Why Did God Allow Sin?
The question of why an all-powerful and good God would allow evil and suffering in the world has challenged believers and thinkers for centuries. If God is truly good and just, why does He permit injustice, violence, pain and wickedness to corrupt His creation?
This question strikes at the heart of faith for many who struggle to trust in a God who would allow such horrors. In this comprehensive article, we will explore the theological and philosophical arguments surrounding the issue of sin and evil.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: God allowed sin because of free will. For human beings to genuinely love and obey God, they had to have the freedom to choose evil and sin. Additionally, God can eventually work all evil and sin toward a greater good.
The Origin of Sin
Disobedience in the Garden of Eden
The origin of sin can be traced back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God had created Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden, telling them they could eat from any tree except that one.
However, the serpent tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, telling her that she would not die as God said but would become like God, knowing good and evil. Eve believed the serpent’s lie, ate the fruit, and gave some to Adam to eat as well.
This was the first act of disobedience towards God, breaking the perfect relationship between God and humans that had existed up until that point.
Adam and Eve’s disobedience introduced sin into the world. Their eyes were opened to good and evil, and they realized they were naked and tried to cover themselves. When God confronted them about what they had done, they tried to hide and shift blame rather than repent.
God cursed the serpent, Eve, Adam, and the ground, introducing pain, suffering, and death into the world. He banished them from the garden so they could no longer eat from the tree of life. This first sin affected not just Adam and Eve but the entire human race that came from them.
The Apostle Paul later wrote that “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
The Fall of Mankind
The disobedience of Adam and Eve led to the fall of mankind. Where before humans had lived in a perfect relationship with God, now they were separated from God by their sin. Several consequences came from this first act of disobedience:
- Humans were now subject to death and eternal separation from God.
- Work became difficult and painful instead of enjoyable.
- Women suffered pain in childbirth.
- The ground was cursed, making farming labor-intensive.
- People now had a sinful nature inclined toward selfishness and evil.
The effects of the fall were catastrophic and far-reaching. All humans inherited a sinful nature from Adam and Eve, predisposing them to sin and rebellion against God. This sin nature made it impossible for people to earn their way back to God.
The image of God in humans was also marred but not completely destroyed. Humans retained elements of the image of God such as personality, the ability to reason, and a moral sense of right and wrong. But their moral compass was now flawed and unreliable.
The fall explains why the world is characterized by problems like wickedness, sickness, and death. It ushered in devastating relational brokenness between God and humans, between humans, and between humans and nature.
The fall led to every human being born in sin and deserving of eternal separation from God. However, God already had a plan in place to redeem and restore humanity through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ.
Through Christ, the effects of the fall can ultimately be reversed for those who place their faith in Him as Savior.
Why Didn’t God Prevent Sin?
Respecting Free Will
God gave human beings free will because He wanted us to choose to love Him and follow His ways willingly, not as robots who were forced to obey.Allowing free will means allowing the possibility of sin.
If God had prevented Adam and Eve from eating the forbidden fruit, He would have interfered with their free will. Similarly, God does not want to control every human action now, although He certainly could.
God lets people make their own decisions, even when He knows they will lead to sin and suffering, because the alternative would be worse.
As difficult as it is to understand, God values human free will highly. He wants us to willingly choose relationship with Him and His ways. Forced obedience is not true obedience at all. The Bible says that God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
He does not force anyone towards salvation, but rather patiently draws all people to Himself, respecting the gift of free will He has given.
Allowing Consequences for Actions
God allowed sin, and allows its consequences, partly so that human beings can learn from them. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God allowed them to experience the results – separation from Him and exile from the Garden of Eden. He let them learn firsthand how destructive sin is.
God’s desire is always to redeem and restore, but He allows difficult consequences so that we turn away from sin.
Likewise, God allows the painful results of sin now so that people will embrace His solution for it. He does not want anyone to have to experience eternal separation from Him in hell. But the reality of hell motivates many people to accept Christ’s offer of salvation, forgiveness, and redemption.
CS Lewis wrote, “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.” God allows suffering to warn people of the gravity of sin.
God is sovereign over sin and suffering, and can redeem them for His purposes. But He allows consequences for a time so that human beings fully understand sin’s destructiveness, and freely choose His offer of salvation and transformation.
Overcoming Evil with Good
Redemptive Power of Suffering
Suffering can have a redemptive power when it is approached with faith and trust in God. Though adversity is never pleasant, it often serves a greater purpose in building character, empathy, and spiritual maturity.
