God And Evil
GOD AND EVIL
If God exists, why is there evil? Does the existence of evil negate the goodness of God? Why doesn't our all knowing God prevent evil from happening? According to J. L Mackie, if God is omnipotent, if God is all good, then why the existence of evil? Did God really create evil? These are just some of the very critical questions some atheists raise to question the existence of God. Let's analyze some of these issues from the perspective of what the Bible says.
ORIGIN OF EVIL
Evil originated from sin. So the question is did God create sin? The answer is an emphatic NO. The first recorded incidence of sin in God's empire was the corruption of the arch angel Lucifer(Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28). Lucifer, though had a very high position in heaven, still desired God's supreme position. Lucifer was consumed with pride. Consequently, he and his corrupted lower angels were thrown out of heaven.
However, the first incidence of sin in the history of humanity happened in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sinned. Their disobedience introduced sin into this world. Evil, sickness, suffering and death are some of the consequences of sin.
MAN'S FREE WILL
One of the issues people raise is that if God were to be all powerful and all knowing, why doesn't He prevent man from sinning or committing evil? Hence, if God knew before hand that Mr. Adam will sin, why didn't He prevent Mr. Adam from going ahead with the sin? On the face value, this is a very legitimate concern to raise.
When God created man, one of the most essential things He gave man was FREE WILL. Man had the freedom of choice. Man's actions are not predetermined by God. Man had the free will to choose between good and Evil. In the garden of Eden, Eve had the free will to decide not to listen to the serpent but she chose on her own to listen to the serpent.
Evil comes from man's Free Will. Doing good also comes from man's Free Will. Man has the choice to decide whether to do evil or to do good. God doesn't decide for man. Without man's Free Will, man would have just been like a robot controlled by a supreme being. Without man's Free Will, there won't be a need for accountability or judgement. Free Will allows man to be responsible for his actions.
ETERNAL GOODNESS OF GOD
One of the main attributes of God is that He is eternally good. In Him, there is no evil at all. God didn't create evil, all the bad happenings in this world are consequences of man's free decision to disobey God. Despite our continuous disobedience, our good God continues to protect us from evil.