Sister Tarpley: Why Does God Allow Evil?

By Sister Tarpley, NDG Religion Editor

“‘If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?’ But there is forgiveness with You. That You may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits. And in His word I do hope.” Psalm 130:3-5.

One of the most common questions every person wrestles with in life is this: “God, if You are loving, just, and all-powerful, why do You allow good people to suffer?”

Many choose not to believe in God because they cannot explain this question. Evangelist Billy Graham addressed this question in his book Answers to Life’s Problems: “We do not know all the reasons why God permits evil.  We need to remember, however, that he is not the cause of evil in this world and we should therefore not blame Him for it.”

Remember that God did not create evil, as some believe. God created the world perfect.  Man chose to defy God and go his own way, and it is man’s fault that evil entered the world. Even so, God has provided the ultimate triumph of good over evil in Jesus Christ, who on the cross, defeated Satan and those who follow him.

Jesus Christ is coming back and when He does, all evil will be ended forever and righteousness and justice will prevail.

Have you ever thought about what would happen if God suddenly eliminated all the evil in this world?  Not one person would be left, because we are all guilty of sin. Whenever we suffer, we should remember that the Son of God went before us, drinking the cup of suffering and death to the dregs, on the cross when He shed His precious blood..

Because Christ is fully man and fully God, we know that God understands our fears, sorrows and suffering. He identifies with us.  Most important of all, the Father has given us the gift of His Son so that we don’t have to die and suffer forever in eternity. Because Jesus suffered and died for us, our suffering can be made like His -purposeful and meaningful.

Evil, suffering and death came into the world when the first man and woman listened to Satan and committed the first sin. Evil was never part of the Garden of Eden.  The moment Adam and Eve crossed the boundary of God’s command, evil became the terrible reality of this world.

There are some questions that will remain unresolved until we are able to meet face to face with our Creator in Heaven.