Is God Evil? What is the Source of Evil?

God is good and all things He created from the beginning were good. The question comes, then, if God is good, why does evil exist? Did God create evil? If so, doesn’t this mean God is evil?

Resolving Isaiah 45:7

Isaiah 45:7 (KJV) I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

At first glance, it seems that God is admitting to creating evil. How can God claim to be good and then claim to create evil?

However, when you study this passage in more depth, you will find that is not the case. The KJV of the bible is an older translation. The word "evil" used here does not mean evil as we think of it in modern times (the opposite of good). Rather, the original Hebrew word "rah" that is used here means "distress, misery, injury, calamity." That is why the New King James version translates the scripture this way:

Isaiah 45:7
I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.'

The point is that God has created circumstances to evil. Whenever we commit evil, bad things happen. God created these circumstances so that we might know how bad evil is.

God did not create evil.

Evil originated with a being named Satan or the Devil. At this point, however, evil was just an inward condition. Evil makes an appearance into creation through sin. And so, evil exists as a result of a relationship that grew between Satan and humanity. It is only the combination of the two, Satan and humanity, that evil may even exist. Satan is a parasite that feeds like a host on human victims. Human victims give themselves over to Satan’s power. The two together enable wickedness.

God created Satan, doesn’t that make God evil?

Indeed God created Satan. However, in the beginning, Satan was a beautiful and magnificent being. Ezekiel 28:12-17 is thought to be the description of Satan’s fall. It is important to note that Satan fell by his own choice. He became prideful of his great power and sought to take God's throne.

God allows Satan to tempt and deceive humans. Isn’t that evil?

Satan alone, however, is powerless. He must ask God approval before He can do anything. This means God allows Satan to tempt and deceive humans.

When God created humanity, He gave humanity a freedom that demons do not have. A demon is always before God. They cannot deny His existence. They cannot deny God or turn their back to Him. They always see Him and are always aware of Him.

When a demon commits evil in their heart, they do so purposefully. They set their heart directly against God. It would be like a person coming face to face with God and cussing him out. This is different from most humans. Currently, most humans have never met God. They don't know if He really exists. And so, they are ignorant of God. This means, some day, they could apologize to God and say, "I didn't really mean it. I just didn't know you." However, a demon cannot say this. They always know God.

God gave humanity this freedom, the freedom of faith, for a good reason. We were created for a special purpose that is different than anything else. We were created for love. And to love someone means that we must choose them as the one we love. We choose to give our love to someone or to withhold it. You cannot force someone to give you their love.

And so, God gave us this freedom. However, when we were created, we were placed in a perfect place in perfect happiness. Of course we would choose God. Why wouldn't we?

And so, God allowed Satan to exist and to tempt us in order to test us. Would we truly love God if we didn't have everything we wanted? (This story is illustrated in Job. Satan asked to test Job and said, "Sure, Job loves you. You have given him wealth and happiness." And so God said, "Test him.")

Humanity was tested by Satan. The story goes, we failed. And this failure made it possible for Satan to trick us and deceive us even more.

God is omniscient. This means He knew Satan would become evil and yet God still created him? Isn’t that evil?

God is omniscient which means that God had foreknowledge concerning this event. He knew that Satan would fall before He created him. Despite this, God still created Satan and allows Him to exist. Many would say this proves that God is evil. However, God has a plan and Satan is permitted to exist that God’s plan might be fulfilled.

God’s plan involved a committed relationship of love with humanity. God’s desire is that we would choose Him over all other things. God allowed Satan to tempt Adam and Eve that they may the freedom to sin. Just as you pointed out, without Satan, they could not sin. However, God gave them that freedom. Adam and Eve chose to sin. We also choose to sin. God gave that freedom, not teach Adam and Eve not to sin, but that they may prove their love for God is true and special. If they would have done what God wanted, they would have said, "no" to Satan. And in that moment, they would have prove, "I love no else but you." And then God would have sent Satan to Hell to be destroyed.

To illustrate, someone might ask: “Would you allow your child to touch a very hot stove burner to teach him not to touch a very hot stove burner?”

My response: Eventually, I would want my child to use the stove for cooking. And this means that some day, I will need to "allow" them to use it. So, yes, I would "allow" my child to touch a very hot stove burner because they would need that freedom to touch it in order that they can use it to cook. What you are saying is that every parent should remove all stove burners from their homes and never allow a child to touch them because they could be burnt. If you wanted to keep children ignorant and naive, then yes. However, if you wanted to raise mature adults, you would allow them to cook.

