Evil in our world is a reality
every thinking person must face, but it need not be
fatal to the Christian.
The fact never changes: God is
good. God is omnipotent, God is omniscient and He is
omnipresent. We interpret the events of the day by
the known truths, not the unknown. In fact, we
interpret the unknown in the light of the known.
Augustine said, “God judged it
better to bring good out of evil, than to suffer no
evil to exist.”
You must acknowledge that good
exists for evil to exist. There can be no evil
without there being good. God’s providence extends
over both good and evil. Moreover, His will is
absolutely good and perfect because His is a
righteous God.
God has good reason for evil to
exist, even though He did not create it. Evil cannot
exist unless God willed it, therefore He can use it
for His glory and for our good.
A false premise commonly heard
in our day is because evil exists in the world there
is no God. The reasoning is if God is all-powerful,
sovereign, and totally good, He will not allow evil
to take place.
Evil is only a problem if good
exists. Only because both good and evil exists can
you have a problem. If there is no God, you cannot
account for both good and evil. The only basis for
assuming both is because there is a moral law, a
standard by which to determine both good and evil.
There can be no moral law without a moral Absolute.
As Ravi Zacharias observes: “If there is no moral
Lawgiver there is no moral law; if there is no moral
law, there is no good; if there is no good there is
no evil.”
Therefore, the idea of evil
should cause us to seek God in His goodness rather
than to flee from His presence and deny His
existence.
Why does God get all the blame
for the bad things that happen? Why doesn’t He get
the credit for all the good we enjoy even though He
owes us nothing?
G. Campbell Morgan keenly
observed: “Men of faith are always the men that have
to confront problems. Block God out and your
problems are all ended. If there is no God in heaven
then we have no problem without sin and suffering.
But the moment you admit the existence of an
all-powerful, governing God, you are face to face
with your problems. If you have none, I question the
strength of your faith.”
Moreover, only the fool would
say in his heart, “There is no God” (Ps. 14:1).
Evil, therefore, should cause
us to fall on our knees and bow in humility in the
presence of the Lord God. The one purpose of evil in
the providence of God is to cause us to seek Him. C.
S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasure,
speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in
our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf
world.”
The God of the cross
understands evil and suffering. The cross of Jesus
Christ tells us that God is good and that He loves
us. The cross of Jesus reminds us that God takes
evil and uses it for our good. God is always in
complete control.
At the cross, God was still
asking the question He asked Job, “Who is then able
to stand against Me? Who has preceded Me, that I
should pay Him? Everything under the sun is mine”
(Job 41:10b-11). God’s sovereign control is never
interrupted.
The greatest example from
history of God taking the greatest evil and bringing
out of it the greatest good was at the cross of
Jesus Christ. No one will ever experience any
greater depth of evil than that exhibited at the
crucifixion of Jesus. It was Satan’s best strike
against God. Because of the cross, Satan was
defeated. Christ rose from the grave and defeated
Satan and evil. Now we can declare that God causes
all things to work together for His glory (Rom.
8:28).
When God is silent, remember
that He is still in complete control. We may not
know the reason “why,” but the Lord knows why, and
that is enough.
“For I am convinced that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor things present, nor things to
come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other created thing, will be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39).
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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