The Problem of Evil
It is in His best interests to have evil in the universe. Shocked?
Hardly a day goes by where I don't hear or read some variation of this objection raised against the existence of God. The classic POE (Problem of Evil) asserts that the very presence of evil dispels the idea that a good, all-powerful God exists. It goes like this:
If God is all-powerful, and could do away with evil, preventing evil things and people from bringing pain and violence to human existence, and He doesn't do it, then He must not be good, and in fact, must be a mean, tyrannical God.
On the other hand, if God is good, and would really like to expunge evil from our world, but simply can't do it, then He must not be all-powerful, and in fact, seems to be as subject to the evil forces of the world as we are.
So, following these arguments, God is actually either good but weak, or mean and strong. He is either all-powerful, or He is good, but not both! And, given these assertions, the conclusion must be that either way, God isn't worth having. A weak God, subject to the evil forces that plague us isn't worth having, and a mean God isn't worth respecting, much less serving. You might want to try some pagan rituals, or something to appease Him, but you certainly wouldn't offer Him worship, adoration or joyful obedience. Simply put, the POE asserts to have done away with the God of the Bible. He simply doesn't exist, and the presence of evil is the proof.
From this classic presentation of the problem also flow out the "everyday" versions of it: How come God allows my Mom to get cancer? Why doesn't He heal her? How come my Dad left me? How come God didn't keep our home happy? Why did my neighbor lose his job? and on and on and on. Sometimes we get a bit more academic and ask "if God know there would be sin and violence and evil, how come He created such a universe as ours?" or "If God can save people from their sin, and the innate brokenness of the human condition, then why doesn't He save everyone?"
All of these are streams of thought flowing out of the ocean of the POE, and we face them in conversations, and in the doubting places of our own hearts, everyday.
Toward an Answer
In addressing the POE, it is first of all gratifying to realize that, while this problem has been raised over and over by every generation, it has also been answered so satisfyingly that in each generation the love and worship of the God of the Bible has gone forward. Great minds, superintended by God the Spirit, have ably and thoroughly addressed the POE, giving both biblical and philosophical answers that have stood up to the rigorous critique of our opponents throughout the history of public discourse. We need not begin from a position of weakness in addressing the problem.
(For those interested in reading the scholars on the POE, the following are recommended: Theologies and Evil, John Feinberg; University of Chicago Press; The Evidential Argument from Evil, Daniel Howard-Snyder, ed; Indiana University Press; For those interested in a more practical discussion on POE the following are helpful: Always Ready, chpt. 30, Greg Bahnson (Robert R. Booth, ed); American Vision Press; Christian Apologetics, Norman Geisler; Baker Book House).
The following response to the POE is not intended to be a full discussion of the problem; nor is it meant to answer all of the myriad nuances of the POE that have been raised over the years. It is intended to give a basis for the position that the existence of a good, all-powerful God - the God of the Bible - and the existence of evil are not incompatible. In fact, while God is all-powerful, and could rid the universe of evil, He does not do so. This is not because He is mean, but rather because it is in His best interests to have evil in the universe. Shocked? Read on!
Why This Universe?
The place to start in addressing the POE is to ask why this universe exists in the form in which it exists. In other words, why did God created a universe that was either created with the seeds of evil in it, or had the potential for evil (sin)?
Let's begin an answer by suggesting that God could have created a different kind of universe. In fact, He could have created any of an almost unlimited number of universes. He could have created a universe with only 3 colors, only 7 sounds, or 15 genders! He could also have created a universe without sin, or with only the presence of non-violent sins, or with sins that could only be committed once, or … you get the picture. When you think of all the variables, and all the possible combinations, we see that the options God had for a universe were almost innumerable.
So, if God could have chosen from an almost innumerable group of optional universes, we can only agree that, being perfect, the universe that He chose to create - complete with the presence or the certainty of evil - was the very best of all possible universes when measured by the standard of Heaven. By that I mean this: our universe must be the best universe possible when viewed against the purpose for which God determined to create in the first place. If another universe would have been a better tool to accomplish whatever it was that God wanted to accomplish, He would have created it. But He didn't! Therefore, this universe must be God's best choice. It must be the best one for accomplishing His purpose in creating a universe in the first place.
What's God Doing?
So, this brings us to the next question: What was God trying to accomplish in creating a universe in the first place? To answer this we need only think back to our early years, and the Children's Catechism. Remember the first question? "What is the chief end of Man? A: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." The essential purpose of the existence of mankind is to bring glory to God. Further, the Bible is clear that to give to anything or anyone the glory (adoration, praise, worship) due to God alone is idolatry … a grave offense against heaven! But, if this is true for man, then it must also be true for God. Simply put, God is all about His Glory, and in fact, must be. His chief end is to promote and display His glory. If God ever ceased to promote and display His glory, His activity would be idolatry, since it would - presumably - mean that His adoration was directed at something other than Himself.
