A Solution to the Problem of Evil: God does not allow it
Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2016 8:47 pm
The following is a quote from Richard Murray's Book, "God Versus Evil."
(Note: Richard Murray permits any sharing of his book or quoting from it.)
DOES GOD ALLOW EVIL?
No! Never! Most people don’t even ask the question in a blessed way. They normally ask, “Why does God allow evil?” This form of the question is objectionable because it presumes that God DOES allow evil. At the memorial services for the 9/11 victims, Billy Graham lamented that he had never received a satisfactory answer to the question, “Why does God allow evil?” The reason there’s no satisfactory answer is that it is not a satisfactory question. An unblessed and improper question will always yield an
unblessed and improper answer.
The open-hearted and fair way of asking this question is, “DOES God allow evil?” In a court of law, the lawyer is not allowed to ask his witness a leading question which already presumes an answer. A lawyer can’t ask his own witness a question that assumes facts not in evidence. Justice and fairness demand that an open inquiry must first establish whether the facts presumed in the question are true and established. If we can be so fair with human conduct, how much more just and open-hearted should we be with God’s nature?
For instance, what if God doesn’t allow evil? In fact, what if God only and always disallows evil in all its various forms? In fact, what if God has already disallowed every evil that ever has or ever will occur? Do Scriptures support such a view? Yes! They not only support it, they demand it.
POINT ONE: GOD DOES NOT ALLOW EVIL!
The term “theodicy” refers to a branch of theology which deals with the justification of God’s goodness in the presence of evil. All theodicy must begin and end with James 1:13-17. It is the most specific statement in the New Testament with regard to God’s relationship to evil.
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Jas. 1:13-17.
The word “temptation” in the above passage is translated from the Greek “peirazo” and means, “to test, entice, discipline, prove, tempt or try.” God doesn’t test anybody with evil, entice anybody with evil, discipline anybody with evil, prove anything with evil, tempt anybody with evil or try anybody with evil. Thus, God has no relationship with evil. It is not in His nature. Evil cannot be traced back to God. Moreover, this passage clearly says that evil can be traced back to man. It is man who has an ongoing relationship with evil, not God. It is man’s “own lust” which draws his heart away from God to Satan’s spirit, which then conceives” and gives birth to “sin” and “death.” Remember, Satan is the one Scriptures call “the Tempter” (Matt. 4:3), not God.
Jesus taught us that when evil “tares” are sown among good “wheat,” that it is not God who does it but rather, “An enemy hath done this.” (Matt. 13:24-28). The Apostle John commented very clearly that God’s purpose was not with evil but against it. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 Jn. 3:8. Jesus came to destroy the evil works of Satan by overcoming them with the Father’s goodness. “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Acts 10:38. Satan comes to “steal, and to kill, and to destroy” but Jesus came that we “might have life” and “have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10).
Jesus’ major point to us was to show that His Heavenly Father was always and only good. No Old Testament saint knew God as “Abba,” an Aramaic term used by Jesus as a title for His Heavenly Father which essentially means “Daddy.” Jesus came to reflect the Father’s love which never gives His sons “serpents” or “stones” or “scorpions,” but instead freely gives His sons “bread” and “fishes” and “eggs” and most importantly “the Holy Spirit.” (Lk. 11:11-13). This passage says that if Earthly fathers “being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give . . .”(Verse 13). This is the same Father to whom James refers to in the following passage: “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (Jas. 1:16-17).
James strongly warns us to, “LET NO ONE SAY . . .” God is related to evil in any way, and “DO NOT ERR, MY BELOVED BRETHREN . . .” by saying that anything other than good and perfection “ever” cometh down from the Father . . . (Jas. 1:13,16). This was
the message of the Gospel - - God hasn’t, doesn’t and won’t allow evil. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”. 1 Jn 1:5.
In God’s eyes, evil has never been something to “allow,” but rather is a malignancy which must be “overcome.” “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good”. Rom. 12:21. What’s radically different about God is that He always overcomes evil with the power of perfect goodness. God the Father is this way (Matt. 5:44-45,48), God the Son is this way (Acts 10:38), and so must we be this way as the body of Christ (Rom. 12:21). “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." Matt. 5:48.
POINT TWO: JESUS IS GOD’S TOTAL DISALLOWANCE OF EVIL
God’s only view toward evil is to disallow it through the life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. This is the power of the Cross - - to conquer and nullify evil in all its forms - - sin, death, wrath, violence, hatred, jealousy, strife, pride, lust and envy. John The Baptist was the first to recognize and declare Jesus’ mission as the cure for all the world’s evil. “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Jn. 1:29. The term “taketh away” in the above passage really means “beareth away.” At the Cross, Jesus bore away all the power of evil in our lives - - past, present and future - - bar none - - no exceptions. There is no sin, or evil or demonic power that the Cross of Jesus did not overcome. Jesus said, “be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33).
