God’s Love and Justice (Lesson 7) The Problem of Evil
WHERE IS GOD IN A WORLD FILLED WITH SO MUCH PAIN?
Tears fall. Hearts break. Pain fills the world. We see violence, sickness, and suffering all around us.
We ask, where is God? Does He care? Does He see what’s going on? God does care.
Then, why don’t he do something?
Welcome back to our series on: God’s Love and Justice.
God is love, and how we understand this affects how we relate to the world around us.
Misunderstandings of God’s love can lead to negative thoughts and feelings that can harm our relationships with Him and others.
God’s love promises us that amid our pain and heartaches, we can have hope, knowing that He does care.
Here, we seek to reconcile God’s love with the continued presence of evil in this world. We look at how we can find peace and comfort and trust in his love even in the midst of adversity.
Before we begin, let’s Pray.
God’s Love and Justice
(Lesson 7)
The Problem of Evil
Part 1 Introduction
Yes, tears do fall, hearts break, and the world is full of pain.
Violence, sickness, and suffering are all around us.
Thus, we ask, where is God? Does He see what’s happening? Why doesn’t He stop it?
These are hard questions that many struggle to understand. But God has not left us without answers.
Revelation 21:4 tells us the day is coming:
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
This is God’s promise—one day, all suffering will end.
No more tears, no more death, no more pain.
But until that day comes, we still live in a world filled with evil.
Many people wrestle with this idea because if God is so good and powerful, why does He allow so much suffering?
Why does He let bad things happen to good people?
How do we reconcile the idea that God is perfectly good and loving with having to live in such an evil world?
Why is evil and pain allowed to continue unchecked?
This is a question for every hurting mother, every grieving father, every child crying themselves to sleep at night.
It’s a question that shakes people’s faith and keeps some from believing in God at all.
Ellen G. White wrote in The Great Controversy
“To many minds, the origin of sin and the reason for its existence are a source of great perplexity. They see the work of evil, with its terrible results of woe and desolation, and they question how all this can exist under the sovereignty of One who is infinite in wisdom, in power, and in love. Here is a mystery of which they find no explanation.” The Great Controversy, p. 492:
People see the suffering in the world and struggle to understand how a loving God can allow it.
Some even turn away from God completely, saying, “If God is real, He wouldn’t let this happen!”
In fact, many atheists, those professing not to believe in God, point to the existence of evil, pain, and suffering as the reason that they do not believe in God.
But the Bible tells us that God is entirely good, and we can trust Him.
He has not abandoned us. The pain in this world is not His doing.
God never promised that life on this earth would be easy, but He did promise that He would not leave us.
He has already set a plan in motion to end suffering forever.
Therefore, the day is coming when all evil will be destroyed, and those who trust in Him will live in a world where love and joy will never end.
In the midst of pain, the cry then is, ‘How long?’
This is not a new cry, this cry has been going on for many generations.
Read: Job 30:26, Jeremiah 12:1, Jeremiah 13:22, Malachi 2:17, and Psalm 10:1.
Then continue to Part 2: How Long, O Lord
God’s Love and Justice
(Lesson 7)
The Problem of Evil
Part 2: How Long, O Lord
So much pain. So much suffering. Every day, we hear about violence, sickness, and death.
The wicked seem to prosper while the innocent struggle. Families are torn apart, and hearts are broken.
We cry: Where is God? Does He see? Does He care? Why does He let bad things happen?
These are not new questions. For thousands of years, people have wrestled and struggles with these same questions.
Listen to Job:
In Job 30:26:
“When I looked for good, evil came to me; and when I waited for light, then came darkness.” (Job 30:26)
Job was a good man, yet he suffered terribly. He lost everything—his children, his health, his wealth.
He tried to do what was right, but pain still found him. Perhaps you know what that feels like.
The prophet Jeremiah also struggled with this question. He said:
In Jeremiah 12:1
“Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?” –Jeremiah 12:1
Jeremiah saw the wicked living comfortably while the righteous suffered.
