God and the Problem of Evil
Job speaks with his friends By. Gustave DoreNote: This was originally a term paper written for an apologetics class in seminary. Changes have been made to make it more of a blog post to the best of my ability.
Those who are hostile to the God of the Bible, when presented with a biblical worldview that challenges their own, often ask, “If there is a loving God who is all-powerful and all-knowing, then why does evil exist?” In their suppression of the truth (Romans 1), they seem to disdain God because of some preconceived notion of evil or injustice on God’s part. Therefore, even the average Christian should be prepared to give a consistent defense based on the revealed Word of God, with gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:15). In this paper, we will elaborate on the problem of evil and why it is a problem, consider some of the proposed solutions offered, and provide a biblical answer concerning God and the problem of evil.
The Problem
Those who oppose the Christian worldview would argue if an omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere at one time) God is also all-loving, how can evil exist? Why does God allow it, or why doesn’t he eliminate it? If God knows a little girl is being raped, why doesn’t God prevent it? If he is all-powerful and all good, then he would not allow such a thing to happen. These types of questions are often asked to appeal to one’s emotional side. Those making this argument would assume that because evil exists, then God cannot exist. Or if evil exists, not all of God’s attributes are true; therefore, he ceases to be God. They derive a contradiction from comparing the omni nature of God and the presence of evil in the world; not just apparent moral evil such as Hitler, serial killers, and rapists, but also natural evil such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and famines. Though they do not see the fallacy in their argument, we must still provide a sound defense. We can point out, as Dr. Brian Borgman has said, “The problem of evil can only be asserted if evil really exists… Furthermore, atheists who level the charge that the problem of evil is the most damaging argument against Christian Theism apparently lose sight of the fact that the problem of evil is only a problem if God exists.”[1] They have no standard to define what is good and what is evil in their worldview. To them, we are simply a clump of cells running into each other, so what does it matter if one person murders another?
The atheist borrows from the Christian worldview when they say there is evil. Atheism presupposes there is a God to make its point in this argument. Even so, we must take the question seriously and provide an answer from the standard of Scriptures because ultimately, they know there is a God, though the knowledge is suppressed. They need an answer when they ask because God does exist. As Romans 1:18,19 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.”[2] For this reason, the problem of evil must be addressed and taken seriously. Dr. Greg Bahnsen makes an excellent point on this matter, saying, “When we talk about evil with unbelievers, it is crucial that both sides ‘play for keeps.’ Evil must be taken seriously “as evil.”[3]
Proposed Solutions
In an attempt to answer this question, theists and Christian theists have several proposed theodicies, a term meaning “a defense of God’s goodness and omnipotence in view of the existence of evil.”[4] They are an attempt to show that the existence of evil doesn’t rule out the possibility of God’s existence. Let us look at a few of those answers and see where they may fall short of a good response.
Divine Weakness Defense
Liberal theists would sacrifice the attributes of God to make room for evil. John Frame speaks of this as “some sort of divine weakness or inability as the solution to the problem of evil: God does not overcome all evil because he cannot do so - although he does do his best.”[5] They would say God is not all-knowing or all-powerful. The problem with this logic is that it contradicts Scripture concerning the attributes of God. Scripture reveals to us the true nature of God, and if he is not all-knowing and all-powerful, neither could he be God of creation, sovereign, omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient.
Theists of the pagan variety also use this defense to describe their god/gods in answering this question. For example, Odin isn’t an all-knowing and all-loving god. He is known as the Norse god who seeks out wisdom and gains it through experience, even going so far as to sacrifice one of his eyes in exchange for wisdom.[6] Therefore, if he isn’t all-knowing, he cannot be all-loving because he does not know all of mankind. Thus, there is no logical explanation for evil in Norse Odinism. So how can Odin be known as a “god” if this is the case? Odinism would fall into the category that Jeffery Johnson describes in his book, “The Absurdity of Unbelief” as “impersonal- supernaturalism.” Pantheists, polytheists, dualists, and liberal Christians would also fall into this category in their beliefs. Johnson goes on to say, “These are those who believe that Ultimate Reality is a divine force that is impersonal and entirely imminent (in one way or another) throughout the universe. Although polytheists and liberal Christians believe in a personal deity/deities, they are included in this category because, as a whole, they believed in an impersonal Ultimate Reality - that either God or morality is ultimately beyond our capability of knowing.”[7] Without a personal god, we have a god who does not possess all the attributes to call him God. Instead, you have a glorified superhero from mythology. There is no weakness found in the God of the Bible. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere (Colossians 1:16;John 1:3; Isa 45:7,46:10; Prov 21:1; Rom 8,9,10; Eph 1:11; Psalm 139:7-10; Proverbs 15:3; 1 John 3:20; Luke 1:37; Jeremiah 32:27; etc.).