Don’t lose this point. Sometimes, we can miss the most crucial point by neglecting to focus on it with our whole being. Jesus came to destroy evil, and He did destroy it. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1Jn. 3:8. Why evil still appears to exist and prosper is a question soon to be answered. But for now, know that the Scriptures declare that Jesus is God’s full provision to prevent, protect and purify us from evil. Jesus described His own purpose as follows:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Lk. 4:18-19.
Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted - - from evil, to preach deliverance to those held captive - - by evil, to restore the sight of those blinded - - by evil, and to set at liberty those that are bruised - - by evil. Jesus’ heart is always to bless and protect us. “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Lk. 10:19.
Jesus never tolerated, used or allowed evil in any form. He defeated what is called “natural evil” when He rebuked a storm which threatened to sink the boat in which He was traveling. He defeated “demonic evil” hundreds, if not thousands, of times by casting out spirits of infirmity, insanity and deformity. He protected an adulteress from “social evil” by keeping her from being murdered by other men. He battled “religious evil” constantly as He rebuked the false religion of His day which blocked people from entering the gate of truth. He overcame the “material evil” of lack by multiplying loaves, transforming water into wine and finding needed finances in the mouth of a fish. Lastly, Jesus defeated the “ultimate evil” by raising others and Himself from the dead. HE CONQUERED DEATH!
Whenever Jesus was not allowed to deliver others from evil, He marveled at their unbelief which kept them from receiving deliverance. When He instructed the disciples to pray “this way,” the heart of Jesus’ prayer was His statement in the Greek imperative that His Heavenly Father does and will “deliver us from evil.”
I hope these verses will help lift Jesus up in all our eyes as God’s ultimate gift to vanquish all evil. God gave His all to us. Never ask again, “Why does God allow evil?” He doesn’t. To believe He does ignores, dishonors and maligns the blood, work,
sacrifice and wonderful name of Jesus.
Now, the question might be asked that if at this very moment I have an evil thought or commit an evil act, hasn’t God “allowed” me to think evil or do evil? Couldn’t He force me by controlling my thoughts or body to not commit evil? The answer is no. It is not in God’s nature to coerce, manipulate or force another. God does woo us, help us, convince us, and even rebuke us. But God never coerces and forces us. Just as it is impossible for God to lie, it is impossible for God to use coercion. I know this is a challenge to conventional thinking, but it is the only way God’s goodness as revealed in the previous Scriptures listed in this chapter can be true and consistent.
The prefix “omni” means “all.” God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing),but God is not omni-causative. He doesn’t cause or even allow everything to happen 24/7. If He does, then He is responsible for evil. We seem to think that God in
some sense allows murder since He doesn’t strike the murderer down with lightning right before the murder is committed. Does God have the power to strike down murderers before they act? I say no. God certainly has the power to hide, protect and deliver the righteous from harm, but He won’t and can’t use violence to stop violence.
God will not and cannot act outside of His good and true nature. For instance, if God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2), can God claim to be all-powerful if there is something he is unable to do? Well, this depends on how you define all-powerful. If all-powerful means God can do anything at anytime, then God is not all-powerful because He can’t and won’t lie—ever. Yet, if all-powerful means that He has unlimited power within the context of His character and true nature, then God is certainly all-powerful in that regard. He only operates in all-powerful truth, never in all-powerful lies; in all-powerful love, never in all-powerful violence; in all-powerful tenderness, never in all-powerful cruelty; in all-powerful patience, never in all-powerful wrath.
This is easy to see in the context of lying, but what about other attributes which are not in His divine nature? What if killing is not in God’s nature? What if mental coercion is not in God’s nature? What if physical coercion is not in God’s nature? What if manipulation, revenge, pettiness, brutality, cruelty and frustration are all not in His nature? Then, it is just as “impossible” for Him to act out of these motives as it is for Him to lie. The point is that being all-powerful and all-good means that God’s power operates only within the context of His character. God never acts or operates “outside of” or “inconsistent with” His perfect goodness, which is His agape nature of love described in 1 Cor. 13. Thus, God won’t lie to us, kill us, coerce us, manipulate us, brutalize us, abuse us, threaten us or terrorize us. God will protect us, bless us, correct us, teach us, convince us, strengthen us, encourage us and deliver us. Why would God use tactics He commands us not to use?
