Dr. Charles Stanley offers a biblical answer to this question. Suffering and death are a side effect of evil ( Romans 5:12 ). God could have made people in such a way that they would be robots who would react when God made them do so. Evil is an imperfection, lack or void in God's creation. J.L. Couldn’t God have created a world without evil? Probably one of the greatest challenges faced by Christianity and Christians is the reality of evil and suffering. We all wrestle with the difficult age-old questions, Why do the wicked prosper? Why Did God Allow Evil? Why? Christian Truth. Atheists reason, "Surely, an all-knowing God of love would not allow evil to exist in His world." Or “If an all loving God does exist, why would he allow people to be poor, children to be born with birth defects, war, violence, hunger, etc?” As a Christian, I’ve personally been challenged by these types of questions in my Christian life. God knew that Job had fear and reverence for Him and stayed away from evil, so why did God allow Satan to tempt Job and subject him to such great suffering? Why does God let bad things happen? At times even great thinkers are baffled by the seeming contradiction between the existence of a loving God and the fact of evil. After all who are you to question God. The Problem of Evil A series of special focus articles, at Leadership U. Why doesn’t He do something about it? The existence of moral evil shows that although God did create man with the ability to distinguish and choose between good and evil, some still choose to perpetuate evil. Why Did God Allow Evil? God chose to create a world in which evil is possible only in the sense that he chose to create a world in which love is possible. Only people who choose to be ruled by God will inhabit the earth.​—Isaiah 11:9; Read Daniel 2:44. News: Commentary. The curious, as well as the critics of Christianity, ask this question. Inasmuch as God did not wish Adam and Eve to be tempted above their ability to withstand (1 Cor. This choice made the possibility of evil become very real. Evil is not destroyed. God did not have to create evil, but rather only allow for the absence of good. God allowed Adam to eat of the forbidden tree, but He did not approve of the action. The Bible does not explicitly explain why God allows evil rulers to come to power, but it does offer many principles that explain both the efforts and the limitations of rulers such as the Hitlers and Husseins of this world. Will we associate with people who love God? Human rulers have failed to eliminate war, crime, injustice, or disease.​—Read Jeremiah 10:23; Romans 9:17. A common question posed towards Christians is, “If There is an all-loving, all-knowing God, why does he allow evil and suffering to exist?” Read more to learn how we can reconcile the hardships and sufferings in life with the goodness of God. Why does God allow such (quote) “evil men and women” (see verses above) to assume positions of power / exercise, take control? In any case, even Reformed theology often says that God “allows” evil in order to indicate that the way in which the Lord stands behind evil is different than the way that He stands behind good. And this is not something that leaves God unmoved. Share You begin to wonder, Why follow God when all I get is trials? Is it possible to force people to love? Therefore, there cannot possibly be such a good and powerful God. Adam joined Eve in disobeying God. If there is a God of justice in heaven, why d… Why does God allow people like him to die while evil people still live on the earth? Evil is everywhere. First, evil is not an illusion—it’s all too real. 1. But He also restrains it. Back to A-Z Index About These Resources. In this, God has not stepped away from fallen creation but has stepped into it by becoming Jesus. But why do they assume there are things such as “good” or “evil” when they believe the world and everything in it is the result of a mechanistic accident and humans are simply accidents, without a Creator or a transcendent end? My students found Augustine intellectually clear but emotionally unsatisfying. We begin reading in 1 Samuel chapter 8: “[1] And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. They tear their clothing, offer up lamentations to God… We indicate our choice by the way we live.​—Read Job 1:8-12; Proverbs 27:11. [Related: Your Role in Politics | God and Politics] Video Highlights: When it comes to human government, the Bible portrays God as actively involved in order to accomplish his purposes. The only way God could die was if death existed. But why did he permit evil and not prevent it? Typically the argument runs as: "Since our world is full of evil and a good, all-powerful God would never allow for evil, God therefore cannot exist." However, Adam and Eve used their free will to disobey God’s command. Evil is a corruption of God’s creation brought about by man’s decision to follow their own desires rather than obey God. Evil isn’t evidence against God; it’s evidence for a premise in an argument for God. To show that no effort to rule without him benefits people. What I will do … … The wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him” (Ezekiel 18:20). Satan was originally a perfect angel, but “he did not stand fast in the truth.” (John 8:44) He developed a desire for worship that rightly belongs only to God. These are fundamental questions people wrestle with. by John Sebastian. How could a good God allow so much evil? Why did God allow evil in the world? surely must rank as one of those most frequently asked by people all over our tear-drenched planet.To address this critical and very valid question here follows an excerpt from my article 'Thirteen … … “They want to know why a good God would allow this to happen,” said one of them. PRIVACY POLICY, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/m/1102012190/univ/art/1102012190_univ_sqr_xl.jpg, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/a/fg/E/wpub/fg_E_lg.jpg. ADDITIONAL REFERENCE SOURCES. God’s love for mankind guarantees that evil and suffering will end.  |  Those who demonstrate that they believe this will enjoy life on earth forever.​—Read John 3:16. In this tragic story we see an incredible insight as to why God allows evil to exist. 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