Why God Allows pain, suffering, and evil in the world

Pain, suffering, and evil

One of the most pivotal questions that often arises in discussions about God’s existence is: “If God is real, and the Bible is true, Why does God allow so much pain, suffering, and Evil in the world?” While based on a false premise, this question is a significant starting point for our exploration. It can be approached positively or negatively, with the former using the word ‘since’ and the latter using ‘if.’

The great misconception people have about God is that He is a type of genie waiting to serve man, standing by to grant man’s wishes.  However, God is the creator of all things, including mankind.

Since God is perfect and can do anything, He created evil but never intended for man to get it apart from hands-on teaching man how to overcome it like He can. Evil exists because God made it, but man is the one who invoked it before God could teach him what to do with such knowledge. God knows about evil yet remains unspotted by it.  Since man is made in the image of God, he would need to know how God interfaces with evil and maintains perfection. Man is the one who embraced it. Man is the one who uses and incorporates it into his daily life.

Anyone who knows God understands He created evil, as defined in the Bible’s first three chapters. God placed two trees in the middle of the garden, and one of those trees was the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The knowledge of evil was there, and even though God instructed man not to eat of this tree, man did so anyway. God created it, but man introduced it to the world.

Why would God place such a tree in the garden in the first place? Think about it. If you didn’t know what evil was, you would never know what good was. Without evil, none of us could recognize the sound of goodness. We understand what is good only when it contrasts with evil. We can get an idea of how good God is because we know how evil Satan is.

Skeptics

People who ask these types of questions are skeptics. They don’t desire to learn something from God’s word. They have a desire to refute God’s work. They hide behind questions like ‘If God is so strong and powerful, can he make a rock so big He cannot lift it?’ They aim to create a problem for the Christian who finds it difficult to answer such a question. But if one thinks about it just a bit, or if they knew God just a little, they would know the answer to that question. 

Can a person fabricate a set of chopsticks from two different telephone poles? I know you are thinking, ‘Who would do such a thing?’ But I ask again. ‘Does man have the ability to do it?’ Yes! They would be record-setting chopsticks, but they could be made. Even though they would be huge and could never be used, and man could never lift them, let alone eat with them, man can make a set of 10-ton chopsticks. But he doesn’t because he is smart enough to see that doing such a thing would be useless and stupid. Yes! God can make a rock so big that He can’t lift it, but He doesn’t because He’s not stupid. This challenges us to deepen our understanding and faith in God’s wisdom.

So, why don’t we see record-setting chopsticks all over the place? The answer lies in faith. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. Just because we can question God’s actions doesn’t mean we should doubt His existence. Faith is the key to understanding God’s ways.

Did God make evil?

Did God make evil? Well, of course, because otherwise, there wouldn’t have been a tree called the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. Evil has something to do with knowledge. Man chose to have that knowledge. God warned the man to stay away from that kind of knowledge.

God did not intend for man to want to go the path of evil, so he made a way for man to redeem himself from the evil he brought upon himself by desiring the knowledge that God told him to stay away from. The way that man can fix his problem is to come to the Lord Jesus Christ and ask him for the forgiveness of his sins. For the forgiveness of his evil ways. For the forgiveness of going against God’s plan. God loves it when a human being comes to grips with the evil he has brought into the world and asks for forgiveness so he can readily forgive you.

Why is there so much suffering in the world today? Because man defied God and chose to learn how to do evil. God knows how to do evil, but he chooses not to. It’s like making a rock so big he can’t lift it. Yes, he can do that, but he chooses not to.

That is the sincere answer to people’s questions regarding God’s suffering and evil. The man brought it upon himself. God did not intend for men to even know about evil apart from what He wanted to teach them about it personally. But it was man’s choice to learn it independently without God’s guidance.

Are You Having a Problem with Evil?

I hope you are not having difficulty with evil. Remember, when you find yourself in a challenging and terrible situation, it is not always because God is running you through the mill. It’s because you are answering for the consequences of the actions of human beings before you. God does not like to see you suffer.

Do you deal with trials or trauma of any kind? God did enough suffering for the entire world. You need to see from God’s perspective and stop trying to put Him into a little box you think you can control. You have no control over what will happen tomorrow, let alone in the next hour or even a few minutes. The only way for you to break the cycle is by meeting, accepting Jesus as your savior, agreeing with God that you, as a man, are the one that has brought evil upon humanity, and asking for forgiveness and getting it.  It’s free. The world would be much better if everybody had done this, as God had prescribed. You cannot say that there is no God because there is suffering in the world today when Jesus went to Calvary to be crucified and hanged on the cross. And He suffered all the way there. Being beaten, spit upon, made to carry his cross, Mocked by his people, and had a crown of thorns put upon his head. I would say that is suffering. And through all that suffering. Jesus said Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.

God didn’t bring suffering into the world!  Man did! God brought forgiveness, mercy, and love.  Mankind turns away from God.  Don’t blame your contribution to society on God.  It’s not His fault! It’s yours.