God And Evil

How can there be a just God when evil exists?

Introduction

There are a hundred different ways you might be asked this question. They all boil down to the same predicament, it is very hard to believe that there is a just God in Heaven where there is so much evil on Earth. It might be phrased "Isn't God evil if HE allows evil"? Or perhaps "why do bad things happen to good people" (which really should be an entire subject of its own). You get the idea though and perhaps you have struggled to answer this satisfactorily yourself. We have all had to resolve this dilema at one time or another.

I would like to limit this resource at present to "moral evil" because the broader topic is too big for one conversation or resource in its entirety.

Section One - Common Grounds Approach

"Good! I'm glad that you and I are at least agreed that there is such a thing as real objective evil. What we are being taught by "atheistic evolution" now days is that moral evil is not evil, it is a force of nature and natural selection helping us to evolve into better beings. I take it that you are convinced of objective evil enough to be convinced of object morality as well. Am I right in assuming that"?

IF NO: "How can you then blame God for crossing over the objective lines of morality if you do not believe that such a line even exists"?

IF YES: "So the issue at hand is actually why does God allow moral evil to remain"?. (CONTINUE)

"Let's remove God temporarily from this equation and ask the question this way: 'why does man allow for moral evil to remain'? 'why do we not put an end to it'? If we were honest about it wouldn't it be better to blame mankind first before we ventured off and blamed God for all of this? Well the answer of course is that we have tried to to rid ourselves of moral evil, only to find out that it is a sticky mess, I can barely get the sludge of it off my own self let alone get it off of somebody and everybody else. Are you with me this far?".

IF NO: "Where do you and I differ"?
IF YES: "Just being brutally honest here"!

"So we add God back in to the equation. Essentially we are wanting God to stay out of this, keep trying to do what we are incapable of doing our own selves, and yet have HIM to blame as the fall guy instead of ourselves for it not working for the millionth time again. It's like saying 'forgive me God for being this way but it is your fault'. I suppose that God could simply snap HIS fingers to put an end to all the evil each of cause upon one another, but does that solve the root problem (if HE then unsnapped HIS fingers would the problem come right back) and would any of us be happy with HIM if the evil that we like to do was stopped"?

"What are your thoughts"?

Section Two - Bridge Over Troubled Waters Defense

"I disagree with the initial premise that the existence of moral evil is the proof that a just God does not exist. I consider it to be the exact opposite. The existence of moral evil is the proof that there is a just God. The image of God that was imprinted into each one of our moral consciences tells us that this is not just wrong, it is evil, and that the evil perpetrators need to be held accountable for perpetrating this. If it were not for that stamp of God's objective moral standard, distant and corrupted as that imprint has become, evil would not be called evil and morality would not be moral".

"Too often we confuse this life as the only life, what should be the perfect life, when the bible says clearly that it is not. This life is the prelude to an eternal life in God's magnificent Holy presence. Think of this as a sandbox or petri dish or smelting kettle. This life is in preparation of a much different life. It is a literal bridge over troubled waters. What happens here is a variety of processes that work together to make us capable of that. The question 'why does God allow for this at this time' is cousin to the question 'why isn't this the life, what other life do we need other than this'"?

"So the existence of moral evil here and now is both the proof of life eternal by necessity and a just and purposeful God distinctly.

Section Three - Scriptural Helps

Have these verses on memory speed dial:

kjv@Genesis:50:20 @ But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

kjv@Jeremiah:2:19 @ Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

kjv@Jeremiah:16:10-12 @ And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God? Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:

kjv@Jeremiah:26:13 @ Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.

kjv@Daniel:9:13 @ As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

kjv@Joel:2:13 @ And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

kjv@Galatians:1:4 @ Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

kjv@James:1:13 @ Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

kjv@3John:1:11 @ Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

Conclusions

Comment Board: GodAndEvil

Further Resources:
(SEE ALSO: Evil)

Child Threads: