If God Why Evil? Three Basic Responses to Evil 1. Pantheism: Affirms God and Denies Evil 2. Atheism: Affirms Evil and Denies God 3. Theism: Affirms both God and Evil How can both be true? Pantheism: Unrealistic Hinduism, it s all an illusion, evil isn t real, It wasn t just a dream Atheism: Ungrounded- How do you know there is evil if there isn t a God to measure? Theism: Unexplained Pantheism: Unrealistic Science and Health Mary Baker Eddy God is all Therefore; all that really exists is in and of God (339-240) Evils is but an illusion and has no real basis (480) Atheism: Ungrounded My argument was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust. A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too (MC, 45). C.S. Lewis Evil cries out for God! 1. To explain how we know it is evil. 2. To comfort us in our sorrow over evil. 2 Cor. 1 3. To give us victory over evil. (We still kill, and hate) The Problem for Believers in God God is All-Good and opposes evil. God is All-Knowing and foreknew evil. God is All-Powerful and can defeat evil. Why then does He permit it? I. The Origin of Evil The Problem: A. God is absolutely perfect. B. God cannot create anything imperfect. C. And a perfect creature cannot do evil. (Adam and Eve, angels) D. Therefore, evil cannot arise in such a world. E. But evil did arise in this world
F. Hence, either A or B is false or both. God is not perfect, and/or God did not create a perfect creature. The Response: A. God is absolutely perfect. B. God cannot create anything imperfect. C. And a perfect creature cannot do evil. a. This premise is false. b. Hence, the conclusion does not follow. A. How a perfect creature can do evil. 1. God created only good things. 2. One good thing God created was free will. 3. Free will makes evil possible, since a. It is the power to do otherwise b. But to do otherwise than good is evil 4. Hence, a perfect free creature can do evil. Note: God made evil possible (via free will = good) Whenever your parents hand you the keys to the car, your parents are making evil possible, but how do you grow. But free creatures made evil actual. You wouldn t blame Henry Ford for every accident. Problem 1: How can one will evil when there is no evil to will? Response: Evil arose when: God is a perfect Father who made a perfect home and perfect angels and 1/3 of them rebelled and never came back. 1. A good creature, with the good power of free will; willed the finite good of the creature; over the infinite good of the Creator. - The first murder didn t have anything to mimic. Satan created the first evil. When he put God less than himself. Note: No evil need exist in order to will evil; willing a lesser good can be an evil. II. The Persistence of Evil The Problem: A. If God is all good, He would defeat evil. B. If God is all powerful, He could defeat evil. C. But Evil is not defeated. D. Therefore, no such God exists.
The Response: A. If God is all good, He would defeat evil. B. If God is all powerful, He could defeat evil. c. But Evil is not yet defeated. d. Therefore, no such God exists. Note: This conclusion does not follow, since You can t stop the God of the universe in his work. Don t blame God for the destruction of the world. Romans 8 The New Problem: a. If God is all good, He would defeat evil. b. If God is all powerful, He could defeat evil. c. But evil never will be defeated. d. Therefore, no such God exists. Note: There is no way for the objector to know this --- unless he is God (all knowing) Our Response: a. If God is all good, He would defeat evil. b. If God is all powerful, He could defeat evil. c. But Evil is not yet defeated. d. Therefore, evil will one day be defeated! The nature of a theistic God guarantees it! He is all powerful and can do it. He is all powerful and wants to do it. Hence, He will do it. How God can Defeat All Evil. Because: A. He allows everyone to freely choose their destiny (So freedom is preserved). C.S. Lewis The door to hell is locked on the inside. Everyone who goes there chooses to go there. b. He defeats evil by: 1. Separating good from evil forever (Mt. 25:31-41) 2. by quarantining evil forever (Hell) 3. By punishing evil (in Hell) and rewarding good (in Heaven), 4. by defeating death and Satan: a. Officially at Christ s first coming (Col. 2:14-15) b. Actually at Christ s Second Coming (Rev. 19-22
The Official Defeat of Evil Why do evil things happen to good people? The question should be why do good things happen to evil people? What about Jesus? How would we treat Jesus if he were to come back now? We would crucify him again. We can t stand someone who is perfect. Someone that righteous, and he suffered the just for the unjust. Isaiah 53 Colossians 2:14-16 Hebrews 2:14-15 The Actual Defeat of Evil Revelation 19:11 Revelation 21:1-4 III. The Purpose of Evil The Problem: A. An all-good God must have a good purpose for everything. B. But there is no good purpose for some suffering (useless or innocent suffering) C. Hence, there cannot be an all-good God. The Response: 1. Just because we don t know a good purpose for evil does not mean there is none. We have limited knowledge and he is unlimited knowledge. 2. An all-good, all-knowing God knows a good purpose for everything (including evil). a. Some evil seems to us to have no good purpose b. but an all-good God has a good purpose for everything. c. So, even evil that seems to us to have no good purpose, does have a good purpose. Why we don t know a good purpose for all evil. 1. We do not know all things. 2. We do not know the end of all things 3. But an all-knowing God knows both, so
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but to us and to our children the things that are revealed. Deut.29:29 I don t know why, but I know why I don t know why, and I know the one who knows why. His ways are unsearchable and His judgments are past finding out. Rom.11:33 What do we know about suffering 1. Some pain has a good purpose (warning pains) - tooth ache -a pain in the chest -a pain in the lower right side (appendix) 2. We learn more through pain than pleasure. Pain is God s Megaphone God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world (C.S.Lewis, The Problem of Pain, 81.) What God Does Through Allowing Suffering You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives Gen 50:20 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness heb.12:11 God is more interested in your holiness, than my happiness., character than comfort. You re going to get sorrow and suffering, and then more loving God. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all 2 Cor. 4:17
1. Evil has to be permitted to be defeated 2. Permitting evil is necessary to producing higher goods. - You can t get courage without danger. - Patience without tribulation - Character without adversity - No pain, no gain - no sin, no forgiveness The Best Way to the Best World 1. This is not the best world possible 2. And God is the best being possible 3. Now the best being possible must accomplish the best end possible. 4. But this world is the best way to the best world. 5. Therefore, making this world was the best way to achieve the best world possible. C.S. Lewis said, There are only two kinds of people in the end; those who say to God, Thy will be done, and those to whom God says, in the end. Thy will be done. All that are in Hell, chose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell.