Did God Create Evil? – Part 1

Did God Create Evil? – Part 1 - Steve Schmutzer - https://www.rev310.net/post/did-god-create-evil Part 1: An Apparent Contradiction of Logic An unsettling question may arise when one ponders the implications of John 1:3 which states, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came intobeing that has come into being.” That unsettling question is, “Did God create evil?” Let’s step back a few paces to get a big-picture view. After each sequence of bringing the heavens and earth into existence in Genesis chapter 1, God considered His creativework to be good. Over and over, it is repeated, “And God saw that it was good.” The point is God makes good things. This emphasis we see at the start of the Bible continues to be stressed later on. In 1 Timothy 4:4, the point is underscored again, “For everything created by God is good….” With these verses in perspective, it’s fair to say God wants us to understand He created all things, and all those things are good, proper, noble, pure, wonderful, virtuous, beautiful, lovely, and so on. But in between the record of Genesis and that letter to Timothy, Jesus’ own words introduce a disquieting consideration. In Matthew 25:41, Jesus stated He prepared eternalfire for the devil and his fallen angels. So, God created hell. Whoa - wait a minute! Did God really create hell, and if He did, how does that fit into this whole notion that God creates good things? And, if hell is intended to be thefinal and unending consequence for those who “loved darkness rather than light” as John 3:19 says, then did God deliberately design the conditions by which humanity would receive this condemnation? The first part of the first question is the easier portion to respond to. Of course, God created hell. He said so. Nobody else could prepare it and nobody else could condemn Satan and his demonic hordes. Satan has one adversary infinitely more powerful than himself, and that is God. Nobodyelse can plan and prepare Satan’s final destruction. Furthermore, Revelation 4:11 declares: “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.” Thepoint is God freely chooses to create when, how, and what He will. He is not obligated to any outside force nor is He indebted to any situation that others may feel very passionate about. He simply considers His own Triune will, and if thatmeans hell needs to be in the equation, then hell is what He will prepare. There’s really no sense in debating the issue. Psalm 115:3 says: “But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.” The Bible says God will have His way. He is God,and nobody else is – case closed. Hell’s existence fits squarely within the rights and will of God no matter that some may wish it didn’t or may choose to argue otherwise. Despite the habits of some, it’sfoolish to argue with the truth. But is hell a good thing? That’s basically the second part of the first question and it’s certainly the tougher portion to answer. Our limitations of human understanding are confined to “….seeing as in a mirror dimly” (1 Cor. 13:12). We see hazy bits and pieces right now, but the clarity of the full viewescapes us. As a result, we are challenged to see any virtues in the judgments of hell so long as we live on this earth and in these bodies. It’s best to let the Bible speak plainly and accept what it says. In Rev. 16:5-7 and in Rev. 19:2, God’s actions against Tribulation sinners are called “….just and true,” and in Rev. 15:3 God’s pending judgments are described as “….great and marvelous.” What’s clear from these passages and from others like them is the most extreme of God’s judgments are righteous and good. The faithful believer must therefore regard the termsof hell no differently than the Word of God chooses to see them. Here’s an additional perspective which might help. God’s judgments are designed to destroy everything that has unrelentingly sought the destruction of mankind who is “....madein [God’s] image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26). Therefore, God’s judgments serve to remedy the corruption of His “good” creation. His “just, true, great, and marvelous” judgments introduce a climactic vindication; they eliminate the stains of sin from all of history. Seen in that light, hell presentsa virtuous element. It is part of God’s victorious plan. Let’s now come full circle to wrestle with the tough question that lies beneath all these matters: “Did God create evil?” It’s a question that has embattled dedicated Biblicalscholars for a mighty long time, and passionate and polarizing opinions persist in response to it. At first blush, it seems both rational and defensible that if God created all things, then evil must have been one of those things. After all, John 1:3 is pretty cut and dried - nothing exists apart from God’s intentions. The proper assumption is God created everything, and nothing else was necessary for that to occur. This is the Biblical creatio ex nihilo doctrine which means “creation outof nothing.” Any other view than this suggests God