Why Does God Allow Evil Things to Happen to Good People?

Sometimes a question comes across my desk and my immediate reaction is, “We need a three-month seminary course to answer this question.” Today’s question by a dear friend falls into such a category. “Why is there evil in the world?” Realize the answer on this page is literally a “Reader’s Digest” version, but each paragraph is written with tenderness and compassion, not hurried brevity.

In my entire experience as a Christian believer, there is no question more difficult to answer than “If God exists, why is there so much evil in the world?” There is also no question that is asked more often.

My friend’s wording of the question has probably been on all our lips or minds at one time or another. “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?” The question gets to the heart of the pondering and anxiety in our souls, but it really serves as an umbrella question for three other questions. We will try to look at all three questions today.

Why is there evil in the world?

Many people in the world observe the vast amount of evil and conclude God cannot exist. Norman Geisler, noted Christian counselor and apologist, in his book, If God, Why Evil? answers the observation with a question. “Upon what moral standard do you make the observation that the world is evil?” Either there is a moral standard which comes from God or I determine my own moral standard which, in essence, makes me God. The presence of evil does not negate the presence of God.

There are three possible answers to the problem of evil in the world. Religious philosophies present each of the possibilities.

• Pantheism affirms the existence of God and denies the reality of evil.
• Atheism affirms the reality of evil and denies the existence of God.
• Theism affirms both God and evil.

While theism presents the logical answer for evil, it still presents a real problem for the Christian understanding of God. We understand God to be all-knowing and all-powerful and completely good. Are good and evil opposites? How did evil come into the picture?

[su_pullquote align=”right”]Here are a couple of links to other articles which may help you wrestle with this important issue.

• Are natural disasters a form of punishment?
• Where is God when it hurts?
• Does God’s response require patience?[/su_pullquote]

Perhaps my understanding of God is incorrect. Maybe God isn’t absolutely all-powerful. There may be some flaws in His character. Evil crept in, despite God’s best intentions. Some even speculate that the problem is in God’s creative powers – He was not able to create perfect creatures. Before we abandon our understanding of God, let’s consider several important truths.

The answer is incredibly deep in theology and philosophy, yet overwhelmingly simplistic. From an orthodox biblical viewpoint, God is absolutely perfect and His creation was also perfect. How can a part of God’s perfect creation do evil? The answer is free will – the ability to choose.

There is nothing evil about free will. It is a good thing; it is good to be free. If it is good to be free, if we have freedom, then evil is possible. Freedom means the power to choose. If one is free to choose to do good, he must also be free to choose to do evil.

According to the Bible, Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12; 1 Timothy 3:6), a created archangel, was the first to sin. A third of all the angels chose to follow his lead (Revelation 12:4). After that, Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil (Genesis 3) and chose to disobey God (Romans 5:12).

The sin for Lucifer – for Adam and Eve and for us – is that we want to be the one in control. We want to be the one who makes the decisions and receives the praise. We wish to act as if we are God. It dominates our thinking. “I can fix that.” “I won’t get sick.” It is no coincidence that God’s first commandments exalt His priority (“I am the Lord your God” and identify the sin of idolatry (“You will have no other gods before Me”).

Theologians argue about the effect of Adam’s sin on the rest of humanity. They also argue about the ability for a human to choose in a world where an all-knowing God already understands what the choice will be. But the biblical perspective remains steadfast. The ability to choose to sin resides in each of us. We live in a world where temptations to sin, and the peer pressure to sin envelope us. All of us, at one or more points in life, choose to sin.

Isn’t God big enough to stop evil?

The problem with evil haunts and torments us. Why doesn’t God just end evil? Isn’t He big enough to do that? Even the writers of the Bible struggled and complained about pain and evil.

Evils have encompassed me without number (Psalm 40:12)

Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed (Jeremiah 15:18)

“How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood” (Revelation 6:10)

There is no question that God could do so. He could begin the process by sending His Son to return to the earth. But He delays the return, not wishing for anyone to perish. He does not eliminate evil now, allowing for the possibility of our choices. Jesus also explained His Father’s patience and tolerance of evil in a parable.

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn” (Matthew 13:24-30).

Shouldn’t there be an exemption or reward for the faithful?

For centuries, humans have tried to contemplate and explain God’s actions. God’s response to evil – to wait until the end to separate the wheat from the weeds – puzzles many. We must be content with the explanation “There are just some things about God the Creator that man the creation will not be able to understand.”

Shouldn’t there be an exemption or reward for the faithful? It doesn’t seem fair that we have to endure suffering also. There is a reward, though it is not to expect the immediate removal of pain. We have the hope that one day every tear will be wiped away (Revelation 21:4). In addition, we have the reward of having an explanation for evil. Also, we have hope in the midst of suffering right now.

Here are some observations about the presence of evil in the world for the believer.

First, God promises that He will actively be involved in working even bad situations together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). While He does not eliminate evil, He brings the best from evil circumstances. Joseph said, “What you meant for evil against me, God meant for good” (Genesis 50:20).

Second, God may be trying to get your attention through pain. The Psalmist writes, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray. But now I obey your word” (Psalm 119:67). Pain in our physical bodies is the announcement that something is wrong. Pain in our spirit may indicate the same thing. Is God wanting you to listen?

Finally, suffering reminds us of the sacrifice of Jesus. When evil befalls us, there is a sense that we are “getting what we deserve.” We live in a world of sin and we participate in that sin. But the Son of God came to earth and lived a perfect life. There was not an ounce of sin within Him. Yet His enemies rebelled against Him in a forceful manner. The religious leaders abandoned Him. His closest followers denied and betrayed Him. Every time that we endure evil or pain, we should be reminded that it is in the suffering of Jesus that we share eternal hope.