Consider the following passage from Saint Anselm which hones this same point:
"How can you be omnipotent, O God, if you cannot do all things? How can you do all things if you cannot sin—if you cannot lie, if you cannot make false what is true? If you are unable to sin, you cannot claim to be able to do all things. Or is it that sin stems not
from power, but from powerlessness? For those who commit sin have so little power over their own natures that they actually harm themselves. They are at the mercy of forces which they cannot oppose . . . .The more people have power to commit sin, the more they are powerless. So, Lord God, you are in fact more truly omnipotent because you cannot act through powerlessness." Proslogion, Chapter 7.
Why would He tell us not to kill, hate, hurt or avenge ourselves on our enemies, while He treats His own enemies with wrath, vengeance, brutality and destruction? Or, put another way, why would God tell us to overcome all evil with good, unless He Himself did the exact same thing? Isn’t this clear from reading the following verses?
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.” Matt. 5:38-48.
Since we are to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect in overcoming evil with good, then this brings the need for the great missing element in this discussion—patience.” God is able to overcome all evil by patiently enduring and bearing all our evil until we repent. If God weren’t patient, then we would all be dead or writhing in Hell right now. If God weren’t patient, He would use force, violence, coercion and wrath to work His will. If God weren’t patient, then the Cross would not exist to deliver us from all evil. God’s agape love “thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” 1 Cor.13:5-7. This is God’s nature, always enabled by supernatural “patience,” which in the original Greek literally means “joyful endurance.” God’s “mercy [joyfully] endurethforever.” (Ezra 3:11). We are likewise called to patience: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Jas. 1:2-4. To know this type of patience is to know God and to share in His sufferings. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings . . .” Phil. 3:10. We “joyfully endure” because we are walking in the resurrection power of God, but we also suffer as we mourn the world’s ongoing rejection of Jesus. Yet, we know that the world will one day be overcome with God’s goodness and reconciled to the love of God. Our faith and patience will help hasten the Day of the Lord while our sinful impatience and unrighteous wrath will delay it.
The point is that God does not allow evil. He disallows it through the “faith and patience” of Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:20; Heb. 6:12-20). Understanding how God overcomes evil now gives us the wisdom to know in what sense He hasn’t, doesn’t and won’t allow evil.
(Note: Richard Murray permits any sharing of his book or quoting from it.)
DOES GOD ALLOW EVIL?
No! Never! Most people don’t even ask the question in a blessed way. They normally ask, “Why does God allow evil?” This form of the question is objectionable because it presumes that God DOES allow evil. At the memorial services for the 9/11 victims, Billy Graham lamented that he had never received a satisfactory answer to the question, “Why does God allow evil?” The reason there’s no satisfactory answer is that it is not a satisfactory question. An unblessed and improper question will always yield an
unblessed and improper answer.
The open-hearted and fair way of asking this question is, “DOES God allow evil?” In a court of law, the lawyer is not allowed to ask his witness a leading question which already presumes an answer. A lawyer can’t ask his own witness a question that assumes facts not in evidence. Justice and fairness demand that an open inquiry must first establish whether the facts presumed in the question are true and established. If we can be so fair with human conduct, how much more just and open-hearted should we be with God’s nature?
For instance, what if God doesn’t allow evil? In fact, what if God only and always disallows evil in all its various forms? In fact, what if God has already disallowed every evil that ever has or ever will occur? Do Scriptures support such a view? Yes! They not only support it, they demand it.
POINT ONE: GOD DOES NOT ALLOW EVIL!
The term “theodicy” refers to a branch of theology which deals with the justification of God’s goodness in the presence of evil. All theodicy must begin and end with James 1:13-17. It is the most specific statement in the New Testament with regard to God’s relationship to evil.
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Jas. 1:13-17.
The word “temptation” in the above passage is translated from the Greek “peirazo” and means, “to test, entice, discipline, prove, tempt or try.” God doesn’t test anybody with evil, entice anybody with evil, discipline anybody with evil, prove anything with evil, tempt anybody with evil or try anybody with evil. Thus, God has no relationship with evil. It is not in His nature. Evil cannot be traced back to God. Moreover, this passage clearly says that evil can be traced back to man. It is man who has an ongoing relationship with evil, not God. It is man’s “own lust” which draws his heart away from God to Satan’s spirit, which then conceives” and gives birth to “sin” and “death.” Remember, Satan is the one Scriptures call “the Tempter” (Matt. 4:3), not God.
Jesus taught us that when evil “tares” are sown among good “wheat,” that it is not God who does it but rather, “An enemy hath done this.” (Matt. 13:24-28). The Apostle John commented very clearly that God’s purpose was not with evil but against it. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 Jn. 3:8. Jesus came to destroy the evil works of Satan by overcoming them with the Father’s goodness. “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Acts 10:38. Satan comes to “steal, and to kill, and to destroy” but Jesus came that we “might have life” and “have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10).
Jesus’ major point to us was to show that His Heavenly Father was always and only good. No Old Testament saint knew God as “Abba,” an Aramaic term used by Jesus as a title for His Heavenly Father which essentially means “Daddy.” Jesus came to reflect the Father’s love which never gives His sons “serpents” or “stones” or “scorpions,” but instead freely gives His sons “bread” and “fishes” and “eggs” and most importantly “the Holy Spirit.” (Lk. 11:11-13). This passage says that if Earthly fathers “being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give . . .”(Verse 13). This is the same Father to whom James refers to in the following passage: “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (Jas. 1:16-17).
James strongly warns us to, “LET NO ONE SAY . . .” God is related to evil in any way, and “DO NOT ERR, MY BELOVED BRETHREN . . .” by saying that anything other than good and perfection “ever” cometh down from the Father . . . (Jas. 1:13,16). This was
the message of the Gospel - - God hasn’t, doesn’t and won’t allow evil. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”. 1 Jn 1:5.
In God’s eyes, evil has never been something to “allow,” but rather is a malignancy which must be “overcome.” “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good”. Rom. 12:21. What’s radically different about God is that He always overcomes evil with the power of perfect goodness. God the Father is this way (Matt. 5:44-45,48), God the Son is this way (Acts 10:38), and so must we be this way as the body of Christ (Rom. 12:21). “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." Matt. 5:48.
POINT TWO: JESUS IS GOD’S TOTAL DISALLOWANCE OF EVIL
God’s only view toward evil is to disallow it through the life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. This is the power of the Cross - - to conquer and nullify evil in all its forms - - sin, death, wrath, violence, hatred, jealousy, strife, pride, lust and envy. John The Baptist was the first to recognize and declare Jesus’ mission as the cure for all the world’s evil. “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Jn. 1:29. The term “taketh away” in the above passage really means “beareth away.” At the Cross, Jesus bore away all the power of evil in our lives - - past, present and future - - bar none - - no exceptions. There is no sin, or evil or demonic power that the Cross of Jesus did not overcome. Jesus said, “be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33).
Don’t lose this point. Sometimes, we can miss the most crucial point by neglecting to focus on it with our whole being. Jesus came to destroy evil, and He did destroy it. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1Jn. 3:8. Why evil still appears to exist and prosper is a question soon to be answered. But for now, know that the Scriptures declare that Jesus is God’s full provision to prevent, protect and purify us from evil. Jesus described His own purpose as follows:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Lk. 4:18-19.
Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted - - from evil, to preach deliverance to those held captive - - by evil, to restore the sight of those blinded - - by evil, and to set at liberty those that are bruised - - by evil. Jesus’ heart is always to bless and protect us. “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Lk. 10:19.
Jesus never tolerated, used or allowed evil in any form. He defeated what is called “natural evil” when He rebuked a storm which threatened to sink the boat in which He was traveling. He defeated “demonic evil” hundreds, if not thousands, of times by casting out spirits of infirmity, insanity and deformity. He protected an adulteress from “social evil” by keeping her from being murdered by other men. He battled “religious evil” constantly as He rebuked the false religion of His day which blocked people from entering the gate of truth. He overcame the “material evil” of lack by multiplying loaves, transforming water into wine and finding needed finances in the mouth of a fish. Lastly, Jesus defeated the “ultimate evil” by raising others and Himself from the dead. HE CONQUERED DEATH!
Whenever Jesus was not allowed to deliver others from evil, He marveled at their unbelief which kept them from receiving deliverance. When He instructed the disciples to pray “this way,” the heart of Jesus’ prayer was His statement in the Greek imperative that His Heavenly Father does and will “deliver us from evil.”
I hope these verses will help lift Jesus up in all our eyes as God’s ultimate gift to vanquish all evil. God gave His all to us. Never ask again, “Why does God allow evil?” He doesn’t. To believe He does ignores, dishonors and maligns the blood, work,
sacrifice and wonderful name of Jesus.
