Most people despise the harmful and destructive activities of evil because it is such a contrast to what is good and righteous. Despite our best efforts, bad things happen that can cause us to question the goodness of God. We ask, “If there is an all-powerful God, why did He let this awful thing happen?”
Despite a common notion that God has a dark side, He “is light and in him there is no darkness at all …for God is love.” (a) [see end notes for NASB Scriptures] No shade of darkness exists in God, nor can any temptation or harmful activity come from Him. (b) So, why does God allow evil to exist?
Interacting Variables
When the Eternal One decided to have offspring and raise them as children, He created the natural universe. (c) He designed the earth’s environment to facilitate their initial birth and development into levels of maturity. What’s important to understand is that there is a vast difference between the created natural realm and eternity.
God designed the earth to function with many interacting variables, such as day and night cycles, up and down elevations, in and out conditions, positive and negative energies, as well as productive good and destructive evil activities. The variables of this natural realm facilitate our development by allowing us to choose between the variables and to what degree we experience them.
During our creative beginnings, “Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (d) Both Trees were pleasing and good provisions for this life.
God intended His offspring to partake of the good and evil variables of natural life, just under His guidance. (e) He cautioned them about ignoring His insight; “In the day you eat of it you shall surely die.” (f) The Old Testament Hebrew actually says: “In the time you partake of it you will be dying.”
The error in the Garden was their decision to disregard God’s guidance. Ignoring God’s insightful assistance began to cloud their perception of reality. The separation brought deathly results. It harmed their interaction with God and allowed confusion and a dreadful fear of God to form in them.
As their focus turned from God, they even assumed they could hide from His presence. In their early immature stages they reasoned; “If I do not see you, you cannot see me.” A clear perception of God and of our developing purpose still remains a bit foggy and complicates our life in this natural world.
God created this natural atmosphere to birth us into existence, to initially live and develop into offspring who reflect and resemble His image and likeness. This natural life allows us to choose between the variables and to compare the contrast of ignoring with following God’s insight guidance.
God intended His offspring to partake of the good and evil variables of natural life, just under His guidance.
Awe vs. Fear
As Adam and Eve chose to ignore God’s input and turn toward natural experience for wisdom (g) a dreadful fear of God invaded their consciousness and began to decay their relational position as children of God. Their enabling reverential awe of God became tainted with a weakening fear.
The Bible says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…the beginning of knowledge… instruction for wisdom…enduring forever.” (h) The word fear in this verse comes from the Hebrew yirah which means ‘reverential awe’. The Hebrew pachad actually means ‘dreadful fear’.
The huge difference is easily seen by 
looking at how they are used in a biblical story that uses both. Israel had a (yirah) ‘reverential awe’ of God while those who opposed God’s ways had a (pachad) ‘dreadful fear’ of God. (i) Scripture does not tell us to dreadfully fear God but that “a reverential awe of God is the beginning of wisdom.” This passage and many more that are translated simply as ‘fear’ comes from yirah and actually encourages us to view God with a ‘reverential awe.’ Think about it!
Scripture sheds light on the value of our life when we respond to God’s guidance and when we do not. “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” (j)
Scripture sheds light on the value of our life when we respond to God’s guidance and when we do not.
Recycling Process of Natural Life
Notice how Jesus equated good with righteousness and evil with unrighteousness: “That you may be sons of your heavenly Father; for He causes His sun to rise on the good and the evil, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (k) Good is associated with righteousness, while evil relates to unrighteousness. God causes the life providing sun and rain to come upon everyone.
So, why does God allow evil to exist in this world? We want to realize destructive evil is a complimentary part of this natural life. When a tree falls, it is destructive. The action however turns into a source of nutrition for other plant forms. When a tree is destroyed to build a house or provide warmth for a home, its destruction becomes productive.
Remember, God planted in the Garden of Eden both the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil “and” the Tree of Life as good sources of life. We are intended to live with good and evil activity. Under God’s guidance we can not only survive, but we can be more productive than destructive.
We should notice, the Tree of…Good and Evil is not good ‘or’ evil. The natural realm is designed to be a recycling process where all activity supports this life. In nature, the living eventually dies and gives support to new life. A spring season always follows winter. During bad times we call on God for help and during good times we are thankful. All natural forces can turn us toward God.
Most if not all of good activity has a negative or destructive effect. Positive energy needs negative. Most often, our ill experiences are brought on by accident or by our own or another’s activity. Our good and bad activity triggers the “cause and effect principle” so we “we reap what is sown.” (l)
Everyone thinks and functions in the variations of life that can appear to be contrasts. The many variables are really created to function as compliments because they are dependent on each other. As positive energy does not function without the presence of negative energy, good thoughts and deeds function as comparable and supportive contrasts to the bad. This life contains a mix of light and dark shades, with elements of good and bad actions that bring on productive and destructive activity.
During this life, we can choose to ignore, hide from, hear, receive, and live in more of the light and love of God. Children always mature better when they are allowed to discern and learn to make better choices. As we allow God and His ways to enlighten us, we develop into more mature children.
While a level of wisdom is gained from this world’s productive and destructive activity, we can all do better when we listen to God. He offers to lead and guide us through this life, so we suffer less from our ‘try and see’ efforts. Let us choose to pursue the good, better, and best that is available.
May we accept God’s guidance, so our words and actions become better expressions of His heart!
Under God’s guidance we can not only survive, but we can be more productive than destructive.
a) 1 John 1:5; 4:8, 16; b) James 1:13, 17; c) Genesis 1:1-31; d) Genesis 2:9; e) Genesis 2:5, 7-9;f) Genesis 2:17; g) James 3:13-18; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 John 2:16-17; h) Proverbs 1:7; 9:10; 15:33; 2:5; Psalm 19:9; i) 2 Chronicles 19:9; 20:29; j) Psalm 1:1-3; Jeremiah 17:5-8; Proverbs 15:3-9; k) Matthew 5:44-45; l) Galatians 6:7
Keith Carroll, “The Relationship Guy”
Relational Gospel Founder