THURSDAY
“Give Me Break!”

Why does God allow evil to continue? Because God is omniscient, He would have known that men would choose to do evil. Specifically, He must have known that Adam and Eve would be disobedient in the garden and that evil would be the result. So, why did God allow this to happen? Even if God is not the author of evil, it would seem that His omnipotence would allow Him to keep evil from happening through either a miraculous event or other preventative measures.

Why could God not have blown a great wind that made it impossible for Eve to get to the fruit she was tempted to eat? It seems that God could also miraculously turn a gun into a banana just before a murder happens. Could God have stopped the events of 9-11 by causing each of the terrorists to have a spontaneous heart attack before they killed thousands of people?

In God’s sovereignty, he gave man free will. Knowing that this act would lead to the fall of man, the death of His Son on the cross, and the suffering of many people spending eternity in Hell, could God have just not given man free will? At first, this option makes sense. However, the only way for God to allow love to be shared between a creature and a creator is for both to choose to participate in the relationship. Love cannot be forced, because forced love is really rape.
If there is the potential for a person to choose to have a relationship with God, it would follow that the potential for man not to choose God would also have to be real. This is why God allowed for the possibility of evil and why free will is a good thing for Him to have created. It was the only way for man to have the potential to freely love God.

1 Peter 4:12-13
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.