On This Page The Strength of God & the Problem of Evil How Can A Good God Allow Evil? Did God Create Evil - Does the Bible Say So? Excerpt from The Strength of God & the Problem of Evil
by Greg Koukl
Let's pretend that you claim to be the strongest person in the world. More than that, you are the strongest person in the universe. You can pick up an entire building. You are so strong that you can pick up an entire city. You are so strong you can pick up an entire country. In fact, if you had a place to stand, you could lift the entire planet, even the solar system. You have so much strength, you can do anything that strength allows you to do. This is your boast to me. "OK," I say, "let's see if you can prove it."
"Just give me any test you want" you respond.
"If you are so strong, then make a square circle."
"I can't do that."
"You're not very strong, are you?"
"This has nothing to do with strength, does it? Because no matter how strong I am, I could never make a square circle, because making a square circle has nothing to do with power. It is a self- contradictory concept, having square circles. They can't be made by anybody regardless of how strong they are. This test is unrelated to the issue of power." Now, how does this tie into our discussion of the problem of evil? Simply this. God certainly is strong enough to obliterate evil from the earth or to have prevented it in the first place. No question about that. But let me ask you a question. Is it a good thing that God created human beings as free moral creatures, capable of making moral choices? It strikes me that the answer to that is yes. Because God is good--which is one of the things in question here--God created free moral creatures. But this changes everything, doesn't it? What makes you think that strength has anything to do with God creating a world in which there are genuinely free moral creatures and no possibility of doing wrong? You see, now we're back to square circles. It's just as ridiculous to ask God to create a world in which we have genuinely free creatures with no possibility to do wrong, as it is to ask Him to create a square circle. The task has nothing to do with His strength. It has to do with the nature of the problem. If you're going to have morally free creatures--that is, human beings that can make moral choices for themselves--and if God is good, then He is going to create creatures that will be truly morally free. But that entails, of necessity, at least the possibility of evil in the world. This has nothing to do with God's power. It is unrelated to the issue of power just like making square circles is unrelated to the issue of power. It relates to the nature of the good universe that God created, a universe that was populated by beings that were morally free. Morally free creatures by necessity, by definition, have the possibility of going bad. Now you know why this is not a good argument against the existence of God. It just doesn't apply. One could even argue there's a kind of category error here because in this particular case, according to Christianity, dealing with evil has nothing to do with strength. It has to do with the nature of the game itself. What's neat about the Christian point of view, is that God did the good thing by creating morally free creatures that went bad, yet still did the loving thing by cleaning up the mess man created in such a way that greater good results. Now that's the result of a Master mind. 
How Can A Good God Allow Evil?
Partially Adapted From An Article of The Same Name By Rick Rood “John Stott has said that "the fact of suffering undoubtedly constitutes the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith."
It is unquestionably true that there is no greater obstacle to faith than that of the reality of evil and suffering in the world. Indeed, even for the believing Christian, there is no greater test of faith than this--that the God who loves him permits him to suffer, at times in excruciating ways. And the disillusionment is intensified in our day when unrealistic expectations of health and prosperity are fed by the teachings of a multitude of Christian teachers. Why does a good God allow his creatures, and even his children to suffer? First, it's important to distinguish between two kinds of evil: moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil results from the actions of free creatures. Murder, rape and theft are examples. Natural evil results from natural processes such as earthquakes and floods. Of course, sometimes the two are intermingled, such as when flooding results in loss of human life due to poor planning or shoddy construction of buildings”. There are two aspects of the problem of evil and suffering. The first is the problem of evil approached from the standpoint of the skeptic who challenges the possibility or probability that a God exists who would allow such suffering. This challenge is usually posed in the form of a statement such as this: A good God would destroy evil. An all powerful God could destroy evil. Evil is not destroyed. Therefore, there cannot possibly be such a good and powerful God.
