Comment

Comment on this. Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?”

First of all, I really don’t want to answer these questions because it engages a fallen mindset. There is simply no way to discuss this without sounding argumentative or defensive. And it will only give rise to more questions. Believe me! I know because before I believed, I had the same questions. After I believed, I found out that the answers don’t really matter.

So, here’s my two cents.

Define God. The “questioner”, as it is, seems to have his definition of God in a box. He defines God by his perception of how a god is supposed to be. If that is one’s mindset, any truth, logic, or even a Divine miracle will not answer his question.

God is sovereign. He started it all. He created even you and me. His perception of right and wrong is His alone. A person might think that what’s happening is malevolent but in the eyes of the Sovereign, “It is mine so I can do as I please.” Any political scientist will tell you that a sovereign cannot go wrong because everything, your rights, your breath, your life, liberty and property came from the Sovereign. If it wants to, the Sovereign can wipe us all out and it still would be right. Why? Again, because the sovereign can never go wrong. If the sovereign can go wrong, it is not sovereign at all.

But also, God is love. He chose to create us, although He could have chosen not to. He does not need us, especially our questions. He could have chosen to wipe us all out when the first man sinned but He did not. Why? Because God is love.  Man transgressed God’s holiness time and time again, destroyed His creation, even questioned His sovereignty, but He still sent His Son to save mankind. God is love.

To answer the question. God’s sovereignty can wipe out evil but He chooses not to. Why? Because God is love. His power, which encompasses everything, will not control our will. Because God is love. If He eradicated evil, we will not have the opportunity, the choice, to love and if we cannot truly love, we will never know God. Because God is love. A person who has loved never begged for the other person to love him because if it is not given freely, it is not love. God gave us a choice, our freedom, because He loves us but man chose incorrectly but still, God is love. God’s choice not to eradicate evil, to give you a choice, a freedom, did not spring out of any malevolent nature but from His very nature- which is love.

But because of God’s sovereignty, He will never allow anyone to desecrate His creation. So He placed the principles, the laws, of sowing and reaping. The consequences of man’s incorrect choice. He cursed the land, even Man and Woman themselves, because He is sovereign. If He did not do so, Man’s will, choice and freedom will be infinite, and He cannot be sovereign anymore.

Whence cometh evil? From the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Man chose to know it and therefore, must live with its consequences.

If God fits into man’s definition, He is not God. He is both the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah and to define Him means to discuss both aspects. He is both able and willing but only if you call Him God. And if you are questioning His nature, clearly, He is not your God.