Now, the question might be asked that if at this very moment I have an evil thought or commit an evil act, hasn’t God “allowed” me to think evil or do evil? Couldn’t He force me by controlling my thoughts or body to not commit evil? The answer is no. It is not in God’s nature to coerce, manipulate or force another. God does woo us, help us, convince us, and even rebuke us. But God never coerces and forces us. Just as it is impossible for God to lie, it is impossible for God to use coercion. I know this is a challenge to conventional thinking, but it is the only way God’s goodness as revealed in the previous Scriptures listed in this chapter can be true and consistent.
The prefix “omni” means “all.” God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing),but God is not omni-causative. He doesn’t cause or even allow everything to happen 24/7. If He does, then He is responsible for evil. We seem to think that God in
some sense allows murder since He doesn’t strike the murderer down with lightning right before the murder is committed. Does God have the power to strike down murderers before they act? I say no. God certainly has the power to hide, protect and deliver the righteous from harm, but He won’t and can’t use violence to stop violence.
God will not and cannot act outside of His good and true nature. For instance, if God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2), can God claim to be all-powerful if there is something he is unable to do? Well, this depends on how you define all-powerful. If all-powerful means God can do anything at anytime, then God is not all-powerful because He can’t and won’t lie—ever. Yet, if all-powerful means that He has unlimited power within the context of His character and true nature, then God is certainly all-powerful in that regard. He only operates in all-powerful truth, never in all-powerful lies; in all-powerful love, never in all-powerful violence; in all-powerful tenderness, never in all-powerful cruelty; in all-powerful patience, never in all-powerful wrath.
This is easy to see in the context of lying, but what about other attributes which are not in His divine nature? What if killing is not in God’s nature? What if mental coercion is not in God’s nature? What if physical coercion is not in God’s nature? What if manipulation, revenge, pettiness, brutality, cruelty and frustration are all not in His nature? Then, it is just as “impossible” for Him to act out of these motives as it is for Him to lie. The point is that being all-powerful and all-good means that God’s power operates only within the context of His character. God never acts or operates “outside of” or “inconsistent with” His perfect goodness, which is His agape nature of love described in 1 Cor. 13. Thus, God won’t lie to us, kill us, coerce us, manipulate us, brutalize us, abuse us, threaten us or terrorize us. God will protect us, bless us, correct us, teach us, convince us, strengthen us, encourage us and deliver us. Why would God use tactics He commands us not to use?
Consider the following passage from Saint Anselm which hones this same point:
"How can you be omnipotent, O God, if you cannot do all things? How can you do all things if you cannot sin—if you cannot lie, if you cannot make false what is true? If you are unable to sin, you cannot claim to be able to do all things. Or is it that sin stems not
from power, but from powerlessness? For those who commit sin have so little power over their own natures that they actually harm themselves. They are at the mercy of forces which they cannot oppose . . . .The more people have power to commit sin, the more they are powerless. So, Lord God, you are in fact more truly omnipotent because you cannot act through powerlessness." Proslogion, Chapter 7.
Why would He tell us not to kill, hate, hurt or avenge ourselves on our enemies, while He treats His own enemies with wrath, vengeance, brutality and destruction? Or, put another way, why would God tell us to overcome all evil with good, unless He Himself did the exact same thing? Isn’t this clear from reading the following verses?
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.” Matt. 5:38-48.
Since we are to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect in overcoming evil with good, then this brings the need for the great missing element in this discussion—patience.” God is able to overcome all evil by patiently enduring and bearing all our evil until we repent. If God weren’t patient, then we would all be dead or writhing in Hell right now. If God weren’t patient, He would use force, violence, coercion and wrath to work His will. If God weren’t patient, then the Cross would not exist to deliver us from all evil. God’s agape love “thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” 1 Cor.13:5-7. This is God’s nature, always enabled by supernatural “patience,” which in the original Greek literally means “joyful endurance.” God’s “mercy [joyfully] endurethforever.” (Ezra 3:11). We are likewise called to patience: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Jas. 1:2-4. To know this type of patience is to know God and to share in His sufferings. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings . . .” Phil. 3:10. We “joyfully endure” because we are walking in the resurrection power of God, but we also suffer as we mourn the world’s ongoing rejection of Jesus. Yet, we know that the world will one day be overcome with God’s goodness and reconciled to the love of God. Our faith and patience will help hasten the Day of the Lord while our sinful impatience and unrighteous wrath will delay it.
The point is that God does not allow evil. He disallows it through the “faith and patience” of Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:20; Heb. 6:12-20). Understanding how God overcomes evil now gives us the wisdom to know in what sense He hasn’t, doesn’t and won’t allow evil.