At times we wonder why there is so much evil in the world. Some even say, if the Eternal One created all things, He must have created it or is responsible for evil. However, Scripture reveals there is no darkness in God. No temptation or evil activity comes from Him. (a) [see end notes for NASB Scriptures]
1 John reassures us that, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” (b) This reaffirms that any dark or destructive evil cannot come from Him. There is no bad or harmful intent in God. So, if not from God, where does evil come from?
The Creation Process
The Biblical account of how the natural universe comes into existence is recorded in the first chapter of Genesis. It starts with the declaration: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (c) Then we are given a peek into the process God used to create the natural environment and life on earth.
The Hebrew word translated ‘day’ actually means ‘cycle of time.’ Quite often, a day in Scripture is much more than a twenty-four hour cycle. This becomes obvious when at the end of the six creative days, Scripture says: “This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.” (d) The creation account uses days to speak of the cycles God used to create and put into motion all the planetary systems and the various forms of natural life.
The six creative cycles focus on the overlapping processes that brought into motion the earth’s various developing systems and its increasing life forms. The earth’s formation includes many natural conditions such as: up and down, in and out, hot and cold, birth and death, and the motions of good and evil.
The creation process brought into function a variety of fish to swim in water, birds to fly in the air, and animals to roam the land. God also began birthing and growing His human family in the sixth cycle. (e)
After noting the creation of various life forms, the record concludes with: “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good…Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.” (f) Since many of the earthly hosts are still being birthed into life, this verifies the first chapter of Genesis is an overview of the creative processes. We are still in the sixth cycle because God is still “at work” (g) birthing and forming His growing family of offspring into His “image and likeness.” (h)
We are given a peek into the process God used to create the natural environment and life on earth.
Maturing Factors
Following the concise overview in the first chapter, the next two chapters zoom in to focus on the formation of the first two people during the sixth time cycle. (i) The rest of Scripture records the birthing of God’s family into existence and their development as wandering and responsive offspring. (j)
God placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the Garden. Both trees were identified as “pleasing to the sight and good for food.” (k) God declared to repentant overcomers “I will grant to eat of the tree of life.” (l) So the two central trees were symbolic.
The trees “in the midst” represent the ideas 
and thoughts that support life. Our perceptions are received from God and from this world’s natural good and bad sources, which become personal codes of conduct. As our first parents turned from God’s guidance, they subjected themselves to the variances of nature’s good and evil. While we consider the natural processes to be contrasts, they are not “or” but “and.”
The factors of up and down, in and out, light and dark, hot and cold, as well as good and evil are created features and values in this natural world. Each condition offers us an opportunity to learn from the value each variable provides. The harsh extreme of each value is tempered when we consider the opposite value and find an appropriate moderate balance between the two.
In this natural life, a positive only functions when a negative is present. The light provides a contrasting compliment to darkness. Good is a comparative to evil. During our maturing process, we learn to deal with the variables of negativity, darkness, and evil by focusing on the positive, the light, and the good.
During this natural life we learn to gravitate to the light, to the right, and the good. As we respond to God’s enlightening presence, we transform more effectively into the mature expressions we are created to become, children who appropriately reflect and resemble God’s heart of love and light. (m)
During this natural life we learn to gravitate to the light, to the right, and the good.
Understanding Good vs. Evil
The word “evil” is translated from the Hebrew “ra,” which means bad, inferior. The noun and adjective of “ra” is basically the inability to aspire to the quality of good standards that produce good benefits. Evil is an immoral action toward others that depicts a very negative inner attitude towards God and man. (n)
While evil is considered an opposite to good, it is an extreme to any fair moderation. We should always gravitate toward the good and find a balancing value that keeps us from the extreme of evil. Without a balancing lean, we can become so committed to the one that we align with, the extreme. The extreme evil of Noah’s day is what brought on the cleansing flood: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (o)
So, where does evil come from? Men are the ones who throw out slanderous accusations and do evil things. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and slanders. These are the things which defile the man.” (p) Instead, our instructions are: “You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor.” (q)
Some light and dark perceptions reside in all of us. Many of our good thoughts are tainted with bad expectations. We choose when and to what degree we accept light. What we understand motivates us to do right and wrong, to love and hate, and to be positive and negative. Sadly, what we already believe can complicate our ability to accept new light, because our current perceptions tend to captivate us.
Our reflection of God’s light and love is not as pure as we may assume. Like King David we pray: Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me (by proving action) and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way (as a fatherly shepherd). (r) The “Prince of Peace” (s) reigns more effectively in a balance between the extremes of good and evil.
Our Bible tells us “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father.” (t) The Greek word translated as ‘perfect’ actually means ‘mature’. Only God is perfect and can represent perfection. Our life begins as immature images and likenesses of God, with the potential to grow and mature.
While God can over-ride this world’s harmful evil and occasionally does, He wants us to be involved and counter any evil with a good. We are to “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (u) Let us not respond to evil with more evil but overcome it by lovingly sharing the light we have.
While God can over-ride this world’s harmful evil and occasionally does, He wants us to be involved and counter any evil with a good.
a) James 1:13, 17; b) 1 John 1:5; c) Genesis 1:1; d) Genesis 2:4; e) Genesis 1:26-27; f) Genesis 1:31; 2:1; g) Philippians 2:13; h) Genesis 1:26; Galatians 4:19; i) Genesis 2:4-25; j) Luke 15:11-32; k) Genesis 2:8-9; l) Revelation 2:5-7; m) John 1:5; 4:8; n) Psalms 7:9; Proverbs 12:21; o) Genesis 6:5; p) Matthew 15:19-20; q) Leviticus 19:16; r) Psalms 139:23-24; s) Isaiah 9:6-7; t) Matthew 5:48; u) Romans 12:21; Matthew 5:16
Keith Carroll, “The Relationship Guy”
Relational Gospel Founder