“David Hume, the eighteenth century philosopher, stated the logical problem of evil when he inquired about God, "Is He willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then He is impotent. Is He able, but not willing? Then He is malevolent. Is He both able and willing? Whence then is evil?" (Craig, 80). When the skeptic challenges belief in God on the basis of the logical problem of evil, he is suggesting that it is irrational or logically impossible to believe in the existence of both a good and all powerful God and in the reality of evil and suffering. Such a God would not possibly allow evil to exist”. (See World Peace) Second is the religious or emotional aspect of the problem of evil. This is the problem of evil approached from the standpoint of the believer whose faith in God is severely tested by trial. How can we love and worship God when He allows us to suffer in these ways? The Logical Problem of Evil The classic defense of God against the problem of evil is that it is not logically possible to have free will and no possibility of moral evil. In other words once God chose to create human beings with free will then it was up to them, rather than to God, as to whether there was sin or not. Built into the situation of God deciding to create human beings is the chance that evil and, consequently, the suffering that results. God did not create evil but He created the possibility of evil; People actualized that potential. The source of evil is not God’s power but mankind’s freedom. Even an all-powerful God could not have created a world in which people had genuine freedom and yet there was no potential for sin. God could not eliminate evil without at the same time rendering it impossible to accomplish other goals which are important to Him. Certainly, for God to create beings in his own image, who are capable of sustaining a personal relationship with Him, they must be beings who are capable of freely loving Him and following his will without coercion. Love or obedience on any other basis would not be love or obedience at all, but mere compliance. It is a self-contradiction to have a world where there is real choice while at the same time no possibility of choosing evil. To ask why God didn’t create such a world is like asking why God didn’t create colorless color or round squares. It would have been a place without hate and without suffering, but it would also have been a world without love, the highest value in the universe. Real love, our love of God and our love of each other must involve a choice. But with the granting of that choice, comes the possibility that people would choose to hate. The blame ultimately lies with us. God created a world where people were free and yet there was no sin. He did His part perfectly. We messed up. And at any rate, most people agree that there is much more good in the world than evil--at least enough good to make life well worth the living. The Religious Problem of Evil - We are neither irresponsible nor wicked to not put a bubble around our children and protect them from every hurt. So it is possible that God is wise enough to see that we need some pain for reasons we may no understand but which He foresees as being necessary for some future good. Therefore, He is not being evil by allowing that pain to exist. We know that moral character gets formed through hardship, through overcoming obstacles, through enduring despite difficulties. Courage for example, would be impossible in a world without pain. The apostle Paul testified to this refining quality of suffering when he wrote that “Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope”. The point of our lives in this world is learning maturing and growing through difficult and challenging experiences, a training and preparation for eternity. Scripture tells us that even Jesus learned obedience through suffering. If that was true for Him why wouldn’t it be true for us. When suffering strikes it is neither unnatural to experience emotional pain, nor unspiritual to express it. But when suffering strikes, we must be reflect on the character of God and on the promises He gives to those who are enduring great trial. It is noteworthy that there are nearly as many psalms of lament as there are psalms of praise and thanksgiving, and these two sentiments are mingled together in many places (cf. Psalm. 13, 88). One of the great truths of God's Word is that even in severe trial God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). This does not imply that evil is somehow good, but that we are to recognize that even in what is evil God is at work to bring about his good purposes in our lives. Joseph gave evidence of having learned this truth when after years of unexplained suffering due to the betrayal of his brothers, he was able to say to them, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20). Though God did not cause his brothers to betray him, nonetheless He was able to use it in furthering his good intentions. Do evil people ‘get away with it’? Contrary to popular opinion evil people are not getting away with hurting others all the time. Justice delayed is not justice denied. There will come a day when God will settle accounts and people will be held responsible for the suffering they have caused. Criticizing God for not doing it right now is like reading half a novel and criticizing the author. In fact the Bible says the one reason He is delaying is because some people are still following the clues and have yet to find Him. One purpose of suffering in history has been that it leads to repentance. Only after suffering did Old Testament Israel, do nations, do individual people turn back to God. Lets face it; we learn the hard way. C.S. Lewis said “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world”. Why bad things happen to good people In Rabbi Harold Kushner’s best selling book When bad things happen to good people, he states that God isn’t all-powerful, that He would like to help but that He isn’t capable of solving the problems … There are no “good people”. We still bear God’s image