Session 8 – John MacArthur

What about the problem of evil in the world?  How about trouble in the world (Lk. 13)?  How will we help our people through trouble?

Larry King — “I can’t believe in your God because there is just too much trouble in the world.”

There is trouble in the entire world — even crime in our own country.

Skeptics say they can’t accept God because of the problem of evil — how can God be good, loving, kind and still allow such massive evil and suffering?

We need to have an answer to this question and believe with all our hearts that there is a reason and answer to this question.  There is a better answer than Dt. 29:29 — “the secret things belong to the Lord.”

Scripture gives us an answer that we can live in and enjoy.  It’s not a short, inadequate answer (like “God is not responsible…” or “God didn’t start it — Adam and Eve did it…” or “God’s not responsible, the devil is…”).  The short answers don’t help — they just lead you back to God.

So, you have to build your answer on God.  This is the dilemma of theodicy — the justice of God in allowing evil, the righteousness of God in the face of the pervasiveness of evil.

What can we say that is true?

1. Evil Exists

Several categories of evil —

• Natural evil — calamity; something impersonal, physical, external and temporal.  It is the cursed creation acting on people to deadly effect.  The first actual cure of a human disease came in 1885.  (ILL:  The Great Influenza — 100 million people died in 1915 from this flu that began in Kansas).  This world is filled with all kinds of really, really bad things.  We live at the mercy of a corrupted culture and creation.  The whole creation groans (Rom. 8).
• Moral evil — it is personal, internal — people doing evil in malicious and evil ways.  This dominates the human race.  Cf. Rom. 3 — there is not even one that is good.  It is pervasive.  It is everywhere in calamitous forms.
• Supernatural evil — Satan and his minions — uncounted numbers of angels — vile beings as old as creation who have had thousands of years to express their corruption.  Human government and families and other forms of structure mitigate against evil, but there is nothing in the supernatural realm that acts as a restraint — the entire structure is pervaded with evil, unrestrained.
• Eternal evil — hell.  Evil is the only thing that exists there.  Completely pervasive.

This is the world we live in and this is where trouble comes from.

2. God Exists

God is holy, righteous, just, wisdom, love, comfort, compassion.  He is everything that the Bible says He is.  But most of all, He is sovereign.  That’s what it means to be God.  There is nothing that exists apart from His authority and rulership.

Cf. 1 Chron. 29:11-12; Ps. 115:3; Dan. 4:35 — Scripture repeatedly affirms His absolute sovereignty.

The sovereignty of God is absolute and irresistible.  Dt. 32:39.  He is in charge of everything.  Ex. 4:11; Ps. 105:16; 2 Kings 17:25.  Theologians want to get him off the hook, but He doesn’t want to be off the hook.  The greatest holocaust in the history of the world, by far, was the flood.  Who sent the flood?  God.  He is sovereign over it and everything else.  He is content with that!

1 Tim. 2:16; Rev. 4:11; Prov. 16:4 — God made everything uninfluenced by anything else.

He made it all and He allowed sin.  The Lord does what seems right to Him.  Is. 14:27; 46:10; 1 Sam. 2:6-8; Amos 3:6.  God controls absolutely everything.  Evil is not outside His control.

3. God Wills Evil to Exist

Because He is absolutely sovereign, it couldn’t exist unless He willed it to exist — Is. 45:5ff.  — “creating calamity, I am the Lord God who does them all.”

Yet He is absolutely holy and does not tempt anyone to sin.

Some attempt to reinvent God to save Him from this problem —

• God has limited power — He would stop it if He could
• God has limited knowledge — the process theology people (open theism).  God operates from the standpoint of “ignorance.”  God created Adam and Eve and hoped for the best.  Does that mean that the cross is an after-thought — Plan B?  They don’t want to have their sensibilities affected.

So how can we answer this dilemma?  Why did God allow evil????

• Metaphysical theology — evil is inevitable, the yin for the yang.  It is not created by God, but just a metaphysical reality because everything must have an opposite.
• Free will theodicy — autonomous theodicy — the abuse of free will.  God has allowed it because free will is the greatest good.  God had to allow for the possibility of evil to allow the most highly prized thing — free will.  God did this Himself to protect Himself from injustice.  He gave both angels and man this free will.  Humans must have the self-determined freedom to act.  God cannot act as the primary source in any human choice, or this is a violation of the greatest human virtue — free will.  But the Bible does not allow for this.  And of course, if God knew that they would choose sin and hell, why did He then create them in that way?

Would you rather have a good madly scrambling to get control of evil or a God that is in completely in control of it using it for His purposes.

4. God has a Purpose for Evil

What is that purpose — cf. the Westminster Confession.  God sovereignly ordained whatsoever should come to pass.  He is not the author of sin or approver of sin.  Whatsover He brings to pass is for the praise of His glory.

Romans 3:5 — our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God.  When God allowed evil, it made it possible for Him to demonstrate His righteousness.  Israel’s unrighteousness does not cancel His righteousness — at the cross!

Why does God want to demonstrate His righteousness?  So He can be praised and honored and glorified.

Romans 5:8 — God’s love is demonstrated most fully against the backdrop of evil and sin.

Romans 9:22 — God put His righteousness on display through the power of His wrath.  This is the action of holiness against sin.  He allowed sin so He could display His holy anger.  God has just as much right to put His wrath on display as His grace on display.  Verse 23 looks to the other side — to make known the riches of His glory…

There is evil in the world, because it was a suitable demonstration of His glory.  God willed to make known His glory through the advent of sin.

Romans 11:33-36 — the wisdom and knowledge of God is unsearchable and unfathomable.  It is not unclear.  The greatest good is the glory of God demonstrated and extolled forever and ever.  And His glory would not be in complete demonstration if it were not for sin and evil.

Rev. 15:3-4 — they worship because His righteous acts have been revealed.

Rom. 9:14 — what is our response?  Is there any injustice?   No, no, no…  Cf. also vv. 19ff — God is not subject to our preferences.  He did it for His purposes — according to His foreknowledge and plan.

Does the existence of evil make God more glorious or less glorious?  Much more!!  Why do we sing with such joy?  Because of deliverance.

God is sovereign and everything that happens is for His glory and for the good of His people.  God is much more glorious because He allowed evil.