Have you ever tried to comfort someone who just lost a child to a stray bullet during a highway robbery? Someone who prayed desperately for their child’s healing but watched helplessly as they died anyway? How do you explain God’s goodness to a grieving parent whose world has just collapsed? How do you address their raw, honest question: “If God is so good and so powerful, why didn’t He stop this?”

Yesterday, we learned about the urgency of contending for the faith and being ready to give answers for what we believe. But when presenting truth to people, you need to look deeper — what the problem seems to be might not be the actual problem. There might be underlying issues that require wisdom, discernment, and above all, empathy.

As you engage with people on this difficult topic, never lose your empathy for the sake of winning an argument. Think about the fact that people have experienced real trauma, real loss, real disappointment. You must discern the heart behind the philosophical argument and respond with both truth and love.

Now, let’s address the question: If God is omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent, why is there evil in the world?

Let’s start with a study from the first man on earth, Adam.

Genesis 1:26
New King James Version
26 Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’

The word “man” here is translated from the Hebrew word “Adam.” But notice God says “let Us make them” — He wasn’t referring to just one individual but to the entire human race. He put the seed of reproduction in humanity to reproduce according to their kind. When He created Adam, He created mankind. Therefore, when Adam sinned, we all sinned because mankind sinned.

Romans 5:12
New King James Version
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

By one man, sin entered the world, and with sin came death. Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” When that one man sinned, all humanity sinned, and death passed to everyone. When God made mankind, He made them perfect! In fact, the first Adam wasn’t meant to die.

But along with creating mankind, God gave them choice and free will.
Genesis 2:16-17
New King James Version
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;

17 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.’”

God gave us free will because what He wanted wasn’t forceful compliance but a genuine relationship. He didn’t want robotic obedience; He wanted loving choice. And with that choice came a condition and a consequence.

The moment Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, the consequence followed — death. A man who was made perfect with no ailment in his body experienced the repercussion of sin: sickness and death, both physical and spiritual. Not only did mankind start dying, but even the earth began dying. Death and evil entered the very fabric of the creation. And man’s disobedience was the root of this evil.

Hence, bad things happen not because God wants bad things to happen, but because we live in a fallen world. Earthquakes happen because we live in a fallen world, not because God caused them to happen.

A question to ask is; Where did God go wrong in giving us free will? Should He have made us like puppets?

The answer is that love requires choice. You cannot force someone to love you, genuine love must be freely given. If God had created us without the ability to choose, we would be robots, not relational beings capable of true love and worship.

Others may ask: “Why can’t God intervene and stop every evil?”
The truth is that if God stopped anyone from doing anything evil, that would mean He’s taking away their free will. The same freedom that allows you to love God also allows you to rebel against Him.

Another question is: “God is a God of judgment, why can’t He judge wrongdoing on the spot and eliminate the offender?”
Well, that would mean He’d have to judge you and eliminate you on the spot for that lie you told yesterday, for that time you stole meat from your mother’s pot, for every angry word, selfish thought, and prideful moment.

We need to see that every single one of us has done wrong at some point in our lives. If God were eradicating all evil immediately, who would be left in the world? There are consequences for every action we take, but God’s mercy allows time for repentance.

Evil will always exist in this fallen world, it cannot be completely stopped until God’s final judgment. But this doesn’t mean God caused the problems to happen. Rather than blame God, we need to see our need for salvation and recognize His ultimate solution.

The inheritance of salvation doesn’t just apply to this earthly life. We have the promise of a new body sustained by the power of God that will never die or fall sick. We have the promise of a new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells.

Romans 8:18
New King James Version
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

This earth is temporary!
The fact that something bad has happened to you doesn’t mean God has forsaken you. In fact, He has already done something about it! God has made provision for eternal life, and what we face in this temporary world cannot even come close to all that God has in store for us.

When you step out to evangelize or are having a conversation and someone asks you this question, remember that behind their intellectual challenge may be a broken heart. Acknowledge their pain. Sit with them in their sorrow. Then gently explain that God didn’t create evil – He created the possibility of evil by creating genuine free will. He didn’t abandon us in our fallen condition but entered into our suffering through Jesus Christ and provided the ultimate solution through salvation and eternal life.

The cross demonstrates that God takes evil seriously enough to judge it completely, while also providing mercy for those who turn to Him. Every wrong will ultimately be made right, every tear will be wiped away, and justice will be fully served.

Prayer Point
Lord, give me wisdom and compassion when addressing people’s deepest questions about suffering and evil. Use me to show them that You haven’t abandoned us in our fallen world but have provided the ultimate solution through salvation and eternal life.