If God is Good, Why Do Evil Things Happen?
From poverty-stricken lands where starvation runs rampant, to cancer, to unspeakable brutality, it’s undeniable that evil things happen on a continual basis. If God is good, why do evil things occur? Well, to truly answer this question, we must first understand two things.
1. God Gave People Authority Over the Earth
Within Genesis, we learn that God relinquished His power to rule the earth, and gave man complete authority over the earth.
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.” -Genesis 1:26-28 ESV
As mentioned in this blog post, mankind was created to worship God, and one aspect of worshiping God entails each person stepping into his or her life’s purpose. In essence, mankind has a job to complete. The overall job of mankind is to take charge and rule over the earth.
2. Adam Handed Over Authority to Satan
You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we’re in—first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses. So death, this huge abyss separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses. Even those who didn’t sin precisely as Adam did by disobeying a specific command of God still had to experience this termination of life, this separation from God. But Adam, who got us into this, also points ahead to the One who will get us out of it. -Romans 5:12-14 MSG
Before Adam sinned, mankind was destined to live forever having direct access to God. When Adam sinned he opened the door for pain, sickness, and death, because he allowed Satan to become the temporary god of the earth.
…the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers… -2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV
Evil Things Happen Because of Satan
When doubt or confusion begin to cloud your mind, always remind yourself of this truth:
God is good, and Satan is bad.
John 10:10 teaches us that Satan only comes to steal, kill, and destroy, BUT God intends for us to have a good life.
Not All Evil Things That Happen to You Are Due to YOUR Sin
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8 ESV
Yes, we often suffer through negative consequences when we sin, and yes, we sometimes encounter undesirable situations when others sin. However, not all evil is the direct result of one person’s transgression. When you feel tempted to ask, “Why, God? Why?” remind yourself that God is good, and Satan is bad.
Be Encouraged!
Ephesians 6 is a tremendously encouraging scripture for believers in Christ. It encourages us to be strong in our faith and to rely on God, so that we may stand against evil. Reminding us that our problems here on earth are not the result of problems with people, but they are problems due to Satan working through people. This chapter in Ephesians instructs us to know our benefits as children of God, to know the Bible, to share the good news of Christ with others, and to pray about everything. When we have done all that we can do, we are to stand firm in our faith in God.