Free Will and Its Consequences

Defining "Evil"

How can there be “evil” in the world if there is a God?   Let's start by defining terms. When most people ask this question, they start with the wrong definition of “evil”, or they don't even bother to define it, they just “know” what it is.  

The world's typical definition of evil is this: “anything that hurts or offends me is evil”. 

So, their real theological question is “How can there be a God when things happen in this world that hurt or offend me?”.

God's definition of evil is different.  Anything that contradicts the Nature of God, is disobedient or rebellious to His Will is evil.  So, men who by nature are rebellious, disobedient, and selfish ask “why do “evil” things happen to me?”  That's a different question that relates to punishment and the consequences of disobedience.

Free Will Has Consequences

The real theological question is: “how can God create something that disobeys Him?” Once we answer that question, the issue of the presence of evil in the universe is easy to explain.  We know God created spirit beings in heaven and men on Earth with free will.  “Free will” means these beings can make a choice; they are not compelled by their Creator to be obedient.  So, if God does have the ability to create beings with free will, then evil is a possible outcome.  It is not created by God but is a consequence of a poor decision of those beings with Free Will.  Free Will beings who sin create evil, not God.

A secondary question then is: given the fallen state of the universe as the result of free will decisions to rebel against God, why doesn't God simply erase those results and eliminate the consequences of sin?  Now that evil exists, why does God choose to work within the confines of a broken universe to achieve His ends?  This we cannot be sure of, except to know that one of God's ends is to redeem some from this fallen universe and place them in a new, undamaged, eternal home with direct interaction with Himself.  God, for His purposes, has chosen to not to come into the universe and simply 'erase' the results of our free will decisions – which in reality would negate our free wills – and eliminate the consequences of sin. 

One likely reason is that God is using this situation as “teachable moments” to help us understand the consequences of sin and our actions: to shape us into mature, spiritually “adult” free will agents.  Without the “cause and effect” nature of this universe, we would never realize the consequences of our actions. By totally shielding us from the consequences of our actions, we would thoughtlessly err again and again – and by never learning what the true effects of our decisions are, we would never fully realize our free will natures.

Growing Our Faith

Another explanation for God continuing to work within the confines of a fallen universe is to shape and grow our faith.  If you base your faith and love of God based on whether on not you personally have experienced suffering or persecution, then your faith is narrowly defined, perhaps even false. 

When we face suffering unprepared, our faith is in crisis and we don't have a contingency plan.  Suffering and evil could just as easily push you away from God as toward Him.  If suffering could cause you to deny God, then you are a hypocrite for not denying Him now, because others are and have been suffering around you.  The mature Christian understands that faith will be tested – the Father chastises those whom He loves. Hebrews 12:6.

Without testing, faith can never be trusted - and it wouldn't be worth keeping.  But faith that has withstood real trials and suffering is real faith.  The fallen universe gives us plenty of opportunities to test and grow our faith - a faith worth having.

For the Greater Good

Atheists base their argument against God because evil exists.  They state: if God were willing to stop evil/suffering, but is unable, then He is not omnipotent.  If He is not willing to stop evil, then He is not benevolent.  Here is assumptive language about what is or is not “benevolent”.  Is allowing someone to enjoy temporary relief even as they continually sin and ultimately end up in hell more benevolent than chastising those He loves so they will repent and spend eternity in heaven in fellowship with Him?  Often temporary suffering, even to death, yields spiritual blessings beyond measure.  The atheist presupposes there is nothing of value in the spiritual realm, and only judges “good and evil” based on temporal criteria.

The Bible never ignores the issue of evil – in fact, it is very blunt about the consequences of sin, and the “evils” that beset us in this world of decay.  The Bible tells us to hate evil, to flee from it, to reject it: 

1 Peter 3:10-11 For the one who wants to love life and to see good days must keep his tongue from evil  and his lips from speaking deceit, and he must turn away from evil and do what is good

3 John 11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

Romans 16:19  The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil

Amos 5:14,15a Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have claimed.  Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate...

Habakkuk 1:13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing

If atheists were to carefully read the scriptures, they would find all the arguments they needed to explain the reasons for “evil” in the world -- and its cure.  However, when we start with the wrong definition of evil – “whatever hurts or offends me”, then we are unable to answer the question properly.

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Scripture citations are from:  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) © 2009 Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville TN or New King James Version®. (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson