the first essay

The problem of evil is often used by atheists as an escape from acknowledging the Lord (Elwell 2001). The unbeliever does fairly question the motive of an all loving God allowing evil to supposedly prevail in this world. He or she wants and explanation of why God would allow natural and moral evils to continue, seemingly, undaunted and unchecked by our invisible God. Anyone considering the truth of a Christian’s claim to have a personal relationship with the Almighty often fails to see the logic of faith and misunderstands the internal consistency that does in fact stand in harmony when considering the ultimate plan of God.

The Bible is the only authority that is needed to render a truthful explanation of all of these seemingly contradictory problems of evil. First, however, it is helpful to use sources outside of the Bible to define various terms and then the answers can be sought from God’s word.

The ‘problem of evil’ is the attempt to understand the reason and existence for evil by various authorities throughout generations such as theologians and philosophers (Elwell 2001). It has many faucets and also depends in understanding what ‘internal consistency’ means: To question if a “theological position” “contradicts itself” (Elwell 2001, 414). There are two types of evil that need to be defined. First, natural evils are such that are outside of responses to a consequence for evil actions. For example, it is considered natural evil if a tsunami takes the lives of thousands seemingly indiscriminately men, women, and children. Second, moral evil is such that is the consequences of abuse of free will. For example, it is considered a moral evil committed when a parent leaves a child to starve to death when the home has a cupboa...

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...e to do evil. Again, what Satan intended for evil, God intended for good. Evil is not an eternal aspect of God’s good plan, but God promises he will contend fully and permanently with evil in his good time.

What an unbeliever has to reconcile is to understand that our ways are not His ways. God once said to Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Works Cited

Isa 45:7 (all scripture KJV Bible unless otherwise noted)

Gen 3:22

Job 1:8, 2:3

Job 42:11

Isa 43:7

Job 42:12-17

Romans 1:28-32

Gen 50:20

Genesis 50:20

Rev 20:10

Rev 22:3-6

Isaiah 55:8-9

Elwell, Walter A., ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology: Second Edition. Grand Rapids Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001.