is somehow insufficient. While it adheres to responsible Biblical interpretation, one of the challenges of the creatio ex nihilo position is it provokes a degree of unrest when it’s placed alongsideother plainly stated Biblical doctrines. Tensions may arise as other truths concerning God are given equal consideration. A small sampling of some of these truths might look something like this: First, God is timeless, unlike everything else. God exists now as He always has and as He always will (Gen. 1:1; 2 Tim. 1:9; Jude 25, Rev. 1:8). Second, because God is God, He has certain qualities that nobody else has. Among other things He is omnipotent (Job 42:2; Ps. 33:6; John 19:11), omniscient (Ps. 147:5; Isa.55:9; Job 28:24; Matt. 10:30), and omnibenevolent (Ps. 19:7; John 3:16; Rom. 5:8). Let’s take a fresh look at this. Let’s try to put it all in the blender and see what comes out. With God’s omnibenevolent nature in the equation, it would seem He’d want to prevent all forms of evil. And His omniscience means He knows every way evil could possibly findexpression. Finally, because He’s omnipotent, He has the power to prevent all forms of evil from even coming into existence at all. Hmm. Well, that’s very interesting. Let’s tighten that up a bit. A God who knows every way in which an evil can come into existence, who can prevent that evil from coming into existence, and who by His naturewould want to do so, would therefore prevent any possible entry of that evil. Uhhhh,….er, um.… Okay, let’s be blunt. If an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent God really exists, then evil should not. Ouch! Are you feeling uncomfortable now? The fact remains that evil does exist. Furthermore, God is every bit the omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient being the Bible clearlystates Him to be. Herein lies an apparent contradiction of logic. In the next part of this article, we’ll look at how we may reconcile this situation by looking to the full counsel of the Word of God. This is always the right way to engagein responsible interpretation. In that process, we will see that tensions in our theology keep us faithful. Steve, SolidBread Community ----------------------------------------- Did God Create Evil - Part 2 - Steve Schmutzer - https://www.rev310.net/post/did-god-create-evil-1 An Awkward Truce of Disparate Truths In the first part of this article, we noted that God has created everything. Nothing exists without Him. This position is clearly supported in the Scriptures just as the case for His omnibenevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent nature is also supported. These are matters whichare beyond question if one studies and accepts the Scriptures responsibly. All that being so, it�s tempting to feel that if an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent God really exists, then evil should not. If God is who the Bible claims He is,then how does evil fit in? This awkward truce of disparate truths is not the only dilemma of this tone in the Word of God. The �free will of man� and the �absolute sovereignty of God� are also Biblicaltruths that co-exist with some unease. The Triune nature of God is another such matter. Doctrines like these cannot easily be explained in terms that satisfy the natural human spirit. We like things in a box where we can control and understand them. We would do well to properly receive a solemn warning at this point. As humans, we tend to value those things which are most definable and measurable, not necessarily thosethings which are most important. As earlier noted, strains to our understanding of the ways of God keep us faithful, and they help us to preserve a right relationship with Christ (Heb. 11:6). If everything concerning God is easily explained, readily measured, and effortlessly known, faith becomes unnecessary as Heb. 11:1 reminds us. The contradictions of logicwhich are inherent in some of the doctrines of Scripture are intended for our own good. They keep us on the right path. It is therefore dangerous to our spiritual well-being to become too partisan about matters which the Scriptures present with built-in tensions. A choice to emphasize one sideof a particular truth to the exclusion of the other side may satisfy our desire to have clear structure, but Matthew 7:13-23 underscores the perils of embracing partial truth. It has the same consequences as full deception. So, did God create the universe with evil a part of it the same way He created the universe with the sun in it? Some may feel that�s the point of Isaiah 45:7 which says, "Iform the light, and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I the LORD do all these things." Personally, I don�t think that�s the right way to see this situation as that notion contends against other Scriptures which clearly encourage a different thoughtprocess. Let�s ask that question another way: �Did God create a universe in which it�s possible for evil to find form and flourish?