A young missionary couple left church on their orphanage compound when gang violence shattered everything. Two gangs breached the gates. They bound and beat the husband before ransacking the premises. He freed himself and led his wife and another missionary to a nearby house where they barricaded themselves inside.
The husband called his father, the mission’s founder. “Dad, something is going on.” Davy and Natalie Lloyd did not make it out that day. Gang members killed them along with the orphanage director. They’d been married only two years. Despite growing violence and famine, they’d dedicated themselves to Missions of Haiti. For all the good they did and love they shared, their lives were senselessly cut short. Natalie’s father grieved: “I have never felt this kind of pain.
” No question boggles the human mind more than why does God allow evil and suffering, especially to our children. The contradiction boils down to either: God is all good but unable to stop evil (therefore not all-powerful), or God is all-powerful but does not want to stop evil (therefore not all-good). Can both be true simultaneously?
Can God be good if He allows bad things to happen?
We can be certain God did not kill these young missionaries.Does that statement make it better? Or does it just beg the question of why evil even exists if it’s not God’s will?To understand the existence of evil and God’s seeming tolerance toward it, we must understand the difference between our essence and God’s essence vs human essence.God is holy. Holy is the ultimate divine qualifier and the qualifier humans inherently lack. When talking about good versus evil, it means God epitomizes perfect goodness.
As the essence of good, He can create good things like free will, but His creation is of a lesser essence. His creation can never be Him, but it can reflect Him.Reflections are never as strong as the real thing.We can reflect God’s essence,His goodness. But we created beings must constantly use our free will to choose good because we are not the essence of good.
God never has to choose good because He’s inherently good. He IS the essence of good.We humans only know “evil” because we compare it to “good.” Without good we could never understand evil. They exist relative to one another in the created world.At one point, the created being Lucifer chose evil. Now Lucifer tempts God’s image-bearers to choose the same. And it has worked.
God’s punishment was the fall. Now imperfect humans must live in a corrupted world with a tempting enemy constantly leading us away from good and toward evil.
| God’s Nature | Human Nature |
| IS the essence of good | Reflects goodness |
| Never chooses good (inherently good) | Must constantly choose good |
| Holy by nature | Lacking holiness |
| Cannot create evil | Can choose evil |
| Eternal and unchanging | Temporal and fallen |
Why does God allow evil to exist?
When it comes to the existence of evil, I am often reminded of human hypocrisy. I want God to deal with others according to their worst deeds but reward me according to my best actions.The evil in our fallen world is perpetuated by all of us because none of us can choose good every choice .We would be shooting ourselves in the foot if we shook our fist at God for not dealing with evil. Ultimately, we’d be asking God to deal with us.God did not start any of the evil. But as hard as it is for us to accept, He can (in His perfectly sovereign, holy wisdom) stop any, all, or none of it. And His choices are neither unfair, unjust, nor good.
Why? Because God, as the essence of good, can only do good. God can allow evil but He cannot create evil.If you’re thinking, well, I do not want to serve a God like that, take a moment to fathom the gravity of sin on God’s good creation.All the “good” God intended for us has been corrupted because of sin and temptation. Our created nature cannot grasp what we gave up when we defied God in the Garden of Eden.We can trust that God will never waste any of our experiences: good or bad.
To Refine Our Character
Do you want to be a better person? Would you allow suffering in your life if it could impart better character?Most of us would say no. And probably we would qualify the degree of suffering we’d agree to.But Paul saw it differently. He taught that: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3-4).Just as silver can only be purified under hot fire to burn away the dross, we’re best purified of our sin through the fire as well.
Eliminating sin is worth rejoicing over because we will be reconciled to God.The best “good” is reconciliation with God since the worst “bad” is separation from God.Spiritual refinement happens in ways we can’t orchestrate ourselves. God uses suffering to strip away pride, selfishness, fear, and doubt. He replaces these with humility, compassion, courage, and faith.Athletes train through pain. Students learn through challenging problems. Musicians practice difficult pieces until mastery comes. Growth requires discomfort.
To Display the Glory of God
In John 9, the disciples asked Jesus why a particular man was born blind. Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (verse 3).This man had suffered his whole life. His family likely lamented why God had punished them. We wouldn’t blame the man if he questioned God’s goodness.But Jesus made it clear: God allowed this man’s suffering so God’s glory could be displayed through it.Through a “chance” meeting with Jesus, God miraculously restored his sight.
Generation after generation, we can read and be encouraged by God’s choice to intervene in this man’s life.”God will work all things to the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).God will use our adversity to showcase some of His best work. He does not cause our adversity, but God has a plan to use the pain for a good purpose.The man’s story illustrates profound truths. His suffering had nothing to do with personal sin. God’s timing was perfect,meeting Jesus at the exact right moment.
The miracle authenticated Jesus’s identity as Messiah. Thousands of years later, we are still encouraged by this account.The formerly blind man gave one of Scripture’s most powerful testimonies: “One thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see”(John 9:25).Sometimes God allows suffering so His power becomes undeniable. When human solutions fail, divine intervention stands out brilliantly.