Evil Is An Illusion
Eastern religions such as Hinduism, New Age teachings, and some western Cults such as Christian Science teach that evil is just an illusion, something that doesn’t exist.
Dr. Walter Martin, in his book Kingdom of the Cults, cites the works of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. Martin states,
Eddy and Christian Science energetically deny his (Satan) existence referring to him as ‘another elusive personification’ (Science and Health, 81). Further establishing her contention that evil is nonexistent, Eddy flatly states: Hence, evil is but an illusion, and it has no real basis. Evil is a false belief. God is not its author. The supposititious parent of evil is a lie (Science and Health, 480). There never was a moment in which evil was real (No and Yes, 24). Since Christian Science denies the origin of evil or Satan, it is only logical that it should deny evil, and sin as the result of evil.[8]
As stated above in the Divine Weakness Defense, metaphysically, an impersonal ultimate reality is truly unknowable and distant. Therefore, it cannot reveal to one what is right or wrong and has no standard of morality. If evil does not exist and is simply an illusion, one may do whatever one wants. A deep dive into hedonism seems to be the logical conclusion and thus does not make a solid argument.
Free Will Defense
The free will defense projects that God maximized the goodness in the world by creating free beings. And being free means that we have the choice to do evil things. Therefore, if it comes down to free choice, God cannot be held accountable for it. But if this is the case, this weakens the sovereignty of God. As John Frame points out, “Scripture never uses the free will defense in any passage where the problem of evil is up for discussion... You will not find it in the book of Job, Psalm 37, or in Psalm 73. Indeed, all these passages presuppose the usual strong view of divine sovereignty.”[9] This argument does not hold up under the examination of Scripture, and it is incoherent at times. Frame points out, “If, as in classical Arminianism, our free choices are literally causeless, then they are not caused by our character or our desires any more than they are caused by God. and if this is the case, our ‘free choices’ are totally accidental happenings unconnected with anything in the past. They are surprises, worse than hiccups occurring at awkward times.”[10] The free will defense falls into the divine weakness defense category. It makes God a being who does not know the future and is reactionary to the numerous independent free will actions of all living creatures.
The Best-Possible-World Defense
In this argument, God created the best possible world. As Frame describes it, “Certain evils are logically necessary to achieve certain good ends. For example, there must be suffering if there is to be compassion for sufferers. So, the best possible world will include some evil.”[11] But is this the case? We see in Scripture that God created the world perfectly. Genesis tells us that God called every part of the creation “good” (Gen 1). We also see that in the end, God will create a new heaven and earth which will also be perfect and good just as it was in the beginning. This argument does not hold up to the biblical worldview in this inconsistency alone. It limits who God is ontologically.
The Character-Building Defense
In this argument, man was created morally immature. For man to become mature, he would have to go through various trials of pain and suffering. While it is true that God will indeed allow us to go through trials and tribulations to refine us like metal in the furnace (Isa 48:10, 1 Pet 1:6–7), and does chastise those whom he loves (Heb 12:6), this defense does not hold up as well under further examination of Scripture. Genesis tells us that God created Adam morally pure, that suffering and pain are direct results of the fall (Gen 3:17). Frame says that “Scripture teaches that not all suffering builds character. Unbelievers suffer and often learn no lessons from it.”[12] We are made new in Christ alone. As the first paragraph of the thirteenth chapter of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith states very clearly:
They who are united to Christ, effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection, are also farther sanctified, really and personally, through the same virtue, by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them; the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts of it are more and more weakened and mortified, and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of all true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.[13] (Isa. 46:10; Eph. 1:11; Heb. 6:17; Rom. 9:15,18 James 1:13; 1 John 1:5 Acts 4:27–28; John 19:11 4 Num. 23:19; Eph. 1:3–5)
God will bring about perfection in our lives through grace in our sanctification, being made whole and complete in our ultimate death and glorification. Therefore, this defense does not hold up under biblical examination.