If God wanted to create a bunch of robots that run around and do whatever He says, He could have. What God wanted was children. Robots have no choice. They must do what their master says. Children have the ability to disobey. However, children also have the ability to show unconditional love, which many children do. God wanted us to have the freedom to love without being forced to love.

Even still, God allows evil to exist. Doesn’t that make God evil?

God had to allow evil so that humans could choose to love. And so, God had a higher purpose in mind. His act of allowing evil to exist was for a greater good. Therefore, it was not evil for God to allow evil to exist.

To illustrate, it would be evil for me to cut off your leg. I would be sent to prison and fined for it. However, if a doctor amputated your leg in order to save your life, it would be a good thing. Sometimes, bad things happen to bring good things.

God has a plan to take all the evil and suffering in this world and turn it around for a greater good. That is His goal.

Hell proves God is evil. God says “OBEY ME! LOVE ME! WORSHIP ME! OR DIE AND BE CAST INTO ETERNAL TORMENT!” This is not love.

This is a gross misunderstanding of the Bible. In the beginning, God said to Adam and Eve, "Don't eat from the tree in the middle of the garden or you will die." He gave them a choice. They had complete freedom to do whatever they wanted with one restriction. Satan came and tempted them. However, they chose to sin.

Adam's sin was the worst of the two because Eve was tricked, Adam was not. They chose to sin and so the curse fell upon them. They would die. Death is a separation from God. They were no longer under God's authority or rule, or His love. They would no longer be cared by God. Instead, they were left to fend for themselves without God. They chose this path. God warned them from the beginning. And so, this curse or "disease" fell upon all humanity.

We were doomed. We had sinned against God setting ourselves against Him. We became His enemy. We became evil. God had already created a place for evil. That is Hell. Jesus Christ came to earth to save people that were already doomed to Hell. We are spiritually dead. Christ came to save us.

And so, God's response is not "Love me or goto Hell." Jesus has said this: "Come to me and I will give you new life." Jesus came to save people from Hell, not send them to Hell.

God is not a rapist. If God forced people to love Him, that would be rape. But God doesn't force anyone. Rather, we have the freedom to believe what we want. We don't see God anywhere. We don't even have proof Hell exists. If God were to come down from Heaven right now and show Himself to you, then He would be forcing Himself upon you. If a person curses God to His face, they are instantly sent to Hell. But because we are not before God, we are not in His presence, we can curse God freely and not be sent to Hell.

Jesus is not saying, “Love me or goto Hell.” Rather, Jesus is saying, “I know you are filled with sin. I know in your heart you don't love me because that is what sin does to a person. But I can change you. I can give you a new heart. All you have to do is come to me for new life. I will set you free from sin.”

Logically, God cannot be evil.

This is logical for two reasons: (1) how do we determine what is good? and (2) if God were evil, how could anything exist?

(1) How do we determine what is good?

The word “good” actually means pleasing. Goodness, therefore, is that which is pleasing. As such, goodness is relative. We might say vanilla ice cream is good because it is pleasing to our sense of taste. We might say running is good because it is pleasing to our health.

However, this is a subjective goodness that is subject to our own person. In other words, anything we say is “good” is simply our opinion. We are saying, “This is what I think or believe is good.” Can we then, judge God by this standard? If God truly exists, then He exists above us as our Creator. Can a creature judge the Creator?

What we think, say, or believe does not change reality. We can believe that we can fly, but that doesn’t mean we can. We did not create the universe and neither can we control it. God, on the other hand, set the universe in motion. When God created the universe, He did so as He pleased. Everything was created by God who did what He wanted. Therefore, what God finds pleasing is objectively good for it is the very basis for all things.

If God does exist, then we He is the one who sets forth what is good. He is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. It is God who set the laws of physics in motion. Therefore, God is the objective morality of the universe. He says what is good, what is true, and what is what. And therefore, if God does exist, He cannot be evil. He is the one who has determined what is right and wrong, good or evil. To say God is evil is a contradiction.

(2) If God were evil, how could anything exist?

God is good. Evil, being the opposite of good, is anything that is against God. If God had created evil, he would be against himself. And if that were true, then nothing would exist because God would constantly be battling himself. God against God equals nothing.

God is good, and only God is good. Goodness is not an arbitrary thing God created. God did not create goodness, it flows from His very nature and being. It is because of who God is that goodness is determined. God created according to His good pleasure. He did as He wanted. Creation exists because of His good desire to give. If God were evil by nature, then why would God create?