If God, Why evil

If there is an all-good and all-powerful God, then why does He not put a stop to all of these tragedies like accidents, hurricanes, drought etc?

People are hungering for a truly comforting answer when faced with suffering, tragedy, and death.

Religion gives us three basic answers

Pantheism affirms God and denies evil. they believe that God is good, God is All, and so there is no evil. They say evil is an illusion.

Atheism affirms evil and denies God. They agree evil is real, but there is no God. However, we can only know evil through negation or privation i.e if we know what is good. C. S Lewis said “A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line” (Mere Christianity, 45).

Theism affirms both God and evil. Christian we believe both God and evil are real.

creatures. To err is human, because we’re finite. There are limits to our

the question of evil has to do with the integrity and holiness of God.

How can a benevolent God allow all the suffering that we find existing in life?

A nineteenth-century theologian stated that the problem of evil is the Achilles’ heel of the Christian faith. He argued that no satisfactory explanation can be given for the existence of evil. Many skeptics and atheists have stated that if God could not have stopped the entrance of evil into the universe, then He is not omnipotent. If He could have stopped it but chose not to stop it, then He is not benevolent. So either way you look at the problem of evil, somehow a shadow is cast over the nature of God. Historically, many attempts have been made to answer the question of the origin of evil from a Christian perspective, and those attempts have come to us by means of what is called theodicy. A theodicy—from the Greek meaning “to justify God”—is an attempt to justify God for the existence of evil in the world. But in my opinion, no one has yet been able to adequately answer the question of the problem of evil.

The first thing a Christian must do when he’s confronted with this question is to immediately say, “I don’t know the answer,” and acknowledge the seriousness of the question.

The second approach is that evil is actually a necessary prerequisite for the appreciation of the good, and so in the final analysis evil is good. Let’s state it in concrete terms: For man to really experience goodness in freedom, he had to experience the problem of evil. He had to experience the reality of evil so that he might appreciate his redemption.

Leibniz’s theodicy

Leibniz begins his theodicy by making a threefold distinction with respect to evil. He distinguishes between what he calls moral evil, physical evil, and metaphysical evil.

Moral evil is a lack of moral good. It’s a deficiency. Physical evil is a deficiency of physical good. Metaphysical evil is a deficiency of metaphysical goodness. Moral evil has to do with the actions of moral creatures, the volitional behavioral patterns of moral agents. Physical evil would be those things that we describe in terms of calamity or tragedy: earthquakes, tornadoes, fire, wind, storm, and pestilence. Metaphysical evil has to do with ontological imperfection. Ontology concerns “being,” the essence of things. An ontological matter is what something is, its being, its essence. Metaphysical imperfection is to be less than an eternal self-existent being, to be less than ultimate. An imperfect thing would be that which is created and dependent, that which undergoes change, generation, and decay. In a word, that which is metaphysically lacking is that which is finite.

Why doesn’t He create man morally perfect? This is the judgment the skeptics have raised. If God is going to create man, why doesn’t He create him perfectly good?

Leibniz’s basic thesis is that physical evil “flows out of” metaphysical evil, and moral evil “flows out of” physical evil. So, the reason we have moral evil is because the world is full of metaphysically imperfect beings.

To err is human, because we’re finite. There are limits to our knowledge, our physical strength, and our endurance. By definition, we are not all-powerful, we are not all-wise, we are not all the things that God is. So there is a sense in which it is inevitable that out of my simple human weakness I would sin.

There are problems with Leibniz’s theodicy. There is an intellectual problem and a biblical problem.

the intellectual problem is the error of reasoning called equivocation. the meaning of evil changes with each reasoning. eg moral evil means man is guilty since man is a volitional creature. metaphysical evil excuses man from evil for it is necessary for him to sin because of his metaphysical imperfection.

Biblically, then it will be impossible for us to be from from moral evil in heaven. So God must deify us beside our glorification. therefore Leibniz’s theodicy falls flat.

the other argument given about the origin of evil is that of man’s free will. Its true man had the freedom to choose good or evil. However, what prompted Eve and Adam choose evil rather than good? some say its because they were deceived by the devil. But then God had clearly told them what to do and what not to do. So they knew better. Suppose they were coerced to sin. Then God would not have punished them. god held them responsible.

Lets consider Adam and Eve’s situation before the fall. what was the inclination of their will? towards good, bad or it was neutral?

When we chose to do something, we do so according to our strongest inclination, or desire. thats the essence of choice; the mind choosing.

If the inclination of Adam and Eve before the fall was evil, then it means God created them that way, and that was their nature. this would make God be the author of sin. what if their inclination was good, then no explanation for their sin is possible. if their inclination was neutral, then they won’t chose anything. therefore there is no way to choose and that doesn’t explain the origin of evil.

Consider the act of temptation. To see something good and desire to have eat or have it is not a sin. There was no problem for Jesus to feel hungry and desire to eat. it was not a sin to desire food after fasting for 40 days. However, if we desire something that is intrinsically evil, then we’ve already sinned inwardly.

The problem of the nature of evil

1. God created all things.

2. Evil is something.

3. Therefore, God created evil.

The first premise is true that God created all things. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1); “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3 NKJV); “By him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible” (Colossians 1:16); the saints in heaven sing to God, “You created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11 ESV).

The second premise has a problem because evil is real but it is not a thing. Augustine of Hippo said that “Evil is a real lack, privation, or corruption of a good thing. That is, evil does not exist in itself: evil exists only in a thing or substance – and God created only good things, After almost every day of creation God said, “It is good.” Looking back on all His creation, “It was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Paul adds, “Everything God created is good” (1 Timothy 4:4); indeed, no food “is unclean in itself” (Romans 14:14). In short, there has to be some good thing in order for evil to exist in it as a lack, corruption, or privation of it.

