Good and Evil

Intro

The problem of evil is one of the trickiest challenges for the believer in God. If God is all powerful and also all loving, why doesn’t he bring an end to all of the suffering? For some, this presents a problem too difficult to overcome. While we may not find the answer to every facet of this question, the Bible does present some big ideas that many have found very helpful.

Discuss: Have you ever wrestled with this question?

Exploring the Scriptures

Genesis 1:1-4, 31 | What was the world like when God originally created it? How does this compare to our world today?

Genesis 2:8-9, 16-17 | What trees did God plant in the middle of the garden? What might be the significance of these trees? Why would a good God plant these trees?

1 John 4:8 | Love requires freedom which requires risk.

Genesis 3:1-10 | How did the snake convince Adam and Eve to eat the fruit?

Revelation 12:7-9 | Where did the snake come from?

Ezekiel 28:11-17 (Isaiah 14:12-15) | Did God create Satan?

Philippians 2:5-9 | How does Jesus compare with Satan?

THE GIFT OF JESUS

God is love, which means he is also the God of freedom. But in giving angels and humans the freedom to make their own decisions, God took a tremendous risk. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they chose to take God’s “very good” world down the path of evil. God could have responded by destroying his creation and starting again. Or, he could have just allowed evil to reign forever. But both options conflicted with his nature of love. Instead, God chose a much harder and costlier path. He would send his son Jesus to our world to die on our behalf. This was the only way to rescue us from the path we had chosen and will one day result in our world returning to a place of perfect goodness and love.

LIVING IT

Discuss: What big ideas have we looked at that help us make sense of the evil in our world?

Note: God has given us freedom, and this means that our choices matter. Each of these Bible guides will finish with a decision question. This is your opportunity to say yes to God and to align yourself to him.

Decide: In the battle between God and Satan, and between good and evil, do you desire to be on God’s side?