He didn’t understand why God allowed it. Maybe you have wondered the same thing.
Then in Jeremiah 13:22, the people asked:
“And if you say in your heart, ‘Why have these things come upon me?’” (Jeremiah 13:22) (Paue)
The people wanted to know—why was this happening? Many people today ask the same question when they face hardships, they feel they don’t deserve.
Even in Malachi 2:17, we hear the same frustration:
“You have wearied the Lord with your words; yet you say, ‘In what way have we wearied Him?’ In that you say, ‘Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them,’ or, ‘Where is the God of justice?’” Malachi 2:17
The people felt like God wasn’t doing anything about evil. It seemed like He wasn’t paying attention. Have you been there?
And then there’s Psalm 10:1, which says:
“Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble?” –Psalm 10:1
The psalmist felt abandoned, like God was far away. Haven’t we all felt like that at some point in our lives?
The Cry “How Long, O Lord?” in all these scriptures lets us know that these questions are not new.
People have been asking these questions for centuries. Why does God seem so far away? Why does He let evil continue? These questions are real, painful, and do not have easy answers.
Why does it seem that the wicked prosper? Why do those who do evil gain from their evil actions?
Why do the righteous suffer? Where is God when evil happens? Why does God sometimes seem distant or even hidden in times of disaster?
One thing we must never do is pretend evil isn’t as bad as it really is.
Thus, we should avoid minimizing the nature or extent of evil in the world.
Evil is very wrong—and God detests it even more than we ever could.
That’s why, all through the Bible, God’s people cry out: “How long, O Lord?”
They longed for justice, for peace, for an end to evil just like we do.
When Jesus hung on the cross, He felt the weight of evil in a way no one else ever has.
He was beaten, mocked, and left to die. And in His pain, He cried out:
In Matthew 27:46
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46
Think about that. Even Jesus—the Son of God—felt abandoned in that moment.
He was taking on all the evil of the world, carrying the burden of every sin. He felt the darkness pressing in.
Here, we see God Himself is affected by evil.
This is incredibly emphasized in the suffering and death of Christ on the cross, where all the evil of the world was laid upon Him.
But even at that moment, there was hope.
Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1, which begins in sorrow but ends in victory.
The cross looked like defeat, but it was actually the greatest victory.
Jesus’ death defeated Satan, the source of all evil.
And because of what Jesus did, evil will not last forever. God will eventually undo evil entirely.
But, right now, we may not always see that. Sometimes, it may feel like evil is winning.
However, just like Jesus on the cross, we can hold on to God’s promise. The pain we see today will not last forever.
God permits the wicked to prosper and to reveal their enmity against Him, that when they shall have filled up the measure of their iniquity all may see His justice and mercy in their utter destruction. The Great Controversy, p. 48.
God has not forgotten us. He has not abandoned us. Yes, there is evil in the world, but one day, it will all come to an end. One day, suffering will be no more.
In today’s world, can we ever understand the reasons behind evil, sin, and suffering?
Job experienced significant hardship. What insights can we gain from God’s response to his questions?
Read Job 38:1-12.
Bottom of Form
Then, View the next segment of this video, Part 3: There Are Many Things We Do Not Know
God’s Love and Justice
(Lesson 7)
The Problem of Evil
Part 3: There Are Many Things We Do Not Know
The world is full of pain. We see it in sickness, in suffering, in the loss of loved ones. We see evil men prosper while good people struggle.
And we ask, Why? Why does God allow this? Where is He when we hurt?
These are hard questions, and we are not the first to ask them.
Long ago, Job, a man who suffered greatly, cried out to God for answers. What God told him can give us some insight.
Job lost everything—his children, his health, his wealth.
Although, he was a good man who loved God, his life was filled with much pain.
Not understanding what was happening, Job requested an audience with God.
He begged God for answers, not realizing that something bigger was happening behind the scenes.
God’s response was remarkable!
Job 38:1-2 says:
“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: ‘Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?’” (Job 38:1-2)
The Contemporary English Version puts it this way:
“Why do you talk so much when you know so little?” (Job 38:2, CEV).