Therefore, the arguments should be

God created all things

Evil is not a thing

HenceGod did not create evil.

Evil Is Like a Wound in an Arm

The wound is real but it does not exist in itself. It exists only in something else as a privation or corruption of it.

Evil Is Like Rot to a Tree

Rot only exists in the tree as a corruption of it, but it does not exists in and of itself. A totally rotten tree is not a tree but a topsoil.

Evil Is Like Rust to a Car

Rust is a corruption of a good thing (iron), but rust does not exist in and of itself. It is a privation or lack in a good thing. A totally rusted car does not exist;

Evil Is Like Moth Holes in a Woolen clothing

Moths can eat thus corrupt a woolen sweater and create holes, but holes do not exist in themselves. They exist only in other things. Again, a totally moth-eaten garment has ceased to exist.

God is free to do what He wants and thats what freedom means - dong what I want to do.

freedom is the ability to choose what you want.

Its difficult to tell how Adam and Eve choose evil over good. Its a mystery.

However, we are sure of one thing we cannot talk about evil without knowing what is good. Evil can only be explained at the backdrop of good. What are the prerequisite for evil to exist? The good. no ultimate problem of evil unless there is first the ultimate goodness.

we can only define evil in negative like unrighteousness, disobedience, immorality, lawlessness and antichrist.

what is evil. The verb is makes evil look like it can exist independently. So evil isn’t, it is not. Because evil is nothing though its real not an illusion as christian scientists believe. nothing means “no thing.” evil has no being. It has no ontological status.

Augustine of Hippo and Thomas aquinas described the nature of evil as , privatio (privation) and negatio (Negation). we can only understand evil by what its not.

The Bible describes evil in negative like unrighteousness, disobedience, immorality, lawlessness and antichrist. each term is used as a negation, the opposite of positive. Evil is only understood against the backdrop of the good.

another term to describe evil is , privation - which is deficiency.

origin of evil

The origin of evil has been called the Achilles’ heel of Christianity. Critics of Christianity have said, “Where the Christian truth claim is most vulnerable is at this point of the presence of evil in a world allegedly made and governed by a good and holy God.”

“the devil made me do it,” is the most explanation people give. This was the argument Eve gave. It was her theodicy. Adam hitchhiked on that argument when he said to God, “The woman whom you gave to be with me,” as if God now had forced evil into Adam through the irresistible power of the wife that God provided for him.

God created Adam and Eve without sin. Their ability to think was perfect since it had not been ruined by the first sin. So they knew what they were doing.

Evil is not good, but it is good that there is evil. Otherwise, evil would not be in a universe ruled by a perfect God. This is a hard statement that is easy to misunderstand.

I don’t understand all about the good Friday because who delivered Jesus up to the gentiles to be killed? Ultimately, who was it who was pleased that He be punished? It pleased the Lord to bruise Him. The blackest act in all of human history is celebrated now by what we call Good Friday.

Joseph said to his brothers in Genesis 50:20, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

We love Romans 8:28: “For those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Unless God has sovereign power over evil, He will not be able to keep this promise that we cling to and rely on for encouragement during times of suffering.

God is not saying that the bad things we suffer are good things; He says they are working for good. God uses them ultimately for good. Unless God has the power over good and evil, He can’t make that promise. So for purposes I don’t know and I don’t understand, God, in a certain sense, ordained that evil come into this world.

My answer to the question “Where did evil come from?” is essentially “I don’t know.”

However, it is important to know why this question is such a thorny one and why it is still a mystery. Though I don’t know or fully understand the origin of evil, I do know the future of it. I do know that it has been overcome and that God will rid this universe of all moral evil, physical evil, and metaphysical evil, as we inhabit a new heaven and a new earth, where there will be no more crying, no more sin, and no more death.

The Wonderful Decree: Reconciling Sovereign Election and Universal Benevolence Finding the Missing Premise in the Argument from Evil

God chooses not to tell us everything he knows (Deut 29:29); and, perhaps, God not only has a good and sufficient reason for allowing the evils he permits to occur, but even has a good reason for not giving us his explanation.

The Wonderful Decree: Reconciling Sovereign Election and Universal Benevolence Finding the Missing Premise in the Argument from Evil

Christians believe that God incarnated himself in the person of Jesus Christ. In this act of incarnation, God identified with the sufferings of humanity so as to redeem the world from its state of bondage to sin and evil. As the New Testament teaches us: “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). The author of Hebrews explicitly tells us that Jesus is fully divine, being the Creator and Sustainer of the universe (Heb 1:1–14), and yet this same Christ is also fully human, a man who suffered for us in the days of his flesh (Heb 5:7): “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (Heb 5:8–9). Thus, while any theist is able to answer the logical problem of evil by appealing to our first three propositions, the Christian has a distinct advantage over other types of theists by offering yet a fourth premise illuminating the fact that God himself has personally identified with our sufferings in this life so that we can be redeemed for the next. Christians, in contrast to Jews and Muslims, can truly say, without qualification, that God not only sympathizes with us, but also empathizes with us in our suffering. Thus, putting it all together, the logical compatibility of both God and evil can be demonstrated as follows:

(a) The God of theism is said to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent.

(b)′ Evil exists.

(c)′ God has a good and sufficient reason for allowing evil to exist.

(d)′ As an omnipotent being, God is able to create a world wherein evil never prevails over the good.

(e)′ As an omniscient being, God knows how to create a world wherein evil never prevails over the good.

(f)′ As an omnibenevolent being, God wants a world to exist wherein good prevails, as well as one that eventually contains no evil.

(g)′ God will one day utterly defeat evil.

(h) God has already begun the process of defeating evil via redemptive incarnation.

(i) Therefore, theism is logically compatible with evil