To Reconcile More Souls to God
Why does not God eliminate evil before anyone else has to go through the unthinkable?God could abolish evil. The Bible reminds us: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (Lamentations 3:22).God’s justice will prevail at the proper time. Satan will be dealt with and thrown into the pit once and for all. Until then, God’s mercy and grace are poured out to give each of us a chance at eternal life.
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).Even though Adam and Eve opened the door to sin, God’s holy love stopped Him from doling out justice at that moment. God had already planned billions of other people to be born in the future. He would have had to give up those souls if He’d stamped out evil right from the beginning.Jesus wants no one to perish. He wants all of them to have the opportunity to receive Jesus’s forgiveness.
For Jesus, temporary suffering on earth is worth the wait for eternal life in heaven with God.God will wait until everyone written in the Book of Life is born before dropping the curtain on time.Jesus knows His justice is worth the wait because you are worth the wait.Divine providence operates on a timeline we can not fully comprehend. What seems like delay to us is actually mercy extending to people who have not yet been born or have not yet heard the gospel.
To Highlight His Victory Over the Ultimate Evil: Death
“The ultimate answer to the problem of evil, at the personal level, is found in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ” (Paul E. Little, Know Why You Believe).One Bible story stands above the rest to illustrate this truth. The story of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus.”Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. (John 11:32-35)
The sisters were told: “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). Like the blind man, Lazarus’s death and the family’s suffering had purpose.But Lazarus still died!The family was understandably distraught that Jesus did not save Lazarus before he died. When Jesus saw their sorrow at Lazarus’s death, He too wept. But that is not all he did.
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
Why not just prevent death in the first place? More importantly, why did not Jesus raise your loved one from the dead? Does He not care equally about you?What Jesus told Lazarus’s family puts our suffering into perspective.He told them that He, Jesus, is the resurrection and the life. Although Jesus resurrected Lazarus, the point was not solely for the benefit of Lazarus and his family, but for the benefit of all of us.
Even in times of mourning, loss, sorrow, and suffering, God is right there with us, giving us strength until we get to the other side. His goal with any experience in this life is to get us to eternity in heaven with Him where there is no evil, suffering, or death.Christ’s suffering validates our pain. He does not dismiss it or minimize it. God weeps with you in your darkest moments. He understands grief, betrayal, physical agony, and abandonment because He experienced them all
The Greatest Test of Faith
The problem of evil is not an easy one to discuss.If you are grappling with the dilemma, then you’re probably already suffering. Remember, God promises to never leave you or forsake you.Even amid your trauma, Jesus is there to comfort and guide you. He did not cause evil, but He does weep with you.The only way we’re getting around evil is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He accomplished what we could never. We need Him, and He wants us.
Perhaps one of the greatest tests of faith for Christians today is to believe that God is good.Wrong seeds of doubt are constantly being planted to try to convince us of God’s impotence in the face of evil. They do not understand God or His loving plan to try to save everyone. While God gets blamed for the devil’s actions, He will not forego justice.Trust in divine wisdom means accepting we do not have all the answers. And that’s okay.God is the one we want in charge. He will get us where we need to be, which is an eternity in heaven with Him. Where there will be no suffering, no pain, and no tears.
Conclusion
Why does God allow evil and suffering? Because He values free will, redemption, and eternal perspective over temporary comfort. The paradox resolves when we understand God’s essence as perfect goodness means He can only do good, even when allowing evil for greater purposes. Four biblical reasons illuminate this mystery: refining our character through trials, displaying His glory through miraculous intervention, extending mercy to reconcile souls who haven’t yet been born, and demonstrating ultimate victory over death through Christ’s resurrection.
Evil and suffering are temporary realities in a fallen world. But eternity in heaven awaits where pain ends forever. God is all powerful and God is all good,both truths stand firm. His wisdom transcends our understanding. Trust Him even when answers do not come. He walks beside you through every valley.
Frequently Asked Questions
If God is all-powerful, why does not He just stop all evil now?
Because stopping evil immediately would prevent billions of future souls from being born and having the opportunity for salvation. God’s patience extends mercy to those not yet born.
Did God create evil or just allow it to exist?
God cannot create evil because He is the essence of good. Lucifer chose evil using free will. God allows evil but didn’t originate or cause it.
How can I trust God’s goodness when I am experiencing terrible suffering?
Focus on God’s character and promises rather than circumstances. Jesus wept with Mary and Martha. He weeps with you too and will never leave or forsake you.
Why do bad things happen to good people like missionaries?
We live in a fallen world where evil affects everyone. God doesn’t cause tragedy but uses it to display glory, refine character, and point others toward eternal hope.
What is the difference between God allowing evil and God causing evil?
God’s essence as perfect goodness means He cannot cause evil. Allowing evil respects free will while working all things together for ultimate good and eternal purposes.
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