Apologetics Session 3

We read some words from the prophet Habakkuk this morning that, if we were honest, I think we would all admit have come across our minds and hearts at one point or another.

Rampant evil is occuring, and God seems absent at best or condoning at worst. “Where are you, God?” the hurting heart cries out. We are dealing with the subject of evil this morning. We first must answer the question, What is evil?

I. What is evil?

When using the term evil, it is important that we determine what we mean by it. Now, we are using evil in the same sense that the Old Testament uses it. There are two primary ways: moral and natural evil.

Moral evil is that which offends God. Murder, adultery, pride, these are moral evils. Natural evil is represented through disease and natural disasters. Both are found in scripture.

For moral evil, we have ample evidence:

Genesis 4- murder and polygamy

Genesis 6- rampant violence and wickedness

Genesis 12- deception

Genesis 14- murder and enslavement

That is in the first few chapters of Genesis alone. We could discuss the various moral evils found in Scripture, even among God’s people (David), that demonstrate moral evil.

For natural evil, we also have ample evidence:

Genesis 12:10- famine

Joshua 23:15 (Lev. 26:14-39)- panic, wasting disease, fever, famine conditions, violent animals

Luke 13:4- freak accidents

Jeremiah 11:17 gives both: natural evil (disaster) is the result of moral evil

But how do we measure what is evil and what is not, morally speaking? Today, we see a remarkable similarity to Judges 21:25.

Randy Alcorn provides a helpful definition of moral evil (or, sin),

“Sin attacks the spotless character of almighty God. At its root, evil violates God’s nature and insults his supremacy. It rejects God and rebels against his authority. Therefore we cannot understand evil without understanding the nature of the one true God.”—Randy Alcorn, If God is Good

II. From where did evil come?

Our next question, then, from where did evil come? Did God create it? After finishing creation, He declared it “very good,” in Gen. 1:31. How could it be very good if evil existed?

We learn from Scripture that the angels were the first beings to rebel against God (see Gen. 3:1, cf. Isaiah 14:12-14, Eze. 28:11, 14-15, Rev. 12:9). We do not know when or how they fell, nor do we understand how a good and holy God could create a being capable of sinning. We must humbly acknowledge that we are finite beings, and it is possible (dare I say likely) that even if we were privy to such information we would fail to reconcile and understand it? (Deut. 29:29).

Alcorn’s quote, 47.

That deals with the angels, but what about humans? We understand that when God created humanity He did so in a state of innocence. That is, they were in a unique state of purity that could be perfected (completed).

Louis Berkhof writes,

“Protestants teach that man was created in a state of relative perfection, a state of righteousness and holiness....He was, something like a child, perfect in parts, but not yet in degree.”—Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology

This is an important concept to grasp because it is from this state that Adam fell. In other words, it seems that original man had a similar choice that the angels apparently had: obey the Lord or sin. We know from Gen. 3 and from Rom. 5:12-21, that the results were long lasting and devastating.

III. How does evil affect humanity?

Where answered this briefly in our first question, but I want to draw some further implications for our understanding of evil.

A. Evil is found in the human mind- Rom. 1:18-32; Eph. 2:3; 4:17

B. Evil is found in the will- Rom. 3:10-18 (1:18-32)

C. Evil is found in the emotions- Gen. 4:5-7, 1 Sam. 25:17, Dan. 3:13 and19

All sins, in thought, words, and actions, stem from one or a combination of these. We see this horror on individual and societal levels, on small scale and large scales.

It is from this evil that all other evils stem (e.g., human hatred brings about murder).

IV. How do we reconcile evil and a good God?

Many atheists, in particular, use evil as a reason not to believe in God. People cannot wrap their minds around the idea that God is good when a tsunami kills over a quarter of a million people (Dec. 2004).

People reason that, if God were good and powerful, he would stop parents from torturing and murdering their child. If God was good and powerful, women would not be raped, young children would not be gunned down in the streets, people would not get cancer, and the list goes on.

How do we answer these heartbreaking questions? What responses can we give?

A. Discussing evil brings us to God (the determiner of right and wrong, our conscience/natural law)

“Therefore we cannot understand evil without understanding the nature of the one true God.”—Randy Alcorn

In other words, how do we determine right and wrong, good and evil? It is impossible without a biblical worldview (or, more generally, an appeal to a higher authority).

B. Evil is the result of human sin

We cannot dismiss this, though we must be careful in how we discuss this, particularly to those who are experience intense suffering (John 9:1-5).

At the same time, the Scriptures teach that God was not surprised by Adam’s disobedience. Alcorn says,

“The Fall, the first human tragedy, became the mother of all subsequent ones. We should do nothing to minimize it or to pretend it mattered less than it did. Yet, the Fall did not end God’s plan for humanity. God would ultimately use evil to accomplish the greater end of redemption in Christ: Eph. 1:9-11.”—Randy Alcorn

C. Evil must be understood from a God-centered perspective, not a man-centered one

If we fail at this point, we are hopelessly lost. To be honest, this is one of the problems with Christian beliefs today as a whole. When we think man is responsible for his salvation, then we fail to understand the Gospel, the role of works in the believer’s life, and the implications for evangelism.

Likewise, with the problem of evil, if we do not view it from a God-centered perspective, we will fail to grasp what little of it we can and misinterpret it horrifically.

D. Evil points to redemption

This is, perhaps, the most wonderful aspect of evil. God created a good universe, human sin brought a curse and judgment. Human beings were hopelessly lost (on their own), but as we noted in Eph. 1:3-14, God had a plan in place before He ever spoke a particle into existence.

In his chapter, “Jesus: The Only Answer Bigger Than the Question,” Alcorn begins with these words,

“Bart Ehrman writes, ‘I cam to think that there is not a God who is actively involved with this world of pain and misery—if he is, why doesn’t he do something about it?’

But what if God did do something about it? What if what he did was so great and unprecedented that it shook the angelic realm’s foundation, and ripped in half, from the top down, not only the temple curtain but the fabric of the universe itself?”—Randy Alcorn

Later in the same chapter Alcorn makes this profound remark,

“Whenever you feel tempted to ask God, ‘Why did you do this to me?’ look at the Cross and ask, ‘Why did you do that for me?’”

When we taste the bitter evils of this, they are what will be a faint reminder of the goodness of God (Psa. 34:8).