1-800-HEAVEN WHY DOES GOD ALLOW EVIL

When this question is asked of me, I automatically ask whether this person is a believer and follower of Christ or is seeking an answer because they genuinely want to know the truth. When answering it for people with completely different life experiences, caution is paramount. The believer's question stems from a lack of teaching; the other stems from concern and confusion that arise from what they see in this evil world. Whichever camp you're in, I will answer the question from the Word of God, the Bible. Each life position will be addressed from your point of view. For the saved individual, the Word is a lamp to your feet, so that you will have the proper foundation for your future understanding. For the person who is seeking the truth, Jesus is the Truth. He is the Word of God, and to fully understand, you must first understand that the Word can only be spiritually understood. To make this clear, when one is not saved by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus, one's spirit is in darkness, separated from God. When one receives Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit joins their spirit, and fellowship with God begins, and the Holy Spirit becomes our teacher. Then spiritually understood things are made clear. With that said, I will start with those who see evil and blame God for it in this wicked world. The saved individual will understand as well.

When God created the earth, all things were perfect and in order, and evil was not present. Before the creation of the earth, God created angelic beings. There are three distinct groups, and each had its own work. Each group had its own leader, and one of those groups was headed by an angelic being, Lucifer.

Isaiah 12-14

“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

That was Satan being cast out of heaven after he thought he would rebel against his creator. Rebellion is sin. His rebellion created all evil. He made himself an enemy of the Most High and was judged. He is eternally separated from God, his creator. The earth became his place, and his influence was over it. The heavens were no longer the place where he would dwell. This judgment is for eternity. Adam and Eve were created and set in the Garden of Eden. Satan saw that God's creation was dear to Him, and he set out to destroy that relationship with a simple lie. That made him the father of all lies. Man was made perfect, without sin. He was given every tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That is what Satan encouraged the woman to take. She fell for the lie because Satan told her that once she ate of this tree, she would become like God. The deception was that she would become like God, but Adam and Eve were made in the image and likeness of the Creator Himself. Satan, in his evil presentation, convinced her that she was not already like God but could be. Since in Adam all the seeds of humanity is present, so when he fell, so did every human after him. This was an extension of the evil that is in Satan. Humanity needed to be redeemed, and centuries later that redemption came through Jesus' death on the cross. He could fulfill that because there was no sin found in Him.  Death could not hold him in the grave. He rose on the third day triumphant over sin, death, and evil.

God does not allow evil. Evil exists because Satan exists, and this world is his. His influence over humanity began in the Garden. God brought an end to that influence in humanity, but humanity has free will to choose to do good or to continue doing evil. That is humanity’s choice, and God will never infringe on humanity’s free will. Man must make his own decision to follow Jesus in redemption or continue in rebellion. There are consequences to our decisions, and the decision to continue in rebellion has only one outcome. The result of rebellion when Adam and Eve took of the tree against God’s commandment was that they were removed from the Garden of Eden. The same is true for humanity today. If one rejects Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and dies, that person enters judgment and is eternally separated from the Creator and from heaven. They join their father, Satan, in the lake of fire at the final judgment. For those who received Christ as Savior, their eternity is with God in heaven. 

The question has now been answered for both the seeker who has not received Christ and the one who has joined with Christ. The fact remains that evil exists because Satan is still present and influences everything in this world. Now it’s a matter of how one finds oneself being attacked by those entities in the spiritual realm and what they want to do about it. You can continue on your way and struggle with sin, or you can seek the only one that can guide you to safety. Jesus is always there to hear your cry for help, whether you are a Christian or one who is seeking. Evil can be overcome just by turning towards Christ. I encourage you to seek God for guidance and receive his offer of forgiveness. Confess that you are a sinner and that you want to surrender your life to the one who gave you that life. Die to yourself and allow God to fill you with Himself for eternal life in him.

If you desire more down-to-earth teaching, visit 1-800-heaven.com. If you found this teaching helpful, let me know in the comments. Have a blessed day. AMEN