Why, God: The Problem of Evil

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• If God is all powerful (sovereign) loving, then
  why is there evil in the world?

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Types of Evil

• Moral Evil (sin)
• Murder, rape, child abuse, terrorism
• Moral evil results from the sinful choices of
  humans.
• Natural Evil
• Accidents
• Wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis,
  flooding
• Death, diseases, deformities, disabilities
• Natural evil is a product of the curse caused by
  moral evil.

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God is Sovereign

• Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with
  the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this
  city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus,
  whom you anointed. They did what your power and
  will had decided beforehand should happen.
• Acts 427-28 (NIV)

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God is Loving

• Greater love has no one than this, that he lay
  down his life for his friends.
• John 1513 (NIV)

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• Unless you repent, you too will all perish

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The Bible Answers Key Questions About Evil

• Where does evil come from?
• Where is evil going?
• What is the solution to evil?
• Why is evil still here?

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Where Does Evil Come From?

• Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the
  wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to
  the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat
  from any tree in the garden'?"  The woman said to
  the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in
  the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat
  fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the
  garden, and you must not touch it, or you will
  die.' "
•  Genesis 31-3 (NIV)

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Where Does Evil Come From?

•   "You will not surely die," the serpent said to
  the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of
  it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like
  God, knowing good and evil."
•   When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree
  was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and
  also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some
  and ate it. She also gave some to her husband,
  who was with her, and he ate it.
• Genesis 34-6 (NIV)

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Where Evil is Going?

• Then I saw a great white throne and him who was
  seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his
  presence, and there was no place for them. And I
  saw the dead, great and small, standing before
  the throne, and books were opened. Another book
  was opened, which is the book of life. The dead
  were judged according to what they had done as
  recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead
  that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the
  dead that were in them, and each person was
  judged according to what he had done. Then death
  and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The
  lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's
  name was not found written in the book of life,
  he was thrown into the lake of fire.
• Revelation 2011-15 (NIV)

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Where Evil is Going?

• Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
  first heaven and the first earth had passed away,
  and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy
  City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of
  heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully
  dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice
  from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God
  is with men, and he will live with them. They
  will be his people, and God himself will be with
  them and be their God. He will wipe every tear
  from their eyes. There will be no more death or
  mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of
  things has passed away."  He who was seated on
  the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
  Then he said, "Write this down, for these words
  are trustworthy and true."
• Revelation 211-5 (NIV)

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What is the Solution To Evil?

• And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
  and between your offspring and hers he will
  crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
• Genesis 315 (NIV)

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• This evil world exists to show us the patience,
  mercy, and love of God.

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• Why has God not judged evil YET?

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• But do not forget this one thing, dear friends
  With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and
  a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not
  slow in keeping his promise, as some understand
  slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting
  anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
  repentance.
• 2 Peter 38-9 (NIV)

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• Or do you show contempt for the riches of his
  kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing
  that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
   But because of your stubbornness and your
  unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath
  against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when
  his righteous judgment will be revealed.
• Romans 24-5 (NIV)

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• Moral and natural evil wake us up to the reality
  of death.

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• Evil exists for the purpose of leading us to
  repentance.

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• For the creation was subjected to frustration,
  not by its own choice, but by the will of the one
  who subjected it, in hope
• Romans 820 (NIV)

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Why was the natural world disordered?

• God did this to get our attention.
• God did this to show us the horrors of sin.

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• God put the natural world under a curse so that
  the physical horrors that we see around us in
  diseases and calamities would become a vivid
  picture of how horrible sin (moral evil) is.

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• Pain insists upon being attended to. God
  whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our
  conscience, but shouts in our pain it is His
  megaphone to rouse a deaf world.
• -C.S. Lewis

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• When we experience evil, we do not need answers
  we need theology.

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• And we know that in all things God works for the
  good of those who love him, who have been called
  according to his purpose.
• Romans 828 (NIV)

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• Though the fig tree does not bud
• and there are no grapes on the vines,
• though the olive crop fails
• and the fields produce no food,
• though there are no sheep in the pen
• and no cattle in the stalls,
• yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
• I will be joyful in God my Savior.
• Habakkuk 317-18 (NIV)