Six Important Clues in Answering the Question "Why Does God Allow Evil?"

If you'd like to “watch” Gail share this devotion, you can do that on YouTube: Why Does God Allow Evil? 

Dear Christians, let's be prepared to answer this difficult question:

Why doesn't God stop the terrible evil in our world?

First, let's put evil in context: Death, decay, sickness, natural disasters, and sin are all results of the fall. Adam's sin damaged God's perfect world (Genesis 3). 

Second, let's put evil in perspective: Life involves suffering which is the result of the fall, but life is short compared to eternity (2 Corinthians 4:8-18).

Third, let's remember how much Christ suffered because of evil: He died on the cross to free us from sin and give us an eternity without suffering and evil (John 3:16; Revelation 21:1-8).

Fourth, let's admit we don't have all the answers: "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Fifth, let's remember that God is 100% good: Even if we don't understand why God allows evil, we know that God didn't create evil and He hates it more than we do. We can trust Him with our unanswered questions.

Sixth, let's ask ourselves what we're doing to stop evil: If we're honestly concerned about evil, we'll deal with evil in ourselves by trusting Christ and letting Him transform us (Romans 12:1-2). This won't answer all of our questions about evil, but it will give us comfort in our suffering so we can help others (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).

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To see all fourteen questions in this series, check out the Be Prepared Archive.

These devotions can also be helpful in answering this question:

Why Is There Senseless Suffering? 

Understanding Why Satan Has Power.

And if you own Wisdom for Life, I encourage you to read or re-read Day 54 for insights into a similar question.

 

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