Why God Puts up with Evil, Part 1

Read Romans 9:22-24

Romans 9 does not answer the question of why evil exists or even who authored it, it gives us the answer to the question: Why doesn’t God stop evil in its tracks? In Romans 9:22-24 we see four reasons why God puts up with evil. Rooted in what God desires, what He wants. Romans 9:22 begins what if a rhetorical question introducing a statement of fact. God wanting, willing, desiring, Greek word signifies God true intentions, not like us hoping or wishing for something, like we hope it turns out alright but we have no control of the outcome, this is what God willed, decreed, ordained to happen. Four things God wanted and willed to have happen.

1st, God puts up with sin in order to show His just wrath against sin and evil. Wrath (the Greek word orge) is extreme anger. Many people struggle with anger issues. What makes you angry? It is easy to think that God must somehow deal with things like we do. Sin makes God angry, but not in the sinful way we get angry (we sinfully seek revenge); He does so in a perfectly holy way (He purely seeks what is good and right and just). Romans 9:22 speaks of "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction". He endures with great patience those who are under His wrath in order to show mercy to some. God created everything good. But sin is bad. Sin exists because man is free. Evil is the outworking of man’s sinful choices. We speak of evil as a force, it is not created, it is chosen by God’s creatures. It is the absence of God's righteousness. Because sin infects every human at the core of their being, evil is chosen rather than good. Jeremiah 17:9 says "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked". We learn about God’s sovereignty in Romans 9, that He is over all, He planned to save some, His character is perfectly consistent, He is just and merciful. We also learn about man’s responsibility: our sins condemn us, we are under God and our choices matter.

The Bible doesn't explain the origin of evil fully. It presupposes that evil exists, in much the same way it assumes God exists. Gen. 1:1
begins, in the beginning God. And Genesis 3:1 starts now the serpent, who we know is Satan, known as the serpent from of old, the deceiver, the father of lies. We read in Isaiah and Ezekiel of Satan's fall, or more accurately, his expulsion from heaven. He was thrown out by God. We know of man's subsequent temptation and fall into sin, believing the lie that has ensnared so many, that God is not good. Romans 5:12 tells us that sin came into the world through one man, Adam, the representative head of the human race. Therefore all people are born in sin, spiritually dead, unable to bring themselves to God or make any movement towards Him at all for good. Read Mark 7:21-23 to see what Jesus says about the human heart. You are not as bad as you could be, utterly depraved, but you are bad enough to deserve hell, totally depraved, totally unable to do anything to help yourself spiritually unless God intervenes.

God’s wrath is in direct response to the unrighteousness and ungodliness that exists. See Rom. 1:18-32, 2:4-6, 3:9-12; 2 Tim. 3:-5; 2 Pet. 2:1-3, 9-15; Jude 14-16; 2 Thess. 2:7-12. Sin is a form of treason against God. His wrath against sin is just. All are naturally dead in sin, cut off from God and unresponsive to Him. Man chooses sin rather than God because he loves evil and not good. Sin enslaves causing man to lose his freedom to choose good. Rom. 8:7-8 says the carnal mind is hostile to God. In God's economy no one is treated unfairly, some receive the justice they deserve. He leaves them in the sin they have chosen.

Substance for Difficult Days

Life is hard. These are difficult days in which we live. Violent crime murders, kidnappings, and other treacheries shock us. Natural disasters tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and more continue to hit. Wars and rumors of wars multiply. Unrest abounds. Political unrest people can’t agree on how to run things, in a post-9/11 world people live in a constant state of uneasiness; relational unrest people can’t get along, adults can’t get past lifelong issues, kids can’t share their toys; it happens in homes, across cities, states, nations and continents. Economic unrest 2 years ago we slid into one of the worst financial crises our country has seen. Scores of people out of work. Spiritual unrest clash of worldviews, a war of ideas about the origin of the world and who oversees it. We live in a pluralistic, relativistic, God-spurning time; man's autonomy celebrated and sin lifted up as ideal. You have to ask WHY all the heartache and confusion? We spend our time on frivolous things, propping ourselves up with whatever we can find to escape the inevitable questions of life.

This is not the time to entertain ourselves and make us feel good about ourselves. Days are coming that will be more difficult. We are living on the Sinking Titanic, business as usual will not do. We need an answer outside of us; we need a Christ-centered, God-saturated, as Jonathan Edwards put it, a God-entranced view of all things. We will need to cling to God’s sovereignty in order to survive these days and the ones to come.

John Piper says focusing on the sovereignty of God in times like these can seem like comforting a bruised heart with a tire iron. We need comfort. But we also need substance, strength that comes from a solid grasp of God's ultimate control of all things. A reason to stand firm and withstand in the midst of horrible circumstances. We must hold unwaveringly to the truth that God is good. He is righteous, just, perfect, holy and loving and is opposed to sin and evil. And God controls everything, including evil.

