Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. genocide, terrorism, violence, sexual abuse, war, crime. are the results of the abuse of human freedom. Human freedom is good, but with human freedom comes responsibility. There is a capacity for choice.
We can use it. for good or we could abuse it. Free volt. Welcome to the Verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. One of the most difficult questions to answer is: if there is a God, why is there evil?
If God exists, why does he allow evil to happen in this world? And where does evil come from? In today's program, we're confronting this personal, painful, and powerful question. If there is a God, why evil? Here's Pastor John Monroe with today's lesson.
One of the most difficult questions I'm asked is why? Why me? Why did this happen? Why does God allow this? Why doesn't God do something about this?
Today and next time in our series on What Would You Ask God, our question is. If there is a God, why evil? Some people conclude that because there is evil, God does not exist or is too weak or disinterested to intervene. Previously, we've seen that God does exist and that He is a loving Creator. Why then is there evil?
Why doesn't God do something about it? Perhaps you struggle with the seeming conflict between a loving God and the existence of evil.
So listen today as I deal with this difficult question. If there is a God, why evil? Okay. Eugene Peterson writes The biblical fact is that there are no successful Churches. There are instead communities of sinners.
gathered before God week after week in towns and villages All over the world. The Holy Spirit gathers them and does his work in them. In this community of sinners, one of the sinners is called Pastor. And given a designated responsibility. to keep the community attentive to God.
That is my goal in this series. Questions we would ask God. Not to give all of the answers, but rather as a fellow traveller to keep all of us attentive to the greatest of all themes. namely God himself. But when we speak of God, one of the most common questions and one of the most difficult Questions to answer is this.
If there is a God, why evil? In his book Unspeakable, Oz Guinness writes. Is there anything harder to face and figure out than evil? Evil is quite simply the most serious problem in human life. The most serious problem in the contemporary world.
This question of why that we all ask is often very personal and very penetrating. How could God, if there is a God, allow my child? My sister, my spouse. my dear friend, to die. How can there possibly be a loving God when He didn't intervene and stop all of the abuse which I've had to endure for many years.
Where was God when Jews were dragged? to the gas ovens of Auschwitz. How could God have allowed nine eleven to happen? Why didn't God stop These recent fatal school shootings.
Sooner or later, all of us are confronted with evil. If God exists, does he have anything to say about this most serious problem of evil. Why is there such a thing as evil? What is evil? Where does evil come from?
Isn't God meant to be a God who can do all things? Isn't He meant to be a God who is all-loving? But evil exists, and God seems to allow it.
So something doesn't add up. If evil exists, perhaps it's God that doesn't exist. On the other hand, if God does exist, perhaps this God that we say we believe in isn't all-powerful, or perhaps He's not all-loving. Today our subject is if there is a God Why Evil. We want to think first of all of the existence of evil.
And first, as we think of that, to think of the definition of evil. How would you define evil? What is Evil. May I ask you to open your Bibles to Genesis 1 that we've looked at several times now in this series as we thought of God as our Creator, the first book of the Bible. And we're going to read first of all the first four versus Genesis 1.
Verse 1. In the beginning, God created the heavens. and the earth And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said Let there be light.
and There was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light. from the darkness. Did you notice that verse 4?
God saw that the light was good. Verse ten. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters he called seas. And God saw. That it was Good.
The last verse of the chapter, verse 31. And God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Everything that God created. was very good.
So in the beginning, When God created everything, everything was good. That means that there was no evil. In the beginning, And in the original creation, there was no evil. Evil did not. exist.
No evil in the world. difficult for us. to picture that, probably impossible for us to picture it. But as we read our Bible very early in the Biblical account, in chapter three, in fact, evil enters our good world. We won't take time to describe how evil enters, but Note that first That was good.
And then evil came. That is very, very important in our understanding and trying to define and describe what evil is. You see evil can only exist in the context of good. Evil is not a thing in itself. Evil is the absence of something.
Evil is the absence of good. Evil is the perversion of good. First, there is good, and then there was. evil. And I'm going to illustrate it with the assistance of a very beautiful young lady Who is going to assist me?
She doesn't get paid for that, other than the joy of living with me. Here it is. She has in her hand A sheet of paper. This sheet of paper is good. It's ready to be used for writing on.
That's why it is designed. She's now going to fold it in half. And she is, I hope, is going to tear a hole In it. A little bit pressure on her to get it right, but I think she's going to do it. Believe it or not, we did practice this in the kitchen yesterday.
She's now opening it opening it up. And we have Right in the center. We have something that is bad. This is designed good to ride on. But now we have bad.
We can say that this in our illustration is Evil.
Now let us get rid of Of all that is good.
So she is going to get rid of the borders of The page, tearing it as quickly as she can, hopefully, because I've got a lot to say this morning. And so She's going to tear it good exercise for you there. She's getting rid of all of the good. and we're going to be left With just The hole. That's right.
The whole has disappeared. Thank you. You don't need to clap, you didn't do that well, it was okay. I mean, clap something I say. I mean, I've thought this through.
Oh, thank you. The point I'm making is that a bad piece of paper. only make sense against a good piece of paper. First, there is the good. Then there is the evil.
When you take away the good, what do you have? You have nothing. That is, in describing and defining evil, and this is maybe a little difficult to get their minds around, evil can only exist in the context of good. It can't exist by itself. Evil is the absence of good.
Evil is the perversion of good. That's why people who talk about evil and who want to deny God are faced with a dilemma. How would they define good? If we're defining evil, we define it against that which is good, which comes From God.
Now let me remind you not that we need much. A reminder Some examples of evil in our world. Here are some evil men. first of all inhuman. History.
