Why does God allow bad things? That’s a great question. We don’t know why. Let’s talk about it.
God is Holy
God is holy and just, so something outside God necessitates ‘bad things.’ Before human sin, God’s creation was very good:
“God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day (Genesis 1:31).”
Sin Existed in the Heavenly Realms Before Humans Sinned
Adam and Eve fell into sin and brought sin and its consequences to the earth and all humanity. However, evil already existed because the serpent (Satan, a fallen angel) tempted Eve. God had given Adam and Eve one command, and their disobedience doomed our race.
“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die (Genesis 2:16-17)
Satan’s Fall
Sin originated in heaven when Satan rebelled against God and tried to be like the Most High. The passage below may give a summary account of Satan’s rebellion and fall: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds (God’s glory clouds that accompany His presence);
I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:12-14).”
Human Disobedience
After Eve and Adam disobeyed, God asked Eve what she had done: “The woman said, “The serpent (Satan) deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13)?” She disobeyed, and Adam followed her disobedience
God is Not the Source of Evil
Yet some wickedness is so horrible that it leaves us wondering why a Good and Holy God doesn’t stop it.
We Have All Sinned
We can trace all the bad things that happen on earth back to that sin in the Garden and the sinful state that exists until this day. The consequences of sin include illness and death, and our sin even brought nature into a fallen state:
“For the creation was subjected to futility” (Romans 8:20).
Why are the Consequences of Sin so Dire?
Why? But, we wonder, why are the consequences of sin so dire? They condemned our entire race to eternal condemnation with effects extending to the natural world!
Again, we don’t know why. So, how do we know God isn’t artificially exaggerating the outcomes of sin?
An Exaggeration?
We know because a person won’t increase the penalty for an offense when they know they will have to suffer that penalty. God didn’t keep Himself above its costs. He sent His only Son, who, because He bore our sins, was tortured and nailed to the cross.
We Don’t Know Why Evil Exists
But we do know how horrible it must be because of what Jesus went through to provide salvation for us. We don’t see the connection between sin and its outcomes, but it must be crucial and unavoidable.
A Necessity?
Those necessary penalties were so inescapable that even God couldn’t get around them. When He determined to save us from the penalty of our sins, God Himself, in the Person of Jesus, had to pay the price.
“Christ has redeemed us … by being made a curse for us—as it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (the cross)” — so that the blessing of Abraham (salvation) might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ … through faith (Galatians 3:13-14).
“For if there had been a law given which could have given life, righteousness would indeed come through the law. But the Scripture has confined all things under sin” (Galatians 3:21-22).
Jesus Paid the Price for Our Salvation
To pay the price for our salvation, Jesus was beaten beyond recognition – to the point of human failure – before enduring crucifixion:
“They compelled a man named Simon from Cyrene … to bear Jesus’ cross” (Mark 15:21).
Problem Solved
We either trust God about the existence of evil and its consequences, or we don’t. When we don’t, we blame Him for a problem that He didn’t originate and that He will solve:“And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away (Revelation 21:4).”
God doesn’t promise us deliverance from ‘bad things’ in this life. But He does promise us eternal life in this life that extends into eternity for those who believe in Jesus’ Name:
“To all who received Him, He gave the power to become sons of God, to those who believed in His name” (John 1:12).
To find out more about believing in the Name of Jesus, please watch the Great News video on this page.
