Why Does God Allow Evil in the World?

This is a question many people ask in an attempt to justify their reasoning as to why God doesn't exist. After all, if God is real, why does He allow such evil and misery to befall the world? This is the wrong approach. In order to reach the right answer, we have to ask the right question! And the real question is, how much does God restrain and withhold in the world? I mean, if the Lord is holding back man's true desires and actions of his heart, what then are we not seeing?

"And even as they did not like to retain God in (their) knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;"

- Romans 1:28

What if he is holding back 80, 90 or even 95% of man's true desires, and only allowing a fraction of what man would do if his heart was unrestrained by the Holy Spirit working through him by God. For this we know that God is working in us to withhold the true spirit of man, and if unleashed, the world would look a lot worse than it does today.

Is God evil? No.

Is Man evil? Yes. "If ye then, being evil..." - Matthew 7:11

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

- Romans 3:10-12

Is God responsible for man's actions? No.

Is Man responsible for man's actions? Yes.

Is God good? Yes.

"And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? (there is) none good but one, (that is), God.". - Mark 10:18

Who is responsible for evil in the world? Man and man alone.

Why Does God allow evil in the world? To enable us to see ourselves in our true state without God.

Do we have free will? Yes. But does God withhold Satan from inflicting greater misery on the world? Yes, I believe he does.

"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth (will let), until he be taken out of the way."

- 2 Thessalonians 2:7

So, we are seeing the proverbial tip of the iceberg in terms of wickedness and evil in the world. Without God's restraining hand it would be many times worse than it is, and for that, we must be grateful to God for only allowing what evil there is in the world as it is. Amen!

By Steve Moxham
July 5, 2013

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