Theodicy - The Problem Of Evil
Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. James 1:13-15
It is inevitable that at some point
in your Christian walk, somebody will ask you about the integrity of God.
That is, how do you deal with the
tension between the goodness and omnipotence of God, and the existence of evil?
This is an ancient question and is
the subject of a theological study known as “Theodicy”.
Theodicy is a branch of systematic
theology that attempts to show that God is not responsible for evil.
In the early church, Augustine, the
fourth century theologian, attempted to explain evil as part of the creation
that is necessary for its greater good.
That sounds a little like what
the Apostle Paul was accused of in Roman 3:8
which says, “.... Let us
do evil that good may come”? —as we are slanderously reported and as some
affirm that we say....."
Some misguided souls propose that
evil should be done so that God could bring some good from it.
Also the New Age idea of balance or
yin and yang - the idea that without adversity we could not appreciate peace
and providence.
This shows a woeful misunderstanding
of such passages as Genesis 50:20 and Romans 8:28.
It may also have been the cause
behind the “Ranters” movement in 17th
century England who claimed that a believer is free from all
traditional restraints, that sin is a product only of the imagination, and that
there is no need for salvation.
This is called Antinomianism - rebellion.
Variations of the question of evil
run from philosophical curiosity to theological contention.
Here is an example of the latter by a
university professor:
DOES EVIL EXIST?
A university professor challenged his
students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?
A student bravely replied, "Yes,
He did!"
"God created everything?" the
professor asked. “Yes, sir," the
student replied.
The professor answered, "If God
created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists.
And according to the principal that
our works define who we are, then God is evil."
The student became quiet before such an answer.
The professor was quite pleased with
himself, and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the
faith in God is a myth.
Another student raised his hand and said,
"Can I ask you a question, professor?"
"Of course," replied the
professor.
The student stood up and asked, "Professor,
does cold exist?"
"What kind of question is this?
Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?"
The students snickered at the young
man's question.
The young man replied, "In fact,
sir, cold does not exist.
According to the laws of physics, what
we consider cold is, in reality, the absence of heat.
Absolute zero (-460 degrees F) is the
total absence of heat.
All matter becomes inert and
incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist.
We have created this word to describe
how we feel if we have no heat."
The student continued. "Professor,
does darkness exist?"
The professor responded, "Of
course it does."
The student replied, "Once again
you are wrong, sir.
Darkness does not exist either. Darkness
is, in reality, the absence of light. We can study light, but not darkness.
In fact, we can use Newton's prism to
break white light into many colors and study the various wave lengths of each
color.
You cannot measure darkness. A simple
ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it.
How can you know how dark
a certain space is? You measure the
amount of light present. Isn't this correct?
Darkness is a term used by man to
describe what happens when there is no light present."
Finally, the young man asked the
professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"
Now uncertain, the professor
responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it everyday. It is
in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man.
It is in the multitude of crime and
violence everywhere in the world. These
manifestations are nothing else but evil."
To this the student replied, "Evil
does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself.
Evil is simply the absence of God. It
is just like darkness and cold -- a word that man has created to describe the
absence of God. God did not create evil.
Evil is not like faith, or love, that
exist just as does light and heat.
Evil is the result of what happens
when man does not have God's love present in his heart.
It's like the cold that comes when
there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."
The professor sat down.
The young student's name -- Albert
Einstein.
This incident may, or may not, be
true. However, it does serve to
illustrate a point.
The professor in the account was
obviously hostile to the whole idea of God.
His purpose wasn’t to honestly
understand this theological puzzle. It
was rather an attack on the existence or integrity of God.
I call such people intellectual
vandals because they attempt to destroy what they don’t understand and have
nothing of any value to put is its place.
But let’s look at the question of
evil in contrast to an all powerful and
loving God.
What is the solution to this as a
legitimate question?
Did Albert solve the puzzle?