God was telling Job, you don’t see the whole picture. Then God asked in Job 38:4:
“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” –Job 38:4
God reminded Job that some things are too deep for him to understand.
We see only a small piece of the puzzle, but God sees the whole picture.
In other words, there’s more going on than what we know or see.
Job had no idea that, behind the scenes, a great battle was taking place.
Satan was testing Job, trying to prove that Job only loved God because of his blessings from God.
But Job remained faithful, even in his suffering.
Like Job, we don’t always know why things happen. But God sees what we cannot and knows what we do not.
Notice Job’s Humble Response After hearing God speak:
Job 42:3 says:
“You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” (Job 42:3)
Job realized just how little he truly knew.
He admitted that he had spoken without understanding. He had questioned God, but now he saw that God’s wisdom was far beyond his own.
We must learn to trust God in the Middle of our unanswered questions.
Like Job, we don’t have all the answers. Many things are happening in this world that we know nothing about.
We don’t always understand why we suffer, why the wicked seem to prosper, or why God allows evil to continue.
However, just because we don’t have the answers doesn’t mean there aren’t any good ones or that one day everything won’t be resolved.
God has proven His love for us in many ways. He provides for our needs. Most of all, He sent Jesus to die for our sins.
God has shown that He loves us so much. Therefore, we should trust Him even when we don’t understand.
Until then, we need to trust in His goodness, which has been shown to us in countless ways.
There will always be questions we cannot answer. But one thing is sure—God is still in control.
One day, He will wipe away every tear, and evil will be no more. He sees what we cannot see, and He is always working for our good.
“His love can never be explained upon natural principles. If this could be done, we would not feel that we could trust Him with the interests of our souls. Skeptics refuse to believe, because with their finite minds they cannot comprehend the infinite power by which God reveals Himself to men.— Ellen G. White Comments, in The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, p. 1141.
How, then, do we approach the problem of evil, recognizing we know so little?
Read Isaiah 55:8, 9 and Psalms 73
Then continue to the next segment of this video, Part 4: The Skeptical Theist
(Lesson 7)
The Problem of Evil
Part 4: The Skeptical Theist
We struggle to understand why evil seems to win.
Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer?
Why doesn’t God step in and fix things?
These are hard questions, but God reminds us that His ways are beyond our understanding.
In other words, God’s Wisdom Is Greater Than Ours.
He says in Isaiah 55:8-9:
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
God has the bigger picture. Therefore, His thoughts are exceedingly higher than ours.
His plans extend far beyond what we can understand or even imagine.
Just as a child cannot always understand why a parent makes certain decisions, we cannot fully comprehend God’s ways of doing things.
This is because He knows things we do not.
In light of this, should we expect to understand God’s reasons for His actions or inactions in various situations or circumstances?
Knowing that we know so little, how then should we approach the problem of not knowing when, deep in our hearts, we want to know?
The lesson study suggests taking the “skeptical theist ” approach.
This approach means we trust that God has good reasons for what He allows, even when we don’t know what they are.
In this approach we believe that God has valid reasons for His actions; but, due to our limited human understanding, we don’t expect to know all the reasons for what he allows.
Thus, we admit that our ability to fully grasp God’s reasoning for the presence of evil in this world is limited.
The Psalmist struggled with these questions too and came to the same reality.
In Psalm 73, the psalmist saw the wicked thriving while the righteous suffered.
He was deeply disturbed by this. Everything seemed unjust and unfair to him, and he realized he has no answers.
He even began to wonder if believing in and serving God was worth it.
Psalm 73:12-13 says
12 Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They increase in riches.
13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence. Psalm 73:12-13
But then something changed.
Psalm 73:17 says:
“Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.” Psalm 73:17
When the psalmist went into God’s sanctuary, he saw things differently. He realizes that God is a righteous Judge.
Though the wicked may seem to prosper now, their end is coming. Evil will not last forever. Justice will be done.