� I think that�s a more accurate way to think aboutit, and I believe that satisfies the language of Isaiah 45:7 as well. Let�s see if we can make some sense of this as we start with the very basics. Let�s begin by examining the word �evil.� The most common Hebrew term used in the Old Testament appears over 200 times. That Hebrew word is awon which means "perversion,"and it seems to be related to the verb awah which means "to bend" or "to twist." Other Biblical words used to describe evil include the sibling-like nouns of awel and awla, and both emerge from a root term which means, "to deviate." They are all principalterms used in the Old Testament to suggest �sin� and �evil.� Inherent within them all is the notion of �moving away� from a prior standard or virtue. A chief intent of these Biblical terms is to denote something contrary to the character of God. Stop. Go back and read that sentence again. Okay - now read it once more, moreslowly this time. This is very important; the full implications of this statement should not be regarded casually. As their Biblical contexts show, these Hebrew terms are generally associated with words describing wickedness, rebellion, and violence. This is the opposite of words whichdenote faithfulness, justice, and honesty, and so the Biblical passages in which these Hebrew terms for evil are used often reveal a corresponding divine response of judgment. You see, evil is not an object like a brick or a tree. You cannot place evil into a container or measure it when you find it. As words like awon, awah, awel, and awla areintended to suggest, evil has no inherent existence of its own. Evil is the absence of something, just like darkness is the absence of light which God called �good� when He created it (Gen. 1:4). It�s most helpful to see evil as a departure from something good or as a perversion of something proper. That also argues that something good and proper was the righteousstandard to begin with. For example, God intended men to be in a sexual relationship with women, and so within an appropriate earthly relationship, heterosexuality is good and proper. Conversely,the Bible teaches that under no circumstance is homosexuality to be regarded as good or proper. Homosexuality is a perversion of God�s good standard, and so by Biblical definition, it is therefore evil. Make sense? We�re getting back to where we started. As John 1:3 reminds us, God created everything, and all those things were good. Some of the good things God created were creatureswho had the freedom to decide for themselves and to make choices. For real choices to exist, God permitted an alternative to any choice for good. And so, God allowed these creatures - free angels and free humans - to choose what is good or to reject what isgood. That�s how Lucifer became Satan. He started out just fine, but he made choices that were wrong. When one rejects good, then that choice becomes evil. With the aforementioned �awon� and its derivatives in view, this makes total sense. Evil - in all its forms - emerges when there is a decision to depart from God�s perfect standard. The conclusion is evil originated with God�s created beings - angels and humans - who had been provided with a free will. They misused this free will to make wrong choices.They disobeyed and denied the truth, and they chose standards which failed to conform to the goodness of God. This is evil, and we call it sin. God did not create sin, but He created beings that could abuse their free will and thus fall into sin. And so it was that ��.sin entered the world� (Rom. 5:12) which God hadcreated and which He had called �good.� This is the consequence of self-determination, and this same perverse dynamic still rears its ugly head within our present world in so many ways. So, what does it mean to �create?� This specific question returns to the original query, �Did God create evil?� Are there latitudes here which are permitted to be part ofthe creatio ex nihilo processes? Let�s consider how you and I might �create� or make something. We take a little of this and a little of that, and we make a batch of chocolate chip cookies for example. Asa matter of fact, that�s not unlike how man was made. God took the dust of the earth and He �formed� Adam (Gen. 2:7). He took Adam�s rib, and He made Eve (Gen. 2:22). He took pre-existent elements, and He made something totally different from them. For the larger purposes of this article, I would argue that both Adam and Eve arrived on the scene in conformity to the basic definitions of �make� or �create� as did therest of God�s creation. It is obvious from the Biblical account that God could have made Adam and Eve through the same creatio ex nihilo process as He made everything else before them, but - - God chose not to. In no manner does that detract from God�s divineabilities. Because God made Adam and Eve using His own pre-existent conditions and materials to do so raises some interesting speculations concerning His �creative� role behind evil.Since nothing exists apart from God, and since God created a world in which He knew that evil could � and would � find expression, then one might argue that His direct sovereign oversight of evil�s emergence was a creative process in its own right. It�s completely true that God actively employs evil in the affairs of mankind. God used a pagan Babylonian empire to bring judgment upon His chosen people. In more recenthistory, God employed the horrific holocaust as an agent in the birth of Israel. God is now using a very corrupt and fraudulent American administration as part of His greater �wrath that is being revealed from heaven� (Rom. 1:18). The bottom line is God issovereign over all events, and nothing escapes His full control. The Bible is quite clear about this. Amos 3:6 asks, "Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath notdone it?" Here lays another awkward truce of disparate truths, because God�s Word also declares that God�s character is without flaw, and James 1:13 says �God cannot be tempted withevil, neither tempteth He any man...� The whole complexion, once again, lies beyond our ability to easily explain. Some scholars try to settle their anxieties by saying that God �allowed� evil. In their pursuit of an �easy-to-package-and-easy-to-measure� answer, they see a difference here,but I do not. God only �allows� that which is already within His full control to change should He so desire. Nothing has ever eluded Him or caught Him by surprise, nor will it ever. Godis not subordinate to any power or processes greater than Himself because no such thing exists. The fact is God is aware of all evil from its inception, and He will deal with it into eternity future. This is not awareness in the sense that evil was introduced from �outthere somewhere� and into His sphere against His control as one is aware of crime and so locks their doors each night to cope with it. Rather - and as much as it is challenging to comprehend this - God is aware of evil as part of His own sovereign plan and purpose. The concept that evil fits into God�s sovereign plan and purpose is an apex issue that stands high above all simple chatter and babble about the matter. If God had not allowedfor the existence of evil, both mankind and angels would still be serving God out of obligation and not by choice. Scientists today are forging new programmable circuits and robotic technology to act certain ways, but God did not want robots and programmable responses, nor does He still.God allowed for the existence of evil so that you and I could genuinely exercise our free will and choose whether we wanted to serve Him. This comes full circle back to the original claim that God creates only good things. He permitted the introduction of evil to manifest an even greater good, and that greatergood is His grace to redeem sinful human beings. If evil (sin) didn�t exist, His grace and redemption would be meaningless. Salvation would be entirely unnecessary. But grace and redemption by a just and holy God, when placed against the backdrop of evil, manifests His unfathomable love and unsearchable ways as nothing else is able to(Rom. 11:33). For this greatest of all good things, God permitted evil a path to existence. This is what it�s all about! This was God�s plan before he ever created the world (Eph. 1:4), and He knew even at that point how it would all turn out. God knew that sin would enter the universe, firstthrough Satan, and then into the entire human race through Adam. God knew evil would be introduced as choices were made against His good and proper standards, and He devised His magnificent plan of grace and redemption based on that divine knowledge. I still have a lot of questions, and you probably do too. But what I most need to be convinced of right now is this: Without evil, there would be no need for a Savior. Withoutsin, there would be no need for God�s grace. Evil is an element of God�s plan from the very beginning, and so in that light it is a component of a far greater good. God did not create evil the very same way he createdthe heavenly bodies, but he created human beings capable of evil and therefore in need of a perfect Savior. In the end, you and I are finite and physical beings trying to gain insight into a God who is infinite and supernatural. While in His great grace and mercy He has providedus with the absolute truth of His Word, it remains that in this life there will be questions that we cannot fully settle within the milieu of the human condition. We must humbly accept that on this side of eternity�s door, we will only see shadows of the thingsthat someday we will understand with blazing clarity (1 Cor. 13:12). Meantime, our faith must express itself by setting firm guards against those doors through which human doubt and error can enter. The God we believe in and proclaim does indeedknow the answers. In His omniscience, in His omnibenevolence, and in His omnipotence, He absolutely has a wholesome reason and explanation for everything. How small our God would be if we could explain Him fully and know all His ways. May our faith be increased! Steve, SolidBread Community