Non-negotiable Anchors for our Faith

If we would develop Biblical understanding we must hold unwaveringly to certain truths, certain non-negotiables, that are often up for grabs, even seen as unnecessary, like life boats on the Titanic, among many who claim to be Bible-believing, Jesus loving, gospel-centered people. There are absolute truths we need to hold to. Among the most crucial are these:

1. God is perfect, holy and loving, and His wrath is just.
2. The Bible is the one and only inspired, infallible and authoritative Word of God.
3. Sin is a form of treason against God.
4. Jesus Christ is God's only solution to the problem of sin, the only way to eternal life or salvation.
5. Eternal life comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God's glory alone.
6. God controls everything, including evil.

These are difficult days in which we live. And days are coming that will be more difficult. In the midst of it we who are in Christ have unimaginable joy and peace and comfort, knowing God is in control and our future is secure. And without these foundational truths people will be deeply shaken and even moved away from the hope of the gospel when difficult times and circumstances come.

At Grace our stated purpose is to worship God, build up believers and ache others for Christ. Restated in other words, we exist to glorify God by building a gospel-centered community that proclaims and displays the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

These are not days for entertaining ourselves with fun nd games that make us feel good about ourselves. We are living on the Sinking Titanic, frivolous music and mustering courage will not do. We need something outside ourselves, we need a God-saturated view of all things. We need a solid understanding of His sovereignty in order to survive the days ahead. These are days to prepare for the coming onslaught of persecution and hardship oof which the Bible speaks.

John Piper, speaking of these hints, says that speaking of the sovereignty of God in times like these can seem like comforting a bruised heard with a tire iron. But what a deep, abiding grasp of God's sovereignty gives you is substance, strength, a reason to stand firm and withstand in the midst of horrible circumstances. It gives us the best answer to why there is sin and evil running rampant all around.

God is good. He is holy and righteous and just. He is holy, righteous and just. He is in control of all things, even evil. Our hope in Him is an anchor for our souls, a hope built not on empty promises but on the unchangeable character of God displayed in His promises and covenant.

God wills That Sin and Evil exist and bring Him Glory

These are hard words to write, in view of my own sinfulness, and the evil that is present in the world, and the daunting realization that all is not well in the universe and that many sins, faults, pains and injuries assail those who seek a God-saturated view of all things. He is merciful and gracious and holy and horrendous things happen and He is not indifferent or absent or surprised at any of it. He predestined all things while knowing the end of all things. Sovereign in wisdom and in power, He is perfectly good and compassionate and aware that He is working all things after the counsel of His will and working all things together for good for those who love Him. As Joseph told his brothers in Genesis 50, " you meant it for evil but God meant it for for good". This is the way God designed and ordained and decreed that things would work. To God be the glory.

God's Sovereignty is Peerless

God's sovereignty over all is peerless. Unmatched. Without true rival though many pretenders assail His throne. Man, under God, is accountable to Him. We are accountable for our sin; for our thoughts, words and actions; and ultimately whether we reject Jesus or not. We respond to God in light of His sovereignty. And God's sovereignty is not without opposition. Sin and pride push against the immovable rock of God's control of the universe. Nonetheless, God is still and always will be, sovereign. He reigns as King over all.

Lost and Found

A friend of mine called me today to ask me to pray for a local child that was lost. They were out in their neighborhood helping his family look for him. We prayed. We asked God to keep him safe, protect him, lead his family to him. We received a call soon after telling us the good news. The child had been found. He was safe. We praised God.

This brief moment of heartfelt concern for the temporal welfare of one made in the image of God reminds me of the eternal concern we have for those who do not know the grace of God in Christ. Paul, in Romans 10:1 says that his "hearts desire and prayer to God is for their salvation." he earnestly desired the salvation of the lost and therefore prayed to God on their behalf. A pattern for us to follow.

Why is there evil in the world?

Tough question, but it can be answered. Think of it this way. Evil exists because God is good. If God were not good He would be evil. But He is goodness personified in it's most concentrated form. So it only stands to reason that God in His inherent goodness would allow some who are evil to go their wretched ways. It sobers us to think that some do not follow. Those not with Jesus are against Him. They do evil to the utmost. God causes some to turn from their evil and repent and believe. Just look in your own heart and you have a disadvantage. You are not as bad as you could be but you are bad enough to deserve hell. But If you are one of the called, your safety is assured, you will find your way to the celestial city. God has planned it that way. He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ (Phil. 1:6). The Holy Spirit is the restrainer of evil. But in those who will not believe, evil runs amuck. We need the Lord Jesus Christ.

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