Why does a good God allow evil to exist?
This is one of the most troubling questions about sin. If there is a God, why is there evil in the world? Why does he not deal with sin? Many people believe that the existence of sin proves that God does not exist.
Sometimes the problem of sin is brought before Christians in the form of quite complex problems. "If God is good, then He must not have enough power to deal with all the evil and injustice in the world, because evil still flourishes. If He is good enough to stop evil, then He must be an evil God himself, because He Although powerful, he did nothing about sin. So which one is right? An evil God, or a God of incompetence? Even the biblical writers complained about suffering and sin. "Countless evils besiege me." (Psalm 40:12); "Why do my pains endure so long? Why are my wounds unhealed and unhealed?" (Jeremiah 15:18); "All creation We groan and labor together until this day” (Romans 8:22). So we do acknowledge that sin is a real problem, and we also acknowledge that if God created the world as it is today, He must not be a loving God but an evil God.
However, the Bible clearly states that God did not create the world as it is now. Sin is the result of human selfishness. The Bible says that God is a loving God who is willing to create a human being and eventually form a race that loves God. There can be no true love except through free choice, free will, and willingness to give, so God has made man free to choose to accept God's love or to reject God's love. This choice makes the possibility of crime very real. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they did not choose what God had created, but because of their own choices, they brought sin into the world. God is neither evil nor created evil. Because of selfishness, people turn away from God's way and choose their own way, thus bringing sin upon themselves.
Due to the fall, the current world has become abnormal, and things are not in the state they should be. Man has been separated from God through the fall. Nature is no longer kind to humans, animals are also enemies of humans, and there are conflicts between humans. These conditions never existed before the Fall. Any possible solutions to the problems facing humanity must take into account that the current world is abnormal.
Although sin does exist, it is temporary and will eventually be eliminated. This is the hope that believers have. There is a new world coming where there will be no more tears and pain because everything will be made new (Revelation 21:5). Paradise is lost and restored, and God will eradicate sin and correct all mistakes once and for all in His own time.
Christians have reason to challenge sin, corruption, and immorality. The world was not designed with sinful thoughts, and believers have a solid basis to fight for society. He doesn't blindly believe that anything is right. Christ does not condone sin and say it is God's business; nor does he insist that everything that happens must be with God's consent. God never desires sin and never tolerates sin. He hates sin, so the Christian should hate sin, and more than that, he has a duty to do something about it. Although sin is real, believers do not accept it as the way things should be. Because he understands the heart of Jesus, he has the responsibility to say wrong when things are wrong and to speak out when sin overwhelms good. Christians fight against social problems, not against God. Natural disasters, sins, and psychological disorders should not be commonplace, because these things should not exist, and they will not exist in God's future kingdom.
However, some people are still troubled that God allowed sin even in the beginning. They question God’s wisdom in giving humans the freedom to choose. Dorothy Sayers made a very pertinent discussion of this issue of sin: “No matter what the reason God had for making man like this, subject to all kinds of limitations, pain, sorrow and death, yet He has sincerity. and the courage to heal them with his own medicine. Whatever game he plays with creatures, he holds to the rules of the book and plays the game fairly. He imposes nothing upon others that he has not imposed upon himself. He himself went through the entire journey of life, from the annoying chores of family life, hard work, and poverty to the more terrible pain, humiliation, failure, despair, and death. When he became a human being, he assumed the role of a human being. "He was born poor and died in shame, but he thought it was worth it." (Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos? New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1949, p. 4)
The Bible tells us that God's purpose is sometimes. is beyond what we can understand. "'My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" (Isaiah 55:8, 9) In the same tone, Paul said to the Roman church: "How profound! The riches of God's wisdom and knowledge. How unfathomable are His judgments! How hard to find His traces!" (Romans 10) 1:33)
Although the Bible tells us how and why sin occurs, it does not tell us why God allows sin to occur. But we know that there must be some reasons beyond our understanding for God, who is all-wise and all-knowing, to allow evil to happen.