Why does God permit evil? Do we really have free will?

We know from Scripture that God can not do anything evil; that he has a plan for all of us that was conceived before the creation of the world; that he is in control and that all of our choices eventually lead to the accomplishment of his plan.

God may not cause evil, but he certainly permits his creatures to commit evil acts. Scripture says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart after he allowed the Jews to depart Egypt. And that led to his pursuing them and the drowning of his army in the Red Sea. If we accept that God dispenses and withdraws his grace as he sees fit, then we can deduce that God withdrew his grace from Pharaoh and that "hardened his heart." But why would God want to destroy the Egyptian army? Was it to punish them for the way they mistreated his chosen people? Or was his reason more far reaching? Was it also necessary for the accomplishment of his plan of salvation for the world?

What about the extermination of the Jews in Hitler's concentration camps or the destruction of the Temple by the Romans and the Babylonians?  Was God punishing the Jews again? 

Do the innocent also suffer and die to accomplish God's will? Noah's flood killed all the people and animals on the planet except those in the ark. Surely, the animals were innocent! Was it because God wanted to make a fresh start? Was the flood a part of God's plan?

Obviously God is in control. He will not allow anyone or any demon to thwart his plan. Well, doesn't that negate free will? Did Judas really have to betray Jesus? And if he did, then he had no free will. Was it all preordained? It does appear that God preordains things to happen, but we can choose to participate. In other words, Jesus had to be betrayed, but if Judas had refused to do the deed, someone else would have taken his place. 

You might ask, "If God has that much control over affairs, doesn't that exempt us from sinning in the matter?" You are presuming that God does evil things. He cannot do evil because he is all holy. To ascribe evil to God would be to deny his holiness and that we can not do. No, we can choose not to commit evil acts. And if we sin, it is our own fault. But doesn't God set us up for failure? I would phrase the question differently: How does God bring good out of evil? Does God manipulate events so that his desired outcome is achieved? If his plan for salvation requires it, we must conclude that he does. Yet, we can choose if we want to participate. 

And what about the devil? We have no sympathy for him, but God is constantly turning the tables on him. After all, Judas' betrayal of Christ was an evil act, but it led to our redemption. Where did evil come from? Many believe that evil arose in the universe because of pride. Satan and his followers refused to serve. And after their fall from grace, they were determined to contaminate as much of the world as possible. We became the devil's prime target. But we know that good wins in the end. 

Why does God permit evil to thrive? Philosophers say that evil is the absence of good. They claim that without evil, we could not appreciate the glory of God. Perhaps God allows evil people (Nazis) and events (hurricanes) to move us to repentance and reliance on him. 

I do not claim to have the answers to such questions. Philosophers and saints have debated these questions through the centuries. We can never know the mind of God. Some mysteries will remain mysteries as long as we are in the flesh. Until we see God face to face, let us trust that he will always have our  best interests at heart. "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose." Rom 8:28

Now go and serve our King!

John