The Problem Of Evil
A question that puzzles many people, is that, if God is good, how is it possible to have evil in the world?
The Missing Pieces
When we puzzle over this, we often miss that there are actually three parts to the problem.
When we shake our fist at God, we usually ignore the other players in the scenario.
Satan, Mankind and God
You see there are three elements to the problem.
Satan - the fallen angel once known as Lucifer
Mankind - the created beings that rejected God’s principles
God - All loving, all moral, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient
Satan
When we think of evil, we rarely think of an actual evil agency operating in the world, causing and promoting evil, seeking to destroy all those things that God has made to be beautiful, honourable and moral.
But that is exactly what Satan does, he is deliberately trying to harm mankind, so that he can get revenge on God.
And all the while pointing his finger at God, hiding his own involvement and blaming God for what he has done and encourage to be done.
So what's up with Satan?
The Bible tells us that he was originally the highest created being in God's government and stood at the left hand of God.
Through jealousy of God's power and the rejection of God as a moral authority, Satan became the instigator and the initiator of a rebellion in heaven, in the very government of God.
His basic argument was that God was self serving and selfish and therefore to serve God was morally wrong.
He persuaded a third of the angels in God’s government to reject God and rebel against Him, they decided they wanted a Brexit, they wanted out of God’s order of things.
Mankind’s Origins
Mankind was created in the moral image of God and put in charge of the planet we call earth.
Mankind was given everything needed for a life of happiness, continual development and fulfillment.
Satan however, made the argument that God would not be moral unless Mankind was given freedom of choice, to choose his principles that led to a life of selfish gain, over God’s principles that led to a life of serving others and if He did not grant that, then God Himself was selfish and not true to His own principles.
God gave Satan access to mankind and mankind chose to believe Satan and they rebelled against God, this is known as the fall of man.
Satan’s Seduction Of Mankind
But how did Satan even get a chance to present his viewpoint?
God, who is by nature loving, created, right at the beginning, beings that had complete free will to choose Him or reject Him.
One of those beings, Lucifer (who became satan), exercised that free will and led a rebellion in heaven amongst the angelic host, by lying about God and casting doubt on God’s character.
God knew the truth about Satan's real character, but the rest of the universe were confused, so God had to allow Satan’s character to be shown.
So God gave Satan access to mankind through one tree in the garden of Eden and mankind, like the third of the angels fell for Satan’s deceptions.
The Problem
So God had a problem, He knew satan's real character and intent but knew that if He just destroyed Satan, that a seed of doubt would be cast in the minds of all of the intelligent created beings throughout the universe for eternity and the harmony of the universe would be broken forever.
The only choice He had, without wiping out Creation completely, was to give Satan the opportunity to reveal his real nature and at the same time reveal God's nature.
And that meant He had to allow all of creation to choose between Him and Satan, including Mankind.
The Test Of Character
It is only when all of creation could see the true characters of God and Satan and answer all of Satan’s objections and arguments that God could finally act and destroy Satan, his fallen angels and those that decided to live according to his Satans principles on earth, in a way that could be seen to be just and would not harm Creation.
The Tree Of Choice And The Cross Of Choice
To do this, God in the form of the Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth, the Creator Himself, came to earth to win back His children, by paying the price for their crimes and giving them an opportunity to choose to come back to Him.
In the Garden there was a Tree of choice, that mankind sadly chose and rejected God's moral authority over them.
On a lonely hill was placed a cross of choice, where Jesus Christ paid the price for mankind's sin and gave them opportunity to choose God.
So Why Is There Evil In The World?
Because Satan and mankind through determined self seeking, through ignoring and disobeying God's moral law, keep introducing it.
Imagine a world where everyone kept God’s 10 commandments, there would be no evil, Satan would be denied influence over humanity and mankind would be loving and respectful to each other, working together for the good of mankind.
If we have ever lied, stole, committed adultery, dishonored our parents, treated another individual badly, lived according to the influence of evil angels, then we have bought evil into the world.
We have contributed to the very thing we are blaming God for.
God Asks Us A Question
So the real question God is asking us is:
Why is mankind so insistent on being evil, why will they not return to God and allow God to use them to bring good into the world, to be a source of moral inspiration to the rest of mankind?
Why are they insistent on hurting each other whilst not accepting their own guilt?
Why does Mankind allow evil to exist in their own hearts and actions?