The Purpose of Evil

“If God is so good, why is there evil in this world? Why would a good God allow it?”

This is a valid question and needs to be answered. There is a purpose for evil, and there is a reason for why God created it and allows it. I always used to think that only good came from God and bad things came from the devil. However, in the book of Isaiah, God takes credit for all of it.

Isa 45:7 - “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil (Hebrew word ra): I the Lord do all these things” (KJV, bold mine).

 

This isn’t the only time that God takes credit for making evil.

 

In Amos 3:6, it reads,

 

“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?” (KJV, bold mine).

Why? Why would a Good God do such a thing?? Contrast. It’s all about contrast. If we led easy, sinless lives, we would not appreciate the coming ages without first having experienced evil. We would go into Heaven, and then shrug our shoulders. Seriously. We would enter Heaven’s gates and tell God, “Eh. Ok. What’s the big deal about this?” 

It would also be impossible for God to show His infinite Grace and abundant Mercy without there being evil and sin. You can’t know what happiness and relief is until you’ve experienced sadness, grief and pain.

Job knew it. Job is in the OT, sure, but did you know that, in terms of when it was written, it’s actually older than the Book of Genesis?? I think there’s a lesson in that in and of itself. When his children tragically died, and his businesses fell apart, he cried out to God, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21, NASB). When his body became infested from head to toe with painful sores, his wife wasn’t there for him. She told him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” But, Job knew better. He responded, "You speak as one of the foolish (or pagan) women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:9-10).

Job knew that God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Mt 5:45, NASB). Atheists don’t understand this concept, since they don’t believe in any god. Sadly, a lot of Christians don’t, either. But, God is GOD! He is God not only of the “good” things that happen, but also of the “evil” things that happen. I myself didn’t understand this until years after the Lord called me. But, we all learn day by day, don’t we? In this way (and I know I’m going to get so much hate for saying this) “evil” is actually morally neutral.

Before you pick up stones, hear me out. “Evil” in all of it’s vile forms, works a purpose which will be revealed to us in the coming eons. For now, God alone knows the full scope and measure of His plan for the ages. He has had this planned out before time began, after all. We need to trust that He is good and He does good with evil. As Joseph said to his brothers that had sold him into slavery, “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Gen 50:20, NASB, italics and underline mine).

There is a purpose for why there is evil in this present age – and there’s a lot of it! I don’t need to tell you, just look at all of the corruption going on. If you think that I’m happy that God creates evil, don’t! I hate it! It makes me sick and disgusted, and makes me yearn and cry out to God for it to stop! But, it won’t. Not yet, anyway. He still needs evil to accomplish His goals. Keep your chin up! It will end when it will end. And then, it will be done away with for good! When I lamented about how I hate the God created evil, one of the responses I got from someone on Facebook was, “I know you meant you love the fact that God created evil. The entire angelic realm did not know God was Good until He created (evil-mankind).” While I can see his viewpoint, it still grieves me that it had to happen this way. But, make no mistake, it had to happen in exactly this way.

And He’s doing it for our good! I’m sure that it grieves Him too to see his children suffer, but, like any good dad, He “reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights” (Prov 3:12, NASB). And again, “He who withholds his rod (of correction) hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently” (Pro 13:24, NASB). And again, “For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child” (Heb 12:6, NLT). I will quote Job again, when he said, “But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. “My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside” (Job 23:10-11, underline mine).

Rom 8:18 – “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (NASB).

 

Looks like our big brother Paul knew this concept, too. Keep your head up and keep fighting!