Who Created Evil?

The debate about who created evil is an important one, since atheists and skeptics use the existence of evil in their arguments against theism. To begin with, Christians are told we must believe what the Bible tells us. Even a popular children's song has in its lyrics these words,

If it is incumbent upon Christians to believe what the Bible tells us, then we can start with the first verse of the Bible that says,

So, if God created everything, and if evil is in the world, doesn't it follow that God created evil? After all, in his Gospel, the most beloved Disciple tells us,

Mind you, the biggest defenders among Christians who believe God created evil are those who adhere to the teachings of John Calvin. Well it seems to me that there is a bit of a schism in the ranks of the Calvinist movement.

Two verses used to defend the belief that God created evil are (Isaiah 45:7) and (Amos 3:6). In both instances the word evil, not calamity, is used in 12 of the 21 Bible translations I have. It is important to note that all but one of the translations using the word evil were published before 1948. This is important, because in 1948 the (Dead Sea Scrolls) were discovered by a shepherd boy in the caves of Qumran in 1948. After exhaustive and painstaking investigation,it was learned that the Scrolls revealed that the proper translation for these verses would actually be disaster or calamity, not evil.

Now some may argue that a calamity is an evil, because it causes pain and misery and so they will still argue that God is the creator of evil. However, when speaking of evil in regards to the nature of sin, it should be observed that there are three kinds of

There is a difference between "Creating Evil" and following evil. God created everything that is created, so naturally God created evil.

Isaiah 45:7 tells us that God creates calamity and Genesis tells us that He created Light and darkness.

It is up to you to choose what you follow however, just as it was Satan's choice to want to be higher than God and he was tossed out of Heaven. Just because there is evil doesn't mean you have to follow it. The choices you make is what God will judge in the Last Days.

There wasn't a void with nothing in it but the void and evil in Genesis. There was nothing and then there was something including darkness and evil when God said let there be light. Then God separated the light from darkness ever since.

I always get exercised when people say "God wouldn't do that!", when I can show dozens of verses that show God giving plagues, killing evil people, splitting the earth open, and killing Arron's sons. God killed Judah's 2 pagan sons just because they tried to marry Tamar. God killed every man woman and child on earth in the Flood and will kill 2/3 of the Earth in the Last Days. One angel killed 185,000 men in one night and killed 2 followers of Jesus for lying about selling their property. God has no problem killing to get what He wants. Remember why Saul was not allowed to be king any longer.

We don’t have all the answers, but I have thought about it this way...

The “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” was an object, not itself an “action” or “decision”.

I don’t want to cheapen any possible or hidden aspects of God using a tree, but to the specific and fore-knowledgeable act of rebellion committed by Adam and Eve, the sin itself was simply doing what God said not to do.

God created the object of that tree, but said “no eating from that tree”, and it was literally the only one with that command.

They ultimately chose to “eat from that tree”.

In this specific sense, God could have chosen another plant, or a pebble, and said don’t eat that pebble, “or you will surely die” (death actually being eternal and lonely separation from God).

Again, the pebble God created itself was not sin, but a choice by Adam to do exactly what God said not to do with that pebble is sin.

In Deuteronomy 28, there are multiple references to incredible blessings of “doing/following what I command”, and incredible curse for “doing that which I did not command”, or doing what God said not to do.

In all cases, it came down to a decision of the heart, and the successive action, doing doing what God desired, or doing what God did not desire.

He gave us the will and decision, and either crazy wonderful blessing for our decision to do good, or crazy horrific cursing and judgement for deliberately acting against Him.

And life itself was and is a gift, and by our right and just choice, blessings that God wants to pour out on us. 🎚

Sin entered the universe when Lucifer rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. Lucifer’s sin was pride because he wanted to be like God, “I will make myself like the Most High.” See Isaiah 14:12-17. Lucifer lost his position and became Satan.

Lucifer was created by God and anointed as a guardian cherub. “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” Satan entered into the serpent, the most subtle of creatures and tempted Adam and Eve in Eden, the garden of God. “From the day you were created, you were blameless in your ways—until wickedness was found in you.” See Ezekiel 28:11-17.

Adam and Eve sinned because they disobeyed God. God wanted them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and of the tree of life, to retain knowledge, wisdom and purity (but without sin) as immortal beings but that plan was delayed. Adam and Eve chose to disobey God because they had free will.