As the Bible says, “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).
When we suffer injustice at the hands of others, we have a choice – we can retaliate and perpetuate the cycle of harm, or we can absorb the pain and respond with empathy and forgiveness. This “overcoming evil with good” approach breaks destructive cycles and has the power to transform relationships and society as a whole.
Great spiritual leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi embodied this principle, leading campaigns of nonviolent resistance to oppression. They accepted suffering for a greater cause – defeating injustice with truth and love rather than more injustice. Their examples inspire us today.
Maturity through Adversity
Facing difficulties often stimulates growth and maturity. Children who have faced early life challenges tend to develop greater resilience and coping abilities. Athletes and soldiers undergo rigorous training to build endurance and strength of character.
Likewise, going through trials can develop our spiritual fortitude and relience. Encountering pain, loss or opposition compels us to draw closer to God, trust in his plans, cultivate wisdom, and build godly character.
As James 1:2-4 (NIV) encourages: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
While adversity itself does not automatically produce growth, our response to it can. Approaching troubles with faith, humility and reliance on God allows him to shape us through the crucible of affliction into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).
This maturing process, though difficult, equips us to better serve God and others.
Human Limitations on Understanding God’s Plan
Incomprehensibility of God’s Ways
As humans with limited perspectives, we cannot fully comprehend the complexities of God’s plans. His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). There are mysteries of His will that we simply cannot grasp in our current state.
However, we can take comfort in knowing that God is all-wise and His plans are perfect (Romans 11:33-36). Though we face trials and difficulties, we can trust that He works all things for our good in the end (Romans 8:28). We walk by faith in what we cannot yet see or understand (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Some examples of God’s mysterious ways include allowing evil and suffering in the world, or delaying answers to our prayers according to His perfect timing. From our earthly viewpoint, these things seem nonsensical. However, God sees the full picture and has purposes beyond what we can imagine.
We may not know why He allows certain things, but we can rely on His unconditional love and sovereignty over all circumstances.
Walking by Faith, Not Sight
As humans, we have a natural tendency to rely on our physical senses and human logic alone. However, God calls us to live by faith in what is unseen rather than simply by our limited sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
His thoughts are infinitely above ours, and we cannot depend solely on our own understanding (Isaiah 55:8-9). We demonstrate faith when we choose to trust God and His Word even when circumstances seem bleak and His ways seem puzzling.
Walking by faith may involve believing God can work miracles, provide for needs, change hearts, renew minds, or bring meaning from life’s trials. Though we cannot physically see Him working, we can trust His character and promises.
This faith pleases God, as Scripture says without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). The heroes of the Bible were commended for their faith in God despite difficult circumstances (Hebrews 11:1-40).
We too are called to fix our eyes on Jesus rather than our immediate circumstances (Hebrews 12:2), trusting Him daily through both blessings and hardships.
Looking Forward to a World Without Sin
Promise of Future Glory
The Bible gives all believers the wonderful promise that one day we will inherit a world that will be completely free of sin. God has made clear His intentions to establish a new heaven and new earth where righteousness will dwell (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13).
All sadness, suffering, pain and death will be erased in this coming glory (Revelation 21:4). What an incredible day that will be!
We can eagerly anticipate this coming paradise where God “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” (Revelation 21:4).
The trials and troubles of this fallen world will fade into distant memory as we experience everlasting joy in God’s presence.
Hope in the Resurrection
Our hope for resurrection gives us strength in the midst of struggles with sin now. No matter what suffering we face due to sin in this current age, we can be encouraged that “the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).
God promises those who put their faith and trust in Christ will be resurrected to eternal life with Him.
This makes all the difference as we wrestle daily with our sin nature. Though we may stumble and fall short now, our future glory far outweighs temporary troubles. We persevere in righteousness “because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself” (2 Corinthians 4:14).
What wondrous love is this!
Conclusion
In closing, the existence of sin poses a difficult theological dilemma of how a loving God can permit evil. While there may be no fully satisfying answer to this mystery on this side of eternity, we can find comfort and hope in knowing that God has defeated sin through Christ’s sacrifice and has promised to one day eradicate it forever.
Until then, believers are called to trust in God’s wisdom and goodness, even when we cannot understand all His ways. Our faith reminds us that God can work all things for the good of those who love Him as we look forward to the day when sin’s curse upon creation will be no more.