The Bible teaches that God keeps a record of our good deeds and our evil deeds, and one day, everything will be made right.
No, we may not understand all of God’s ways, but we can trust that in the end, justice will be served.
Every tear will be wiped away. Every wrong will be made right.
The Psalmist “laid hold of God, and he was strengthened and encouraged; although he recognized God’s ways as mysterious, yet he knew they were merciful and good; Ellen G. White Comments, in The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, p. 1149.
Though there is much that we don’t understand about the evils of this world, the Bible does reveal some things to ease our troubled minds.
One is the freewill given to our fore-parents, Adam and Eve.
What does freewill have to do with evil and wickedness?
Read Genesis 2:16-17
Then, continue to the next segment of this video, Part 5: The Freewill Defense
God’s Love and Justice
(Lesson 7)
The Problem of Evil
Part 5: The Freewill Defense
The world is full of pain, hatred, and evil. Every day, we see people making choices that hurt others.
Some blame God, asking, If He is good, why does He allow this?
Even though we might not understand everything about why bad things happen, the Bible gives us some answers to help address the problem of evil.
One explanation for the presence of bad in the world is free will, which allows individuals to make their own choices. This is known as the “freewill defense.”
The “freewill defense” says that evil happens because people choose to do wrong instead of right.
God, however, is not the blame for evil, because He gave us free will to make good choices, but some people misuse it and make bad choices.
But why would God give us free will in the first place?
The Bible teaches that God endowed humanity with free will—the ability to choose between right and wrong.
Without this gift, we would not possess our full humanity. We would be unable to love genuinely, perform good deeds voluntarily, or follow God willingly.
C. S. Lewis once wrote:
“free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.
A world of automata—of creatures that worked like machines—would hardly be worth creating. The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other. . . . And for that they must be free.”— Mere Christianity (New York: MacMillan, 1960), p. 52.
It was not God’s intentions to create automatons but individuals capable of choosing to love Him and one another.
However, this freedom inherently carried the risk that some may choose evil over good.
Yet, from the very beginning, God gave humanity freedom of choice.
Genesis 2:16-17 says:
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘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 of it you shall surely die.’” Genesis 2:16-17
God gave Adam and Eve a clear command. But He also gave them free will, He gave them the freedom to obey or disobey.
He didn’t force them to love Him. Love that is forced or coerced is not love.
In disobedience to God, and the use of their freewill, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and from that point on, our planet has been filled with evil.
In fact, just one chapter after eating the forbidden fruit, we see the terrible results of sin.
Adam and Eve’s firstborn son, Cain, became jealousy of his brother Abel and killed him.
Genesis 4:8 says:
“Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.” Genesis 4:8
The story of the Fall shows that Adam and Eve used their free will to make a bad choice, which brought sin and evil into our world.
Hence, the very first family experienced the pain of murder.
Consequently, sin spread quickly, all because Adam and Eve used their free will in the wrong way.
All throughout the Bible, we see that God continues to give people free will. He did not take that privilege away.
For instance, in:
Deuteronomy 7:12-13 (NKJV): God promised blessings if His people obeyed.
In Joshua 24:14-15 (NKJV): Joshua told the people to choose whom they would serve.
In Psalm 81:11-14 (NKJV): God wanted to bless His people, but they refused to listen.
And in Isaiah 66:4 (NKJV): God let the people choose their own ways, even when those choices led to disaster.
Every day, in one way or the other, we exercise the free will that our Creator has given us.
We make choices—some good, some bad and some downright ugly.
And just like those in the Bible, our choices have consequences.
Although free will gives us the ability to make not just good choices but also bad ones, without free will, we would not be human.
Without it, we would be more like a machine, or even a mindless robot.
Think about it, would You Trade a Real Dog for a Robot?
Sony Corporation created a robot dog called Aibo. It doesn’t get sick, it doesn’t bite, it doesn’t make a mess.
But no one would trade a real dog for a machine. Why? Because a real dog loves you, even when it’s imperfect.