Let’s get something straight right
from the beginning – God is good and He is not the author of evil!
That is, He does not create calamity
or adversity - both are inherent in this fallen world.
Just as light is conducive to life
and darkness is the absence of light, God is the source of life and all that is
good.
So it is quite appropriate that “evil”
is “live” spelled backwards; because like the Devil, it is the opposite of life.
I believe that Albert made some good
points, but in truth, evil most definitely does exist.
The answer to this question, as
usual, lies in understanding the meaning of the words involved.
There are two words that are often
used interchangeably in the Bible and in our language – evil and wickedness.
In the OT the Hebrew word for evil is
“ra”; and the word for wickedness is “rasha”.
In the NT the Greek word for evil is “Poneros;”
and the word for wickedness is “Kakos.”
Now, as I said, these words are often
used interchangeably. This is one of the
reasons for the confusion.
But the sense of the word “evil” in
either language is “adversity, affliction, limitation.”
The sense of the word “wickedness” in
either language is “rebellion and lawlessness.”
So it is true, as Albert said, that
evil is the result of the absence of God in human thought and activity.
But, more than that, when we see that
it is the product of human resistance to God’s will, we must realize that
Satan, not God, is the author of evil.
Putting it as simply as I can,
wickedness and evil are related but not the same thing.
Wickedness (rebellion) is the cause,
and Evil (adversity and disaster) is the result.
It just makes sense that Ra follows
Rasha; that is, evil is the result of wickedness and both have their origin in
Satan.
Satan is the author of wickedness and
finds an ally in the human nature that Adam received when he turned from God.
Goodness is from God and is defined
as that which is beneficial or in the case of mankind, that which is man-friendly
or philanthropic.
Conversely the adversity and
affliction that results from wrong thinking is opposed to life and in the case
of man is hostile to humankind or misanthropic.
Adversity and disaster are not from
God – both are inherent in the choices we make that oppose God’s guidance.
God tells us in Jer 29:11, “… I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give
you a future and a hope.”
In Deut
30:19 God says, "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I
have set before you life and death,
blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants
may live…”
It is God’s choice that we be content
and grow in the image and likeness of His Son.
He chooses for us Life, and that,
more abundantly.
No, our gracious God is not the
author of adversity and destruction.
Nor is He the author of rebellion.
He is not a God of contradictions.
He offers us a sound mind and freedom
from the cause of sin and death.
God’s choice is for us.
He made the first choice in eternity
past - the choice to come to this fallen place and to take upon Himself the
curse of Adam.
2 Corinthians 5:21 declares, “He who was without sin, became sin, that we might become the
righteousness of God.”
In Christ, God chose to die in our
place and restore us to fellowship Him.
God desires relationship with man; He
tells us that He loves us with an everlasting love and then proved it by
subjecting Himself to the adversity and limitations that you and I have
inherited from Adam.
There is true mystery in the method
that God used to cancel the Adamic curse and restore man to relationship with
Him.
But it is sufficient to know that, in
Christ, He has given us the means to rise above the wickedness and evil of this
world and live in agreement with Him.
God represents everything that is
wholesome and agreeable to human life.
To oppose Him is to invite suffering
and despair both of which are what is left when we are separated from God and
walk in darkness.
James 1:17 assures us that, Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father
of lights, with whom is no variation, neither shadow of turning.
This is an all powerful and all
knowing God who is the very definition of goodness and grace who wants only the
best for you and me.
And He has proven it by His Cross.
He was willing to die for us.
Are we willing to live for Him?
And here is the conclusion in a
proverbial nutshell:
God is good.
God created man in His image.
God loves man and desires intimacy
with him.
Relationship demands volition, that
is , free will.
So God gave man the freedom to choose.
Choice carries with it the
possibility of error.
Wrong choice results in adversity and
affliction.
Hence, God is not the author of evil.
It is mans’ opposition to God’s
guidance that is the source of evil in the world.
Amen.