but His image in us has been tarnished. Our good deeds are stained with self-interest; our demands for justice are mixed with a desire for vengeance. And strangely enough it is the best people who most readily recognize and admit their own shortcomings and sins. Just about every human being can reflect on his or her past and say, “I learned from that hardship. I didn’t think I would at the time, but I am a bigger and better person for having endured it and persevered”. Any fairly mature Christian can look back on his or her life and identify some moment of suffering that made them much closer to God than they had ever thought possible. Scottish theologian James S. Steward said, “It is the spectators, the people who are outside looking at the tragedy, from whose ranks the skeptics come; It is not those who are actually in the arena and who know suffering from the inside. Indeed the fact is that it is the worlds greatest sufferers who have produced the most shining examples of unconquerable faith”. Does God feel our pain? God could very well have sat back and said “It’s your fault after all” and He would have been perfectly justified. However He went beyond justice, and went the extra mile. He practiced more than He preached. He entered into our world, suffered our pain, and offered Himself to us in the midst of our sorrows. So the answer to the question of how could God bear all the suffering is He did. He came right down into it. Are we broken? He was broken for us. Are we despised? He was despised and rejected of men. Do we cry that we cannot take any more? He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Do we feel betrayed? He was sold out. Are our most tender relationships broken? He was loved and rejected. The psalmist encourages us to "pour out our hearts to God" (Ps. 62:8). And when we do, we can be assured that God understands our pain. Jesus Himself keenly felt the painful side of life. When John the Baptist was beheaded it is recorded that "He withdrew to a lonely place" obviously to mourn his loss (Mt. 14:13). And when his friend Lazarus died, it is recorded that Jesus openly wept at his tomb (Jn. 11:35). Even though He was committed to following the Father's will to the cross, He confessed to being filled with anguish of soul in contemplating it (Mt. 26:38). It is not without reason that Jesus was called "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isa. 53:3); and we follow in his steps when we truthfully acknowledge our own pain. Job The book of Job is the all time classic on the problem of suffering. God finally shows up with the answer and the answer is a question. He asks Job ‘Who are you? Are you God? Did you write this script? Were you there when I laid the foundations of the earth?’ Job realizes that the answer is ‘No’ and is then satisfied. Because when your world is rocked and the very foundation of your belief in question, you do not need theology or philosophy but the all soothing, all powerful magnificence of the presence of your Creator. Did God Create Evil - Does the Bible Say So?
By Rich Deem Introduction One of the most common reasons skeptics reject the existence of God is due to the presence of evil in this universe. They reason that a perfect God would not create a universe in which evil exists. Skeptics claim that since God created everything that God must have also created evil. They even cite Bible verses, such as: I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. (Isaiah 45:7, KJV) 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 not done it? (Amos 3:6, KJV) Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? (Lamentations 3:38)
However, evil is not really a created thing. You can't see, touch, feel, smell or hear evil. It is not one of the fundamental forces of physics, nor does it consist of matter, energy, or the spatial dimensions of the universe. Still, skeptics like to claim that God created evil and cite the Bible to "prove" their point. The Bible is quite clear that God is not the author of evil and insists that He is incapable of doing so. [1] Love that King James translation! Skeptics love the KJV so much, one would think that they were still back in medieval England. Use of this translation is problematic these days, since it uses an archaic version of modern English, which doesn't necessarily mean the same things today as when it was translated over 400 years ago. In addition, the KJV was produced using a limited number of medieval manuscripts that did not represent the earliest Alexandrian set of manuscripts. What do the modern translations say? · The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these. (Isaiah 45:7, NASB) · I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things. (Isaiah 45:7, NIV)
Isaiah 45:7 contrasts opposites. Darkness is the opposite of light. However, evil is not the opposite of peace. The Hebrew word translated "peace" is shâ^lô^m, [2] which has many meanings, mostly related to the well being of individuals. Râ^‛?â^h, [3] the Hebrew word translated "evil" in the KJV often refers to adversity or calamity. There are two forms of the word. Strong's H7451a most often refers to moral evil, whereas Strong's H7451b (the form used here) most often refers to calamity or distress. Obviously, "calamity" is a better antonym of "peace" than "evil." Amos 3:6 · If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it? (Amos 3:6, NASB) · When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it? (Amos 3:6, NIV)
Likewise, Amos 3:6 uses the same word, râ^‛?â^h, referring to calamity or disaster. the context (a disaster happening to a city) does not refer to moral evil. Lamentations 3:38 · Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come? (Lamentations 3:38, NIV) · Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That both good and ill go forth? (Lamentations 3:38, NASB)