Now think about this—would God want people who obey Him because they have no choice, or would He rather have people who love Him freely?
God might have created man without the power to transgress His law; He might have withheld the hand of Adam from touching the forbidden fruit; but in that case man would have been, not a free moral agent, but a mere automaton. Without freedom of choice, his obedience would not have been voluntary, but forced. Conflict and Courage, p. 13.
Thus, God gave us free will, knowing that some would choose evil.
But He also knew that love is only real when we freely chose to give it.(Pauuopriue)
No, God did not create evil, but He did create free will. Just as we can choose to do wrong, we can also choose to do right.
The choice is up to us, we can choose to follow God, to love Hiem, to love others, and to bring light into a dark world or choose to do just the opposite.
But, one day, God will remove all evil, and those who have freely chosen Him will live in a world where sin no longer exists.
Until then, every day, we must use our free will and make good choices.
Ask God to help you make the right choices. Yield your free will to Him and trust in His goodness.
How do we learn to trust God’s goodness despite the evils that exist in this world?
Read Romans 8:18 and Revelation 21:3, 4
Then, continue to the next segment of this video, Part 6: Love and Evil
God’s Love and Justice
(Lesson 7)
The Problem of Evil
Part 6: Love and Evil?
Our world is broken. We see evil all around us—violence, sickness, and pain. It makes us wonder, Why does God allow this? If He is all-powerful, why doesn’t He stop it?
God allows free will because love cannot exist without it.
Free will is the foundation of love.
God gave us humans free will because love cannot be forced or coerced.
True love is a choice. But when people misuse their freedom for freewill, evil is sure to follow.
God passionately hates evil, yet He allows it for a time to allow it run its course.
By doing this we see the consequence of evil. If he took evil away too soon, it would destroy the trust needed for love.
Ellen G. White wrote in the book The Desire of Ages:
“The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan’s deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 22.
God does not rule by force. Without freewill there can be no love. God does not force us to love Him. Only by knowing God’s true character can love be awakened in our hearts. If God removed free will, love would no longer be real.
Without free will, the world would have no love. And if God is love, then He could never take away the freedom that makes love possible. If we could see the full picture, as God does, we would understand why He allows free will—even knowing the pain it can bring. Besides, what would the universe be like if love did not exist?
In the meantime, we trust God with confidence and assurance that they day is coming when evil, sin and wickedness will be no more.
The following scriptures offers confidence that we can trust in God’s goodness, despite all the evil in our world.
Romans 8:18 says:
“The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18
No matter how much we suffer now, God promises that something far greater is coming.
One day, all pain will be gone, and His people will experience joy beyond anything we can imagine.
And Revelation 21:3-4 says:
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4
This is God’s promise. One day, evil will be gone forever. But for now, we must trust Him, even when we do not understand.
So, even when we can’t see through the trouble around us, God knows how everything will turn out. He also sees the joy and happiness waiting for those who trust in Jesus.
That’s why Romans 8:18 tells us “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (NKJV).
Do we have the faith to believe this wonderful promise?
Love and freedom were so sacred to God that Jesus Himself paid the ultimate price to protect them.
He knew that giving us free will would lead Him to the cross. On the cross, He suffered greatly. Yet, He granted this freedom to us anyway, knowing what it would cost Him.
Why is this such a crucial thought to keep before us always?
It is a reminder that He did not force us into obedience—He won us with love.
It is important to remember that free will means not everything that happens in our lives is God’s will.
In other words, Sin, pain, and suffering come about because of human choices. They are not a part of God’s plan.
But even when things go wrong, God is still in control. He can bring good out of the worst situations.
He does not cause suffering, but He promises to one day end it forever.
God allows free will because love cannot exist without it. The evil we see is not God’s doing—it is the result of choices made by the free will of us human beings.
But we have this hope that one day, suffering will end, and those who trust Him will live in perfect peace.
But, until then, we must hold on to His promises and choose to follow Him.
Choose today to submit your free will to him and allow His will to be done in your life so that you can experience that perfect peace.
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