Evil

Question: How Can God Permit Evil to Exist in the World?

When we enter the domain of asking how God can do this or that, we need to tread very softly, for God is a Being of infinite wisdom, and we know almost nothing. When we think about how vast God is and how infinitesimal we are, we do well to hesitate about questioning how God can do anything. An infinitely wise God may have a thousand good reasons for doing things, when we, in our almost utter ignorance, cannot see one good or even possible reason for them.

Having said this much, I may add that evil seems to be a necessary accompaniment of good. Moral good is the highest good, and freedom of choice is necessary for the attainment of moral good. In fact, no being can be good in the highest sense unless it is possible for him to do evil; but if it is possible for him to do evil, he may do it. God created all beings good, but the highest beings were created with the power of choice. They could choose disobedience to God if they desired. One of the very highest of such beings, he whom we now call satan, chose evil. God created man with the power of choice also, and the first man chose evil, and the whole race followed him. Thus evil entered into the world as the outcome of God's having created man on the highest plane, that is, with the lofty power of choice.

God will permit evil to continue in the world until He has fully worked out His own benevolent plans. When we come to see no longer "through a glass, darkly; but ... face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12), we will undoubtedly rejoice that God did permit evil to exist in the world.

~R. A. Torrey~