Why Does God Allow Evil And Suffering?

Today we’re going to address a very important question. Why does God allow evil and suffering? We’re going to get a little deep and heavy as we address this question. So, stay with me!

This past Tuesday, when I heard the news of the school shooting in Uvalda, TX, where 21 kids and 2 teachers were killed, my heart was hurt, troubled and heavy. I felt an abundance of sadness and sorrow, not only for the innocent little kids and teachers who were killed, but equally as much for the parents and family members who are suffering, with no understanding of this senseless evil that took the lives of their loved ones.

Later, that evening, when I went on my walk, I talked to the Lord, asking Him to comfort the hearts of the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, neighbors and of anyone who knew those who were tragically killed by this evil. I asked the Lord, to draw them unto Him for consolation, comfort and peace, in their most painful hours. To keep the enemy from lying to them, causing them to blame you Lord for allowing or not stopping this tragedy.

Blaming God, is a classic strategy of Satan and his minions, when such tragic evil occurs. Their plan is to cause a ripple effect, of blaming God for the evils in the world. They whisper in the ears of many, “why would God let this happen if He’s so loving?” “Why didn’t God prevent this or stop this evil from occurring?” Or, “God doesn’t care, if there even is a God?” Their plan is to cause people to doubt God, not trust God, become angry or bitter towards God or stop believing in Him altogether.

When evil and bad things happen in the world, many people are quick to blame God, and they question within themselves, If God is just and holy, good and righteous, then how do evil and suffering exist? That’s a question many people wrestle with, Christians and non-Christians.

In the movie Batman vs. Superman, Superman’s archenemy, Lex Luthor said: “If God is all powerful, he cannot be all good. And if he’s all good, then he cannot be all powerful.”

In essences Lex Luthor is saying:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.

Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent or mean.

Is he both able and willing? Then where does evil come from?

Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

Most people are plagued with the same sentiment as Lex Luthor, even if they never say it. However, as believers in Christ, we know that God is all powerful, Holy, Righteous and Just. But, the question is why does He allow evil and suffering to proliferate?

To answer this question, we first must define what evil actually is. Evil is typically seen by most people as a force opposed to good. Evil is viewed as the ying to good’s yang. However, the issue with defining evil in this way leads to one major problem, it assumes that evil is an actually force that was created and exist.

Now, hold on before you turn off and tune out, start talking about me saying, “he doesn’t know what he’s talking about”. I’m not saying evil isn’t real, obviously it is, we witness it every day and see all the suffering brought about by evil. But, what we’re going to get to is, did God, who created all things, the heavens, the earth, people, light, gravity and all in existence, did he also create evil? So, stay with me, because we’re going to shed light on the truth and understanding to this question; and also, why there is evil in the world, and why God allows it to proliferate. O.K.

The Bible defines “evil” as:

in the O.T. (or Hebrew):

??? ra' (rah); meaning, morally wrong, sinful, wicked, bad, disagreeable, unpleasant, wrong, malignant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery, unkind, vicious in disposition or temper, thoughts and acts that are injurious to ourselves and others, in attitude or behavior.

The N.T. or Greek is ?a???, ?, ?? kakos (ka-kos') – is pretty much defines evil the same way as the O.T. or the Hebrew.

So evil, as defined by God, runs from one end of the spectrum of being unpleasant, rude to the other side of being morally reprehensible, such as murder, theft, adultery, idolatry, blasphemy, etc.

The Bible describes God as being holy (Isaiah 6:3), righteous (Psalm 7:11) and just.

In Mark 10:17-18 we see where this man ran up to Jesus knelt before Him and said, “Good Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replies, 18“Why do you call Me good?” No one is good but One, and that One is, God.