This being true, we can safely conclude that God, in creation as in all of His acts, was motivated first and only by the desire to proclaim and promote His own glory. He created all things for the purpose of bringing glory to Himself. This is what God was trying to accomplish in creating a universe in the first place: His glory!
How is God's Glory Best Displayed?
So, to review: God could have created a universe without evil if He had wanted to. The fact that He created this universe means that it was the best of all possible universes in which to accomplish the purpose of His creative action in the first place. And, God's purpose must always be the display and declaration of His own glory.
So, in what way can we put this all together? Here's how. We must ask: How is God's glory best displayed? Another way of saying this is: When is God "at His best?" A full reading of the Biblical story suggests that God is "at His best" when delivering and redeeming that which is perishing. God's glory is best declared in the act of sovereign redemption, when that which is both unable and unworthy is graciously and eternally delivered, reformed, and adopted into the heavenly family.
It also follows that the glory of eternal redemption is enhanced when viewed against the backdrop of eternal punishment. That God does not deliver everyone serves to heighten the intrinsic value of that deliverance. The glory of redemption is seen against the backdrop of sin's corruption; and the value of that redemption is further displayed against the backdrop of the eternal punishment endured by those who freely choose to remain in their evil condition, rejecting God's free offer of deliverance.
Of course, if this is true, then God needed a world in which evil played a major role in order to demonstrate the glory of redemption. Without sin there can be no salvation. Without the evil of corruption there can be no display of gracious reformation. And without eternal punishment, the full value of eternal salvation would not be prized. For God to display His glory in the best way there had to be a world existing in the worst way.
Is God the Author of Evil?
A collateral problem to the POE is that, if God is sovereign over all, and evil exists, then in some way, God must be the author of evil. Put another way, if all things came from Him, and evil exists, then how can we say that God is not the agent responsible for the creation of evil?
Here is where we enter the fog. The Bible is clear that God is wholly good, and exists quite apart from even the possibility of sin and evil. Yet, the Bible is abundantly clear that sin and evil not only exist but are pervasive in our world. How can this be? How can sin exist, and God be sovereign, and God be infinitely good?
The noted church father Augustine battled this question, and came away with a most insightful contribution. Augustine began with the illustration of darkness and light. He stated that darkness was not, in fact, a substance, but rather the absence of light. In order to bring about darkness all that was necessary was to remove light. In the same way, he suggested that evil is not a "something" but rather in its essence, was the absence of virtue. He went further to declare that the only thing necessary to bring about the existence of evil was the withdrawal of virtue. Yet, he argued that the removal of virtue could never be shown to be - in and of itself - an evil act. So, if you're still with me, you could say with Augustine that God could have brought about the presence of evil through the removal of virtue, which was not an evil act. Thus, evil exists, but God did not engage in anything evil in the process of its conception.
While God is not the author of evil, it is true that God uses evil for His own purposes. In Isaiah God says: The One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these (Is. 45:7). It is also worth noting that the description "evil" may not mean the same thing in God's economy as it does in ours. We consider it "evil" when we lose a job, or contract a serious disease. But, given that these trials may very well be God's means of "improving" our faith (as the Puritans used to say!) it must not be said that in the final analysis that they were evil. Understanding the way God would define evil may help us see that there is far less "true evil" in our lives than we ordinarily think. But, even so, we must never forget that evil is a necessary component in this universe whose primary purpose is to provide the canvas upon which the glory of God in redemption is being divinely painted. This in no way turns evil into good, but it does suggest that, under the sovereign superintendency of the Almighty, even evil can be said to play a necessary part in the unalterable plan of God. For the believer, this is actually a great comfort, as we look at this life as merely a prelude to the next.
Conclusion
We may rightly conclude then, that God is all-powerful, and could eliminate evil. Yet, the fact that He chooses not to do so argues not that He is mean spirited, but supports the greater truth that the existence of evil is indeed necessary to the accomplishment of God's creative agenda. We must never forget that God is the creator, and as such, has a sovereign right over all that is created. As the Divine Potter, He is free to make from the clay vessels for honor and for dishonor (see: Romans 9:19-23). He can, and does, work in a world filled with evil for the very purpose of vanquishing the Evil One, and delivering those caught in his domain into the glorious light of the Kingdom of Christ "in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." All glory be to God!