Free will was working from the human perspective but from God’s perspective it was predestination. Jesus Christ restored all things by his death and resurrection. Through one man sin entered into the world and through one man sin leaves the world.

Our hope is in Jesus Christ and God’s promise of eternal life. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Behold all things are new and hope has been restored, not by our own power but by Christ who lives in us. We are saved by grace through faith, it is a gift from God. Sin no longer has a hold on us. We are destined to receive all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ; to drink the living water and eat from the tree of life, to receive a new name and walk with God in Eden, the garden of God. This was the plan from the beginning and it remains one of many great mysteries. In the end evil will be nothing, nihil.

Creating evil is one thing: allowing the devil to engage in his malevolent behavour in order to chastise or punish man is another. But the larger issue is that finite man who is blind to the Big Picture is in no position to judge the morality of the actions or inactions of an omnipotent and omniscient Being, and in doing so then man is essentially presuming omniscience. We cannot judge God even though I sometimes irrationally protest what He does.

Because only God, as the omniscient omnipotent author and giver of life, and who alone knows what every single effect will be of a life and even of your next thought, not only for this life and for eternity, has the right to take innocent life for any reason. For He alone can and will make everything work out for what is Good and the good of those who choose Him over sin. (Rm. 8:32)

Also, the instances of God commanding children, infants, and pregnant women to be killed were those of, after much longsuffering by God - who is grieved by man (Genesis 6:5,6) to whom He gave good things and good laws (Psalm 19; James 1:17; Acts 14:15–17) while not needing anything from man (Acts 17:25) - were those of executing generationally wicked nations.

Thus placing a stop from their infectious cultural replication, and delivering the innocent from becoming like their parents, while even the guilty will have lesser punishment than if they had been allowed to continue in rejection and defilement of conscience. (Luke 12:47,48; 20:47)

Likewise is God executing wicked souls directly, as is His allowing such to do evil, which can be a judgment on others for disobedience, (1 Co. 11:32) or for chastisement for character sake, (Job) as well as in patience that they may repent.

In short, the presumption that a omniscient and omnipotent, just and merciful Being was unjust in allowing evil or in sending judgments presumes omniscience and omnipotence on the part of the one who is judging God (not that I am not guilty of that, at least as a emotional yet irrational reaction).

For laws which deem something as evil are based upon principals related to their nature and what their effects will be, and with intent and accountability factoring in assigning degrees of guilt. And thus acts such as stealing are crimes of society, but in just wars they are justified in the light of intent and the effect of fighting an evil aggressor. Likewise allowing one to choose wrong answers or actions, and experiencing effects are justified under certain conditions.

But when a Being knows what all the effects will be of even our next hesitation (and all that we do or do not do results in effects in varied way and to varying degrees) not only in this mere speck of our earthly existence as mere specks in humanity and the universe, but for eternity, and can and make all work out for what is Good, and just, yet showing mercy and grace, then mere exceedingly finite ignorant man can hardly sit in judgment on such a Being.

Thus, man cannot rationally impugn iniquity to God for His actions or inactions unless one presumes omniscience and omnipotence for man. Which makes man to be as God, which is simply irrational.

And the reason man is wrong for taking innocent life as well as to judge God for doing so is because man neither,

*created life nor can give it in the eternal realm;

*knows all about the subjects at issue, including all their thoughts, intents and motives;

*can foresee, in all depth and detail, how a life will turn out and effect, now and for the future;

*has the power to orchestra all the actions and works that man is allowed to engage in to at the least ultimately work out for what is Good.

And thus man cannot presume to know that,

*It was not better in the light of all that can be know that, as regards the Flood for instance, God acted as He did, including delivering the innocent from becoming like their damnable parents, and rehabilitating the earth. And making animals to be fertilizer and fuel for man.

*The creator who gave life and all good things has not the right to take it, and cannot recreate it.

Conversely, you cannot rationally impugn iniquity to God for taking innocent life or man and animals unless you as establish that the God you accuse of injustice does not possess all these attributes, but that you do. In which case you are not dealing with the God of the Bible, not the reality of the human condition.

See Theodicy in dealing with alternative proposals as to how God should have operated.

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