I don’t know
Yes, you might feel like it’s a cop-out answer, but it’s true. We don’t know all of the reasons why God allows evil. We have gone through the list….. the fall, free will, for a greater good, builds character, reveals the attributes of God.
However, I believe this piggybacks off the last reason, the attributes of God.
God is God. An infinite being. He is the creator and ruler over everything. He is morally perfect in all of His dealings with humanity. Humanity is finite and imperfect. God has a justifiable reason for all He does as the sovereign ruler of the universe, yet most of the time He chooses not to explain Himself.
“The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.” Deuteronomy 29:29 NLT
Even if God were to explain in detail his ultimate plan, we might not fully comprehend His majestic ways or reasons.
Believe me, this is a hard one for me. Not knowing sometimes gives me anxiety.
Yet, in the not knowing God has given us assurance in our situations.
We are not alone. When Christ came to die for us, He experienced suffering at its worst. Death. He suffered with us for us. Now He is in heaven, interceding for us in our struggle and pain.
Next, suffering should not be a private matter. Community is so important. It can provide comfort and reassurance. As fellow believers, we can confront evil and suffering in a powerfully practical way by comforting those afflicted by it and easing the suffering of those around us.
Lastly, we learn to place our faith in God. The Bible records individuals placing their faith in God when they did not know what the future held. Abraham, Moses, Job, and Paul are just a few. They had many painful and confusing struggles, yet we see them place their faith in a God that was and is faithful.
We will always struggle with the question of evil until God makes everything new. In the meantime, let’s rest in the fact that Christ has already conquered evil, and we wait in hope for the best yet to come!
References
A Visual Guide to Biblical Apologetics by Joseph M. Holden and Sarah R. Enterline
Why Does God Allow Evil? By Clay Jones
Without a Doubt: Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions by Kenneth Samples
Christian Apologetics by Douglas Groothuis
