Adam did. In that scenario, there would be nothing to save us from falling into sin and death. Thankfully, God has constructed the most optimistic plan conceivable, and you’re in it!
The Bottom Line -- Hope for All
Adam had free will, and so do we. Without this gift of free will, we would essentially be like robots, incapable of making meaningful choices. God, in His wisdom, has allowed us to experience this world with its pain and suffering, not to punish us, but to give us the opportunity to learn what the effects of sin are. Violence, selfishness, hate, pain, and death. What human, having been made perfect again, would ever choose this, over the guarantee of peace and love? God has given us the ability to make informed decisions in the future when choosing between evil and righteousness. Our memories of evil will help us to stay righteous because we will know what evil does to the world.
We know from Scripture that evil will not last forever, it will be done away with in God’s Kingdom. Revelation 21:4 reads, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
In the future, God will raise up all from their graves (Acts 24:15, John 5:28-29). This is made possible through Jesus Christ paying the ransom price for Adam, who was a perfect man but knowingly sinned and fell to death. Jesus lived and died as a perfect man, fully obedient to God, effectively buying back the entire human race. Hosea 13:14 reads, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death…” No truth is more comforting or awe-inspiring than this: God loves us so much, He sent His beloved Son to suffer and die for the propitiation (or atonement) of EVERYONE’s sins, and so that EVERYONE will have the opportunity to live forever (John 3:16, 1 John 2:1-2, 1 Timothy 2:5-6, 1 Corinthians 15:22).
We leave you with this comforting reminder from Scripture: “When your judgements come upon the Earth, the people of the world learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9). The permission of evil serves a crucial purpose in God’s plan for mankind, and it is done out of love. He gives us the opportunity to have a firsthand experience with sin, evil, and its consequences, so that we might willingly choose righteousness in the future, and for all eternity. Even amidst our view of suffering and pain, we can take comfort in this truth: God’s plan is constantly in motion, and it will one day bring about a world where righteousness, joy, love, and peace will last forever.
“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
- A Follower of Christ