The King James Version of Lamentations 3:38 seems to suggest that God speaks both good and evil. However, if one reads the verse in context, the preceding verses indicate that God does not do or approve of evil.4 The verse following indicates that people should not complain in view of their sins. 5 What the verse really is saying that God decrees times of good things and times of judgment. Lamentations was written by Jeremiah during a time of judgment, when Judah had gone off into exile. Jeremiah was chosen by God to be the prophet to tell Judah to reform or be judged. The people did not believe Jeremiah, and, therefore, fell under God's judgment. In Lamentations 3:38, the word translated "good" is ṭ?ô^b (Strong's H2896).6 The word usually refers to good things 5 as opposed to bad things. Again, râ^‛?â^h 3 does not refer to moral evil, but calamities, in this verse. Likewise, the Bible commentaries indicate that the verse refers to God's judgment based upon people's sin. 7 Conclusion God is not the author of evil. 8 However, God does reward and punish on the basis of good and bad behavior. Therefore, God does bring judgment and calamity (either directly or through human authorities) on those who rebel. 9 God will ultimately judge all people, since rebels will not be allowed in the new, perfect creation. References 1] God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19) "For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them. (Deuteronomy 4:31) "For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. (Deuteronomy 10:17) "The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. (Deuteronomy 32:4) "Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind." (1 Samuel 15:29) "Now then let the fear of the LORD be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the LORD our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe." (2 Chronicles 19:7) "Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong. (Job 34:10) "Behold, God is mighty but does not despise any; He is mighty in strength of understanding. (Job 36:5) For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. (Psalms 5:4) To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (Psalms 92:15) Thus says the LORD, "What injustice did your fathers find in Me, That they went far from Me And walked after emptiness and became empty? (Jeremiah 2:5) in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago (Titus 1:2)
2] Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
shâ^lô^m (Strong's H7965) 1) completeness, soundness, welfare, peace a) completeness (in number)
b) safety, soundness (in body)
c) welfare, health, prosperity
d) peace, quiet, tranquillity, contentment
e) peace, friendship f) peace (from war)
g) peace (as adjective)
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H7999
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2401a 3] Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
râ^‛?â^h (Strong's H7451) 1] bad, evil (adjective) a) bad, disagreeable, malignant
b) bad, unpleasant, evil (giving pain, unhappiness, misery)
c) evil, displeasing
d) bad (of its kind - land, water, etc)
e) bad (of value)
f) worse than, worst (comparison)
g) sad, unhappy
h) evil (hurtful)
i) bad, unkind (vicious in disposition)
j) bad, evil, wicked (ethically) 1) in general, of persons, of thoughts
2) deeds, actions
2] evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity (noun masculine) a) evil, distress, adversity
b) evil, injury, wrong
c) evil (ethical)
3] evil, misery, distress, injury (noun feminine) a) evil, misery, distress
b) evil, injury, wrong
c) evil (ethical)
Part of Speech: see above in Definition
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H7489
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2191a, 2191c 4] For He does not afflict willingly Or grieve the sons of men. To crush under His feet All the prisoners of the land, To deprive a man of justice In the presence of the Most High, To defraud a man in his lawsuit-- Of these things the Lord does not approve. (Lamentations 3:33-36) 5] Why should any living mortal, or any man, Offer complaint in view of his sins? (Lamentations 3:39) 6] Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
ṭ?ô^b (Strong's H2896) 1] good, pleasant, agreeable (adjective) a) pleasant, agreeable (to the senses)
b) pleasant (to the higher nature)
c) good, excellent (of its kind)
d) good, rich, valuable in estimation
e) good, appropriate, becoming
f) better (comparative)
g) glad, happy, prosperous (of man’s sensuous nature)
h) good understanding (of man’s intellectual nature)
i) good, kind, benign
j) good, right (ethical
2] a good thing, benefit, welfare (noun masculine) a) welfare, prosperity, happiness
b} good things (collective)
c) good, benefit
d) moral good
3] welfare, benefit, good things (noun feminine) a) welfare, prosperity, happiness
b) good things (collective)
c) bounty
Part of Speech: see above in Definition
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H2895
Same Word by TWOT Number: 793a 7] John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible:
"Lam 3:38 - Out of the mouth of the most High proceed not evil and good? Certainly they do; they come to pass, both one and the other, as God has pronounced, and his will determined; even "evils", as it is in the plural number; not the evil of sin, or of fault; this comes not out of the mouth of God, but is forbidden and condemned by him;" Geneva Bible Translation Notes: Lam 3:38 - Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not (s) evil and good?
(s) That is, adversity and prosperity, (Amo 3:6). Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary: Lam 3:38 - evil . . . good--Calamity and prosperity alike proceed from God (Job 2:10; Isa 45:7; Amo 3:6). 8] For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. (Psalms 5:4) Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. (James 1:13) 9] For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14) "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Clap your hand, stamp your foot and say, "Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, which will fall by sword, famine and plague! (Ezekiel 6:11) for it [rulers and authority] is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. (Romans 13:4) | 
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