Introduction

The question of how to reconcile divine sovereignty with human responsibility is one which has challenged the minds of Christian (and non-Christian) thinkers for millennia. How can God control every event without reducing His creatures to mere automatons? Likewise, how can the creature possess genuine freedom if the Creator is truly sovereign? Of course, the questions along these lines are usually more numerous than the answers. Such is the nature of the subject.

Within this larger framework, one area of particular concern is the so-called problem of evil. How can (why would) a good and sovereign God allow evil in His universe? While the subject is as vast as it is puzzling, and though I have no delusions of giving any final answers, please allow me to lay out a few suggestions. Evil is a messy project, defying simplistic answers. Therefore, I will take a disjunctive approach. My goal is to lay out a broad framework for understanding the problem of evil. What follows are a few pieces of this theological and personal puzzle.

Why Evil?

1. Often the evil we observe is the just desert of sinful choices.

Paul tells us that those who insist on living evil lives may be "given over" to their sin (Rom 1:24, 26, 28). Sin, of course, is evil. Yet here we see this evil as the penalty for human corruption. Man chooses to perform evil and receives it back on himself. Amazingly, in context this evil is seen as the wrath of God. That is, God judges sinners for their sin by giving them over to it—a frightening thought indeed, and one explanation for the evil we see. As Anselm wrote: "[We] have not yet duly estimated the gravity of sin."

2. Sometimes evil's occurrence is the means to a greater good.

In Hebrews we are told that God disciplines us for our good. Part of this discipline includes rubbing shoulders with that which is evil; God uses evil to sanctify us. For instance, there is the case of Joseph (Gen 45:1; 50:15-20). He was left for dead and abandoned by his family. All looked bad until years later when Joseph could turn to his brothers and say, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." There you have it: God brought about good by means of evil. Even more astounding, however, is the fact that Christ Himself "learned obedience through sufferings," much of which involved evil. To that subject we now proceed.

3. Evil is answered in the cross of Jesus Christ.

We might say that Jesus was immersed in (though not infected by) evil. Of course, the supreme example of this is Jesus' death. Has anything ever been so contrary to the way it ought to have been? Was there ever such a display of wickedness? But God used this evil to conquer evil! Our wickedness was, as it were, laid on Him. As Jesus swallowed our sin and its penalty the salvation of billions was procured. And what is the result? His condescending grace is displayed; His marvelous plan is manifested; His goodness is experienced; His Son is glorified. Along these lines, Henri Blocher has written: "We have no other position than at the foot of the cross. After we have been there we are given the answer of the wisdom of God, which incenses the advocates of optimistic theodicies or of tragic philosophies. God's answer is evil turned back on itself, conquered by the ultimate degree of love in the fulfillment of justice."[2]

4. Evil is an avenue through which God's attributes are displayed.

Romans 9 tells us that God permits evil in order to put His wrath and power on display (v. 22), and to make known the riches of His glory (v. 23). To put it bluntly, the existence of evil gives God the opportunity to show forth an aspect of His being (a fearful aspect!) that might otherwise be hidden. Furthermore, He accomplishes a depth of mercy, a height of grace, and a measure of glory which stands in stark contrast to what sinners deserve. In other words, God allows evil to be the dark backdrop against which He paints His wonderful portrait of grace. In fact, Eph 3:9-10 presents human history (including all the evil therein) as a stage upon which He vindicates Himself before the angelic hosts. "[E]vil ultimately serves a good purpose. Its existence makes it possible for God to demonstrate to all the universe what He is like."[3]

5. In answer to the problem of evil, we must conclude that God can do whatever He pleases.

Doesn't the potter have the right to do what he chooses with his own clay (Rom 9:21)? Of course! God can do what He wants with that which is His—and everything is His! This is the answer to the skeptic or rebel who objects to the sovereignty of God. God is God, period! Though hurt and mystified by the presence of evil, we must ultimately bow with Job who said, "I have declared that which I do not understand, things too wonderful which I do not know....Therefore, I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:3, 6). As Frame points out: "In His decisions, [God] will not submit to man's judgment. He reserves the right to behave in a way that may offend human values, that may even appear, from a human viewpoint, to contradict His own values. And when that happens, He is not under man's judgment. He is not obligated to explain."[4]

6. Part of our difficulty in understanding evil may be due to the fact that we are limited, both by our humanity and our sin.

All of us are bound by our own nature; we cannot escape what we are. For instance, that we can't choose to fly like a bird, however much we might admire the bird's abilities. Whatever efforts we make, there are certain limitations we cannot escape. We are limited by our humanity when it comes to understanding God. His ways are above our own (Is 55:8-9). What's worse, sin blinds and deceives us. Thus, our human faculties are marred and unable to function properly. Of course, Christians have been released from sin's penalty and enslaving influence. But even here we see that no believer this side of heaven is able to fully understand the divine mind. These factors—our humanity and sinfulness—might partly explain our inability to comprehend the evil of our world. Perhaps human limitations and remaining evil influence and confuse us enough to render impossible any exhaustive answers to the questions we ask.

