If God is a God of love, then why is there is so much evil and suffering around in this world? Have you ever asked this question?
We live in a world where we can see the wonderful things around. We see the beauty of creation in nature, hills, Seas Rivers, flowers, animals, birds…the beautiful seasons. The wonderful creation of God makes us joyful.
On the other side, we see evil things happening around. Morning newspaper we find news of terrorist attack people were killed. Earth quick destroyed city killed many, or a 12 years girl raped by 5 persons and killed, and close to home news comes someone died an unnatural death.
The question comes to our mind “Why there is evil in the world?” why there is no justice? Why these things are happening around?
Where does this evil come from? How did it steal into our world? What seed, what root did it grow from? Who’s doing all these? Who’s killing us? Who is robbing us of peace, life and light?
To answer this we need to understand the basis of evil. Evil is not just a philosophical concept, it is the condition of the human heart. Evil is not just outside but it is generated in the heart of man.
The Bible talks of people who are warped and sinful (Titus 3:11), pregnant with evil (Psalm 7:14), who follow their own evil desires (Jude 16), who are filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity (Romans 1:29), and who invent ways of doing evil (Romans 1:30). The sum of billions of hearts infested with this evil produces corruption in the world caused by evil desires (2 Peter 1:4). This is the description of what the Bible calls the present evil age (Galatians 1:4).
Jesus says in Mark 7:21-23: For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
Evil is not measured against human moral standards but against God’s ideal. In God’s view, the evil is something that is inside man and this evil is against God’s plan. Scripture reveals that evil, in the first instance, entered the world as the result of one man’s choice.
Romans 5: 12: Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned
There are three types of evil we can see in the world:
Moral evil – (Human activity), actions as murder, rape and theft and corporate actions such as war, oppression, and slavery.
Natural evil – (Natural act), environmental effects – earthquake, storm and flood and medical conditions such as disease, pain, and death.
Spiritual evil – (Demonic evil), spiritual conditions such as – temptation, a demonic attack on human beings.
The origin of these three types of evils is in disobedience of Adam and our personal sin. Bible says that by disobeying God’s command, Adam opened the floodgate of moral evil (Romans 5:12), natural evil (Romans 8:19-22) and spiritual evil (Luke 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:1-2; 6:12) on all of mankind.
God entered the center stage to handle this evil on mankind. He paid the penalty of our evil on the cross. Christ personally experienced the ultimate act of evil, an unjust sentence, and undeserved shame, together with the intense pain and suffering of crucifixion.
The Cross was God’s active solution to the problem of evil. On the Cross, God dealt with:
- The curse of sin (Galatians 3:13)
- The guilt of sin (Hebrews 10:22)
- The source of sin (Romans 6:6-7)
- The effects of sin (1 John 1:9)
God created man in His image (Genesis 1:26-27) so that he could have fellowship with him. When the evil entered the world the image of God was marred. So we all are responsible for the evil of the earth.
We all are part of the problem unless we become set free from the power and bondage of sin. Now this freedom is available for each one of us by death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each one of us can receive the new life in Jesus Christ and can join with God for restoration of mankind. One needs to repent and turn from our wicked way. He needs to be baptized in water and Holy Spirit to walk in newness of life. Then you need to pursue God throughout your life. When you receive new life in Christ you put on a new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. It is the image of God in you and I that is God’s secret weapon in his fight against the evil of the world.
In order to understand God’s agenda in dealing with the evil of this world, we must realize that God’s response to evil is expressed in two ways: Salvation & Judgment. God’s activity in the world is expressed in both mercy and justice. Even though God has extended his salvation to mankind, he does not just sit back and allow evil to take its course.
God is God of both patience and justice (Acts 17:30; Romans 2:2-11). He hates evil (Psalm 5:4-5; Proverbs 8:13) and keeps a watch on both the wicked and the good (Proverbs 15:3).
Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, Whether it is good or evil.
God’s justice is expressed in two ways: Immediate and Eternal.
Immediate justice- God, at times, moves immediately and swiftly for justice.
1 Thessalonians 2:16 speaks of people who always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.
Eternal justice- Even when justice on the earth appears to fail, no evildoer will escape justice. In Hebrews 4:13, we discover: Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
The final end of the Evil : There will a time when the evil will be locked away, thrown into the eternal fire (Matthew 25:41), the toxic waste dump. At that time (Revelation 22:3) the curse on mankind (Genesis 3) will finally be removed.
The creation, marred by the evil of man, will be restored to its former glory (Romans 8:19-21). At this time God will separate those that participated in evil from those who stand against it.
Matthew 13:41-43: The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
