Track I. - Consider Jesus. If God Exists, then why did he create evil?

Transcription

1 Track I. - Consider Jesus Session E. God and Evil If God Exists, then why did he create evil? One of the biggest obstacles for people accepting that God exists is because of evil. Why? It is hard to reconcile evil and a God that is loving. The reasoning is, If God created everything, then that means he created evil, and why would I want to believe in or have anything to do with a God like that. If God exists and is loving and all powerful, then why: Does evil exist? Why didn t He eliminate it? 1. Possible answers: God is a weak god not really as powerful as people say He is. He is a weak god because if He were more powerful He would eliminate evil. 2. God is not really loving or at least as loving as people think He is. We know what love is and it is not sickness, death, innocents, etctwo World views: 1

2 What is Evil? Natural Evil: Natural disasters may be called evil because of all the harm and suffering they cause. (Earthquakes, hurricanes tsunamis). Moral Evil: Human beings committing evil against one another, animals. Lie, cheat, steal, maim, kill. The Answer to Evil Two Worldviews A. Naturalism: Reject God and believe everything is just the result of natural processes. Naturalism provides no answer because if everything is a natural process then there is no evil. IF everything is the result of natural processes then there is no such thing as evil because there really is no right or wrong. If there is no God, then we only have relativism so that no act, regardless how dreadful or heinous, can be condemned by the atheist. (Relativism: the belief that truth and morals are not absolute. They are decided by culture, by man and society). o Evil is a moral construct. o There is no good or wrong o Man decides what is moral or immoral. 2

3 We all know innately that evil is wrong. Something inside us wants good to conquer evil. We know that life is better than death. Health better than sickness Wrong to harm the defenseless Unless there is a moral standard, we have no basis for calling anything good or evil. B. Spiritual Worldview Our knowledge of the existence of evil (our knowing it) actually argues for the existence of God, because it demonstrates that there is an underlying standard or right and wrong, good and evil. The presence of evil does not argue against God or the Christian perspective. It actually proves the there is something very wrong with the human condition now. Why does evil exist? A. All of Creation is in a state of decay Rom 8: For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its 3

4 bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. B. God s enemy God has an enemy and there is a spiritual war going on. A battle between good and evil. John 10: I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. C. Who is in control of the world? God? 1John 5: We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. C. Love requires a choice. Which is exactly what we have in the story of Paradise. Love requires that there be genuine choice. Freedom to choose not robots. God gave man a choice-to obey or not. Choice allows for disobedience 4

5 Gen 2: The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." Through mans disobedience evil enters. Earth: Thorns thistles, and death. God will restore all things God and Evil : Conclusion Naturalism offers no solution Spiritual perspective answers 5