7. The problem of evil is, at least at some level, a mystery.

I don't believe the Christian church does any service to itself or those on the outside when it simply rejects the problem of evil out of hand. What I mean is this: We shouldn't minimize the fact that evil really does exist, and that it deeply affects our lives and the lives of those we love. On top of this, there do appear to be legitimate questions concerning God's involvement in these things. Of course, the Christian can suggest a number of answers to the queries people raise. And, frankly, some of the objections of skeptics are not intellectual at all, but moral and spiritual. The problem, in these cases, is not one of understanding but of rebellion. Still it remains that we aren't given all of the pieces of the puzzle. Why, for instance, does God allow evil to touch His children? Could He not have accomplished His goals apart from such awful circumstances? Now, there are no doubt good answers to these questions—some which are available now, others which may not be discovered until the eschaton.[6] My point, though, is that we as believers in divine sovereignty must never minimize the reality of evil, nor exaggerate our comprehension of how God relates to it.[5] Since we serve a God who makes sense out of life and whose character and record are coherent and self-consistent, we needn't fret at the prospect of evil. Though we feel the pangs of a fallen world and have questions which we would ask God, we can approach these difficulties from the perspective of faith, for surely "the judge of the whole earth will do right" (Gen 18:25).

Final Words

The above listed suggestions are by no means the only answers to the dilemma of evil. Others have and will be suggested. At the end of the day, however, there is a proper Christian response to evil. In light of the character of God and the testimony of Scripture we can approach the problem of evil with an attitude of worship and faith. Our worship is perhaps in the midst of mystery. Like Job we close our mouths as God takes center stage (Job 38:1ff). With him we recognize that while evil is "big," God is much, much "BIGGER!" Likewise, ignorant though we may be, we trust our God. The God who has been good and faithful is surely worthy of our allegiance (Ps 13; 94). If we believe Him in the daylight, we can trust Him in the dark. After all, He has given us His dear Son (Rom 8:32). Can we doubt His immense goodness and love? May we all look through evil to Him who is the author and perfecter of faith (Heb 12:2). And in our looking, may we be conformed to the image of Him who has already conquered evil in principle, and will one day put it down forever at His coming. With a view to the end (the eschaton), we look forward to the day when "not only will justice be done, but it will be seen to be done."[7] Maranatha!

Helpful Literature

Jay Adams, The Grand Demonstration: A Biblical Study of the So-Called Problem of Evil (Santa Barbara, CA: EastGate Publishers, 1991).

Henri Blocher, Evil and the Cross (Downers Grove: IL, InterVarsity Press, 1994).

D.A. Carson, Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspectives Tension (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1981).

D.A. Carson, How Long O Lord: Reflections on Suffering and Evil (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1990).

John Frame, Apologetics to the Glory of God (Phillipsburg,, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1994).

John Warwick Montgomery, Ed., Evidence For Faith: Deciding The God Question (Dallas, TX: Probe Books, 1991), pp. 231-252.

NOTES

1. The attempt to explain the presence of evil in a good and sovereign God's world is often termed a theodicy. Feinberg states it this way: "The ways of God are defensible, and they are defensible in such a way that no theist should have to give in to the charge of irrationality due to a problem of evil." J.S. Feinberg in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1984), p. 1086.

2. Henri Blocher, Evil and the Cross (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), p. 133.

3. Jay Adams, The Grand Demonstration: A Biblical Study of the So-Called Problem of Evil (Santa Barbara, CA: EastGate Publishers, 1991), p. 51.

4. John M. Frame, Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1994), p. 172

5. Concerning the matter of the eschaton, it is interesting to observe the response of the apostle Paul to the difficulties he encountered. He viewed them as temporary afflictions which produce "an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison" (2 Cor 4:17), and considered the evil of this world as "not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom 8:18). In a practical sense, then, one important way of dealing with evil (however bewildering it may appear) is by looking forward to that day when all is finally made well. Evil is great, yet temporary. Future glory is infinitely greater, and eternal!

6. Though God is sovereign in all affairs, He apparently relates to good and evil in different ways. As Carson says: "The manner in which God stands behind evil and the manner in which he stands behind good are not precisely identical; for he is to be praised for the good, but not blamed for the evil." D.A. Carson, Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspectives in Tension (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1981), p. 212

7. D.A. Carson, How Long O Lord: Reflections on Suffering and Evil (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1990), p. 147.

Evil in a Good God's World: Suggestions for Dealing with the Problem of Evil
Copyright 1997 by Carmen C. DiCello
All rights reserved.