“God would never permit evil if He could not bring good out of evil.” –Augustine
There is purpose in evil if only to allow the judgment and justice of God to be carried out in this world and on these generations of disobedience.
The origin of evil seems to simply be God’s giving angels and man free will and our choices to disobey God’s commandments. God created both the angels and man in order to have a relationship with the created with the expectations that we will choose to do His will. Between Satan, His legions, and the original couple…we have all chosen wrongly and are under the curse of His judgment. This is why there is sickness and darkness in this world. Not because God is vicious or vengeful, but because He is just and will never go back on His word and promises. His promises include blessings and cursings depending on our choices between good and evil. It is very similar to what we experience between earthly fathers and their children when raised properly.
God allows evil to happen for HIS purposes. When bad things happen to good people, many question the Sovereignty of God or think of Him as some sadistic power that sponsors evil. I once thought that way in my decades of rebellion against God. Yet, the truth is, there is love somewhere behind his reasonings for allowing evil. His plan has always been to redeem those who believe in and love Him, but He never promised we would not be tainted by sin and evil in this life. The battle He has called us to is that of life over death, light versus the darkness. The light will always recognize the darkness for what it is.
When John Piper was asked if God ordained the evil losses of life on 9/11, he replied, “Yes. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. But the very power by which God governs all evils enables him to govern your life. And he has total authority to turn this and every other evil in your life for your everlasting good. And that’s your only hope in this world and in the next.”
We deal with evil every day. All of us are tested or tempted daily. We are living in the midst of constant warfare between good and evil, spirit and flesh, God and Satan. We have been CHOSEN by God to fight with and for Him…not because He NEEDS our help to win the battle, but because we are His adopted sons and daughters and He expects us to battle the enemy with Him. We are representatives in this physical world of the spiritual one we came from and are destined to.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
– 1 Peter 2:9
When we are plugged into God via the Holy Spirit, we have nothing to fear. There is no evil that can overtake us. Even King David, a very imperfect but loved leader appointed by God, understood that even in our imperfection, we are not to fear evil. We are to only fear God. He wrote in Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me”.
What is the purpose of the “rod and staff” here? The shepherd’s tools for herding sheep were rods and staffs. Rods were to get the attention and direct a sheep back to the herd/family…and staffs had a hook on the end for rescuing an errant sheep when stranded in a crevice they couldn’t get out of. While the rod and staff are not always pleasant to experience, we can take comfort in them because they truly rescue us from bad consequences even when they may inflict temporary pain. Most of us periodically experience the fallout from our sinful bodies and natures, yet even in the midst of that we can KNOW the purpose and trust that “all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28)
God’s Holy Spirit is that which calls us and keeps us in line, restores our souls, and keeps us from being run by our fleshly urges and limitations. We don’t fear evil, because we know our Shepherd is with us and there to rescue us from any calamity that may threaten. We don’t have to be perfect in order to be strong and fearless. We simply must cry out for our Shepherd and know that He is on His way to rescue us.
The solution to evil is doing good…even towards those who are evil. 1 Peter 3:9 commands us, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing”.
We have power over evil by doing good…not returning evil for evil. If we do this, we have nothing to fear. First, we will not be guilty of evil ourselves. Second, God has promised victory of good over evil…so that is always the best side to take in the choosing. We must always be thinking of how we can BLESS someone, and I don’t think “blessing” someone is about criticizing or correcting, judging or castigating.
I believe Satan and his minions are helpless in the presence of blessing and good. Sure, they may inflict pain or even death upon us momentarily in this life because that may be allowed by God for a purpose. That purpose may be to prove that fearless faith is not worried about losing THIS life. We are to live for and by the spirit of God…and we WILL live for eternity with our Father. That is the ultimate overcoming of evil promised to all believers.
No matter what evil we are facing, we can have control in every situation because we have no fear, anger, or anxiety within us if we are full of God’s spirit. God MAY bless us in this world, but the only thing that really matters is that He blesses us with eternity, ruling and reigning with Him. We are not to hold on to the things of this world or be worried about its evils. Blessings in the present and for eternity are our hope and promise if we continue overcoming evil with good.
You won’t be trusting God when you fear evil. If you trust God, you are confident in His goodness and say with the psalmist, “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). If God is on your side, you will know the meaning of, “The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Psalm 118:6). He will free us from fear when we pray to him according to Psalm 34:4 and Philippians 4:6.
Be of good cheer, even in the midst of evil.