The Greater-Good Defense
The greater-good defense is the only argument backed up by Scripture. Though it is not perfect, it is at least biblically and logically sound and is a God-centered rather than a man-centered defense. Frame puts it this way, “Although the greater-good defense is basically sound, it leaves us with a sense of mystery. For it is hard to imagine how God’s good purpose justifies evil in the world.”[14] We will explore this more in the next section.
What Does The Bible Say?
As we have looked at the various potential answers, we must realize, for our apologetic to hold, we must adhere to the Word of God. It is the foundation of all truth, and we should never sacrifice the truth or remove an attribute of God to win an argument. We could write a book on everything the Bible has to say on the subject at hand, but by examining just a few passages, we can grasp the concept of God and the problem of evil. In the book of Genesis chapters 37–50, we see the story of Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob. Because of his brothers' jealousy of their father’s love of Joseph, they sold Joseph into slavery. After many years Joseph eventually became second in command over all of Egypt. All the events that led up to the end show the sovereignty of God in the situation. The evil circumstances were used to shape Joseph into a powerful leader, growing in wisdom and eventually saving the people from famine. Finally, in chapter 50, we see the conclusion. Jacob is dead. Joseph’s brothers, who sold him into slavery and lied to their father in saying that Joseph had been killed, are now afraid of what he will do. But in the end, Joseph, knowing the real reason all these things happened, forgave them. He stated in verse 20, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” What was evil intended toward Joseph at the hands of his brothers and others, such as Potiphar’s wife, was all part of God’s plan. It was God’s will that it should happen.
The book of Job teaches us a lot about this question of evil. In the first chapter of Job we see that God does allow secondary causes through the agency of evil men and Satan himself to bring about his will. The Lord asked Satan if he had considered Job, and Satan replied, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side?...Then the Lord said to Satan, behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” (vv9–12) All that Job had was taken away; the Sabeans attacked and stole his oxen and donkeys and slew the servants, save one. Fire came down from heaven and killed all his sheep and those servants. As this was being reported to Job, another servant approached and said the Chaldeans have stolen all the camels and slain the other servants. Then another came and said that a great wind caused his oldest son’s house to collapse which killed all his children who were feasting there. Despite all of this, even as Job mourned, he worshiped God, saying, “the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21).
He did not blame Satan, the Sabeans, or the Chaldeans, nor their evil intent. He understood that God is the provider and is sovereign over all. He didn’t blame God for the natural evil that befell him. Job understood that he was a steward of all God had blessed him with. Time went on. His body became riddled with boils and his friends accused Job of sin that brought this on himself. Job began to believe that he was suffering unjustly and he demanded an interview with God (Job 23:1–7; 31:35ff). God granted him the interview, but God questioned Job. “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me! Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (38:3–5). Job then understood that he could not question God and repented, “Then Job answered the Lord and said, ‘I know that You can do all things and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.’ ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.” (42:3–6) In essence, Job is saying that he realizes God is beyond our complete comprehension and that his infinite ways are beyond our finite ability to understand.
Frame states, “God’s righteousness is the standard for our righteousness. But as sovereign Lord, God may sometimes do things that appear to our finite minds to be contrary to that divine righteousness. When that happens, we must not demand explanations, but rather trust.”[15] Scripture leaves no doubt that God is good (Psa 73:1, 119:68;145) and he is not the author of evil (James 1:13). Most Christians like to profess that God is in control but don’t think deeply enough about the implications of those words. As the late R.C. Sproul said, “If there is one maverick molecule in all the universe, then God is not sovereign. And if God is not sovereign, He is not God.”[16] God governs the universe and all that is in it. Including the presence of evil. Proverbs 16:4 says, “The Lord has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil.” But he wills evil to be without sinning. “God does not do but certainly does will evil for a good purpose.”[17] Ultimately, all things work according to his will. Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Psalm 135:6 tells us, “Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.”
In the Gospel of John, there was a man who was blind since birth, and under Jewish tradition, it was assumed that his suffering was the result of sin. However, John 9:1–3 says, “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” The whole reason this man suffered from blindness his entire life was so that God could be glorified; so that others could see the power of God and testify to Jesus being God in the flesh.
