- The Problem of Evil: The Fall
- The Problem of Evil: The Cross
- The Problem of Evil: New Creation
- The Problem of Evil: Why So Much Evil?
In the first part of this series, I addressed the question of how evil could come to exist at all within the creation of a good, omnipotent God, pointing to the Christian doctrine of the Fall as an answer. In the second part of this series, I addressed the question of how we can believe that God loves us, in spite of the existence of so much evil in the world, pointing to the fact that God was willing to suffer and die on a cross for us as an answer. In this entry, I will address the question, “Why would a good, omnipotent God allow evil to continue to exist within His creation?”
Christian Hope
From the perspective of an abstract theism, it is difficult to answer the question of why there is evil within God’s creation. If we examine the world around us and assume that things have always been this way and always will be this way, it is hard to accept the idea that this world is the creation of a good, omnipotent God. However, the teaching of Christian theology is that the world has not always been this way, and the world will not always be this way. Evil is not something inherent and necessary in the world; it was brought about by the Fall as the result of sin. And, Christians believe, evil will not always be a part of the world; one day, God will fully remove all traces of evil from His creation.
In the New Testament book of Revelation, John describes his vision of a future in which God will remove all evil from His creation: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. . . And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”” (22:1, 3-5). One day, God will fully restore and renew His creation, bringing a complete end to sin, suffering and death. Though God allows these evils to exist for a time, He will not tolerate them forever, but will eventually ensure that all evil is removed from His creation. This is the Christian hope.
Humanity’s Role
At this point it might be objected, “Well, if God is going to eventually remove all evil from His creation, why doesn’t He just do it now? Once evil begins to exist, why wouldn’t a good, omnipotent God immediately eliminate it rather than allowing it to exist for a time?” The answer lies in the important, central role that human beings, and human freedom and responsibility, play in the world that God has created. God created human beings in His image, as His representatives in His creation, with a central role to play as those who were to bring order to His creation. Evil entered the world at the Fall because human beings rebelled against God and failed in the vocation that God had given them. In order for God’s creation to be free from evil, it will take human beings turning to God and fulfilling the vocation that God originally gave them.
In his epistle to the church of Rome, the apostle Paul had this to say about the connection between the renewal of human beings and the renewal of the whole of creation: “The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we await eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:19-23). Because of the sinful rebellion of human beings and their separation from God, all of creation is effectively cursed and under bondage to decay. It is only when human beings return to God and become His children that they are able to fulfill the role they were intended to fulfill in God’s creation as God’s representatives and agents of order. It is only as redeemed human beings are fully united to God, share in His life, and are bodily resurrected to eternal life that they will bring the rest of creation along with them. Then, “the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God,” and all evil will be eliminated from God’s good creation.
This is the purpose of God’s actions in salvation history, culminating in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect human life on our behalf. He took the consequences of our sin upon Himself when He died on the cross. When He rose from the dead, He won the victory on our behalf over all the powers of evil. Through union with Him and what He has done for us, we can share in His victory over the powers of evil. But this requires repentance and faith, which is a free human choice. God cannot just wave a magic wand and instantly make all evil disappear from His creation, because He requires our cooperation in order to bring His creation to the perfection that He intends for it.
Free Will
At this point it might be objected, “But why doesn’t God just override our free will? If He is omnipotent, can’t He just force us to choose to do what is right, be in right relationship with Him, and rightly fulfill our role in His creation?” This objection assumes that free will is merely some kind of extraneous quality human beings happen to have that can simply be removed without fundamentally changing who and what we are. This assumption is false. The free will of human beings is part of their essential nature, and God created human beings in order to have creatures in His creation who would freely serve Him in a relationship of mutual love (which necessarily requires freedom). Free will is not just some isolated quality that God can simply remove from us; it is an intrinsic part of who and what we are.
God respects the integrity of His creation. Theoretically, whenever I make a morally wrong decision, God could miraculously intervene to erase my memory of that decision and rewire my brain to make me believe I had chosen to make the morally right decision. Theoretically, if I have developed a habit that is a vice, God could miraculously intervene to rewire my brain to remove that habit and make it seem like I have instead developed a habit that is a virtue. But if He did this, I would no longer be me. In reality, God would actually be destroying me and replacing me with something else, a puppet. God respects the integrity and freedom of those He has created, even if they choose to use that freedom wrongly. This is what gives our lives and our choices meaning.
God has blessed human beings with freedom and responsibility. Humanity has turned this blessing into a curse. But God has refused to allow the curse of the Fall to have the last word. In Christ, He has acted, even at cost to Himself, to save us from sin, suffering, and death, so that we can be blessed and be a blessing to the rest of creation. Christians know that through Jesus, and through His body, the Church, God is already at work to restore and renew His creation. And we know that, one day, this work will be fully accomplished and all evil will be eliminated from God’s good creation. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. God does not tolerate the existence of evil within His creation. He will soon bring about its extinction. Evil is temporary. Good is eternal. This is the Christian hope.