Why does God allow people like him to die while evil people still live on the earth? Human rulers have failed to eliminate war, crime, injustice, or disease.​—Read Jeremiah 10:23; Romans 9:17. 1. Evil is the privation of a good. If God is good and if God is sovereign then why? Thus, Satan has become “the ruler of the world.”​—Read John 14:30; 1 John 5:19. It's so hard when we have questions like these and things seem to make absolutely no sense from a human perspective. Otherwise, Jesus calls us to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). (Ecclesiastes 7:29; 8:9) After 6,000 years of human history, the evidence is clear. Why Did God Allow Evil? We've said that sin is the source of evil, and death is its inevitable end, but Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty due for every sin (and the evil it has caused) committed by every person that ever lived. Good News From God! Evil serves the limited purpose of establishing real love relationships between creation and the Creator, and evil will be done away with after that purpose is achieved. We know that God is good and that He is all-powerful. The short answer is that we don’t always know why in specific cases. Would you like to disprove that lie? Is it possible to force people to love? Inasmuch as God did not wish Adam and Eve to be tempted above their ability to withstand (1 Cor. These are fundamental questions people wrestle with. Publication download options Often people ask, where was God when this evil act took place or, why did God allow this horrific situation to happen? What I will do … In a few words, “The God of the Bible loves free will that much.” To the Scriptures we go! God’s love for mankind guarantees that evil and suffering will end. Kola Abimbola examines an ancient problem. What we fail to realize is that we are also part of the equation. However, we do know that God is all-wise and all-knowing and that He has reasons for allowing things to happen that are beyond our comprehension. All … Various answers have been given but permanently settling the issue is impossible (this side of heaven) because so many of our answers raise further questions. The humans and angels whom God created were capable of obeying God perfectly. God has allowed men to rule for long enough to demonstrate that they cannot resolve mankind’s problems. Geisler, Norman. God is grieved by the sinfulness of man and the hardness of his heart (Genesis 6:6; Mark 3:5). Back to A-Z Index About These Resources. Satan lied to the first woman, Eve, and persuaded her to obey him instead of God. The story of the flood is found in Genesis 6-9, but it really begins a bit earlier. In this tragic story we see an incredible insight as to why God allows evil to exist. God says in His Bible that this side effect is only for a time. A common question posed towards Christians is “Why would an all loving, all knowing God allow evil/suffering to exist”? Evil is everywhere. Answer from Stephanie Anderson, EPM staff: I’m so sorry to hear about your son and what happened. We begin reading in 1 Samuel chapter 8: “[1] And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Only that which can be redeemed and which can lead to good is allowed. The first is obvious to us. [Related: Your Role in Politics | God and Politics] Video Highlights: When it comes to human government, the Bible portrays God as actively involved in order to accomplish his purposes. The Bible does not explicitly explain why God allows evil rulers to come to power, but it does offer many principles that explain both the efforts and the limitations of rulers such as the Hitlers and Husseins of this world. ... And this, I submit, explains why God created a world in which evil was possible. Atheists reason, "Surely, an all-knowing God of love would not allow evil to exist in His world." 16:4) God’s wrath is righteous. What is God’s will in this matter? So the question then becomes "why do we have free will?" ADDITIONAL REFERENCE SOURCES. As an example, my oldest son had leukemia when he was 4 years old. Why Did God Allow Evil? As discussed earlier, a loving God can allow an evil state of affairs to exist if, in allowing it to occur, it brings about an even better state of affairs. God could have made people in such a way that they would be robots who would react when God made them do so. God allows evil, yes. Freedom to love must happen in the context of a freedom of choice. God decided to make people in such a way that they could choose whether or not to obey Him. He cares so much that he was prepared to come to earth in the person of his son, Jesus, and be put to death so that all this evil could be dealt with.  |  Maybe you have been watching fake news . Understanding that God had allowed this to happen so that he could be a man of power in Egypt, Joseph said, “God turned to good what you [my brothers] meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20 NLT). Evil began on earth when Satan told the first lie. There is a line of questioning that goes like this: A good God would destroy evil. The only way God could die was if death existed. However, we do know that God is all-wise and all-knowing and that He has reasons for allowing things to happen that are beyond our comprehension. Fact: People of great faith have questioned why God allows evil.For instance, the prophet Habakkuk asked God: “Why do you allow violence, lawlessness, crime, and cruelty to spread everywhere?” (Habakkuk 1:3, Contemporary English Version) Rather than rebuke Habakkuk, God had the questions he asked recorded in the Bible for all to read. What do you think? Good News From God! First, evil is not an illusion—it’s all too real. PRIVACY POLICY, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/m/1102012190/univ/art/1102012190_univ_sqr_xl.jpg, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/a/fg/E/wpub/fg_E_lg.jpg. February 3, 2015. Watch the video Why Does God Allow Suffering? God did not create evil and neither is He to blame for the evil in the universe. Will we associate with people who love God? Would you like to read this article in %%? Often this is more than we think we can bear. We begin reading in 1 Samuel chapter 8: “[1] And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. God did not have to create evil, but rather only allow for the absence of good. Life Without Suffering—A Trustworthy Promise. Suffering and death are a side effect of evil ( Romans 5:12 ). Satan was originally a perfect angel, but “he did not stand fast in the truth.” (John 8:44) He developed a desire for worship that rightly belongs only to God. 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