The crucifixion of Christ was God’s plan from the foundation of the world. The book of Acts makes this clear, we first find in Peter’s sermon at Pentecost recorded for us in chapter 2 v23, “this Man (Jesus), delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.” Then we find also when Peter and John were released after being arrested by the temple Priest and Sadducees for healing a man in the name of Jesus, they returned to their companions and reported what had taken place. Having come together in one accord, they prayed a confession out loud saying in chapter 4 vv27–28, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.” This shows how God used the evil intent of Judas, Caiaphas, Pilate, the crowds, Barabbas, the Roman soldiers, and all involved to bring about the death of his own Son, which was predestined and foreordained to happen. As all things are by God’s decree, Ephesians 1:11 says, “also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith says in chapter 3.1,
God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears His wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree.[18] (Isa. 46:10; Eph. 1:11; Heb. 6:17; Rom. 9:15,18; James 1:13; 1 John 1:5; Acts 4:27–28; John 19:11; Num. 23:19; Eph. 1:3–5)
God’s Wrath Against Evil
We see throughout the Bible that God does not leave evil unpunished. He flooded the earth in response to evil, wiped Sodom and Gomorrah from the face of the earth for their evil wickedness, and the list goes on to many more examples. Yet, through all that he decrees to happen, he is not accountable to anyone for his actions. We see in Romans 9:14–24
What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
God will do as he pleases (Psalm 115:3) and we have no authority to question the one who made us. God, in the end, will condemn evil in the final judgment, and that will be his proclamation to all, his answer to evil (Rev 20:11–15). The new heaven and the new earth will be established without the curse of sin, where nothing but righteousness dwells, thus the end of evil (2 Pet 3:13). The question remains, what can we do about evil in the world? We know that the Lord is our help, and we should put our trust in him (Prov 3:5–6), follow God guided by his revealed Word as a light unto our feet (Psalm 119:105), help and show love to those who are in need (1 John 3:17–18) and take no part in evil works of darkness, but instead, expose them (Eph 5:11).
Conclusion
At the heart of the issue, the one asking such questions is not a believer in the God of the Bible. The Gospel of Christ must be proclaimed, and an argument can be made to help plant the truth of the gospel, but ultimately, it is in God’s hands. But for those who belong to God, we know that all things, including evil, work in accordance with his will. As A.W. Pink put it, “The end and object of all is the glory of God.”[19] God is sovereign over evil, yet he does not sin.
[1] Brian Borgman, “The Problem of Evil” (ST501 Apologetics Lectures Reformed Baptist Seminary), accessed September 2021, htthttps://rbs.populiweb.com/router/courseofferings/10703461/lessons/12527719/showps://rbs.populiweb.com/router/courseofferings/10703461/lessons/12527719/show
[2] All Scripture citations in the work are taken from the New American Standard Bible (The Lockman Foundation, 1995) unless otherwise noted.
[3] Greg Bahnsen, Always Ready: Directions for defending the faith, ed. Robert R. Booth, (Nacogdoches, TX: Covenant Media Press, 1996), 164
[4] Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 9th ed., s.v. “Theodicy,” (Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster In., Publishers, 1984)
[5]John M. Frame, Apologetics A Justification Of Christian Belief, ed. Joseph Torres, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2015), 168
[6] “Odin”, Norse Mythology for Smart People, accessed November 9,2021, https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/the-aesir-gods-and-goddesses/odin/
[7] Jeffery D. Johnson, The Absurdiy of Unbelief A Worldview Apologetic Of The Christian Faith, (Conway, AR: Free Grace Press, 2016), 92
[8] Walter Martin, The Kingdom of The Cults, 6th ed. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Bethany House Publishers 2019), 182
[9] John M. Frame, Apologetics A Justification Of Christian Belief, ed. Joseph Torres, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2015), 166
[10] Ibid. 166
[11] Ibid. 162
[12] Ibid. 167
[13] 1689 LBCF 13.1.
[14] John M. Frame, Apologetics A Justification Of Christian Belief, ed. Joseph Torres, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2015), 186
[15] Ibid. 179
[16] R.C. Sproul, “Chosen By God”. (Video of Teaching series from Ligonier Ministries), accessed November 2, 2021, https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/chosen-by-god/gods-sovereignty
[17] John M. Frame, Apologetics A Justification Of Christian Belief, ed. Joseph Torres, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2015), 157
[18] 1689 LBCF 3.1.
[19] A.W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God, (Digireads.com Publishing, 2018), 177