Here they R Evil man. Hitler. And Stalin. Idiomin mote tongue.
So damn. Hussein, Osama bin Laden. Think of the evil of the Oklahoma City, 1995. Think of that terrible act. of evil that rocked, our country.
Think of the terrorism of nine Mm-hmm. not all that long ago, which really changed our world as evil impacted our nation. as almost no other event has. Think of the London bombings. Evil comes.
to all countries. Think of the genocide in Sudan and Darfur, where the free world seems unable. sadly, to be able to deal with with the killings of the innocent. in Sudan. In his new book, The War of the World, Neil Ferguson writes The one hundred years after nine hundred were without question the bloodiest century in modern history, Neil Ferguson, a very reputable historian and from his writings, I would say not a Christian.
He's a good idea. These years were far more violent in relative as well as absolute terms than any previous era. The last hundred years The bloodiest. In relative and absolute terms, in the history of the world. Think of the Holocaust of World War Two.
Think of the Pal Pot of Cambodia slaughtering a quarter of the nation's population, two million people. Think of Stalin's slaughter. Of 38 million, Mozi Tung's killing, of 65 million. Yes, you heard it. 65 million.
million. Think of the atrocities in Rwanda, Nigeria. Think of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Think of the abductions and killing. In the United States, of young children, think, as I already said, of the recent killings in our schools in a place which seemed to be so safe.
In this community in Pennsylvania called Paradise, but on earth evil comes. A few examples of the many faces of evil. in our world. Strange, isn't it? In spite of our technology, space travel, putting people on the moon, spite of our medical advancements, in spite of all of our universities, in spite of the United Nations, spite of Thousands and thousands of diplomats, brilliant minds, in spite of all of our so-called civilization, the violence, the atrocities, the terrorism, the murders, the abuse, the perversions, the mindless killing fields have not diminished but have in fact increased.
So our world today, as I speak, Is a very evil place. The existence of evil in our world is undeniable. The definition of evil. Secondly, the problem of evil, and it is a problem. Prisoner one seven four five one seven was Thursday.
Seeing a fat icicle hanging just outside his hut in the Auswitz extermination camp, he reached out of the window to break it off and quench his thirst. But before he could reach it, a guard thrust out his fist and dashed it to pieces on the filthy ground. Why? The prisoner burst out instinctively. The guard answered with brutal finality.
Here There is no Why? But when confronted with evil, We do ask why, don't we? Evil is a problem to any thinking person, whether you're a Christian or a non-Christian. Evil is an alien intruder in our good world. We read from Genesis that in the beginning God created the good world, but because of the fall by the fall we mean man's moral rebellion against God.
Because of the fall, our world is distorted, it's broken, it's sinful, and it is evil. We've abused the freedom which God has given us. The Westminster Confession states, quote, man by the freedom of his will sinned. That's it. We have, as it were, ripped many, many holes in the good pieces of paper which God has given us.
For example, God gives us water, surely a good gift. We couldn't live without it. But that good gift from God can be used for evil purposes to drown someone. You say, where does this evil come from? People want to blame God for it.
God did not make us as robots. God did not make us as machines, but as human beings made in His image and essential to our humanity is the privilege of choice. Every day you make choices. You can choose good or you can choose evil. God obviously could have made human beings who always chose the good.
I mean, God is sovereign, He can do anything He wanted, so He could have made us so that we would always do the right thing, but then we wouldn't be human beings as we know them. No, God has given us the the capacity to make moral choices. He has not given us unlimited choices because we are not unlimited beings, we are human beings, we are not unlimited, but He has given us choices, real choices, and when we choose, Evil rather than good. When we rip up the paper, as it were, the consequences for ourselves and for others are devastating. But why then would you blame God as people do?
We don't hold a company which makes sharp Kitchen knives, responsible. for a murderer taking a kitchen knife. and using it to kill someone?
So we shouldn't hold God responsible for the evil actions of human beings: genocide, terrorism, violence, sexual abuse, war, crime. are the results of the abuse of human freedom. Human freedom is good. We want that. We want everyone in the world to enjoy human freedom.
But with human freedom comes responsibility. There is a capacity for choice. We can use it. for good, or we could abuse it free vote. C.S.
Lewis writes: It is men, not God, who have produced racks, whips, prisons, slavery, guns, bayonets. and bombs. Human evil casts its long shadow. on many innocent people. including some here, I'm sure.
Terrorists killed innocent people on nine eleven. Evil man. in various places throughout the world explode their cruel bombs. People hijack human freedom and use it for evil with the most unspeakable of consequences, as we've seen in our own country and other places throughout the world. We've thought of the definition of evil, the problem of evil.
Thirdly, the personification. of evil. We must understand, and many people would deny this, but we must understand that evil exists. Because of the existence of a totally evil being who's called Satan, who's called the devil. He is totally and irredeemably evil.
He's described in various ways in the Bible as the deceiver, as the father of lies, as our adversary. And Jesus described him very significantly in John chapter 8 as. the murderer from the beginning. Do you think of the evil in our world? Do you think of all of the murders?
You wonder how people can put a bomb in a bus? With innocent children, and just walk away from it? Where does this come from? It comes from Satan himself. The murderer from the beginning.
Everything Satan does is evil. He is implacably opposed to all that is good. to all that is virtuous. John the Apostle, writing in 1 John 5, verse 19, says that the whole world lies in the power or under the control of the evil one. People deny that.
But it's true. He's not all-powerful, but he's very powerful, he's very devious, and he tempts us, yes, you and me, to do that which is evil and to do that which is wicked. That is why our Lord taught us in what we call the Lord's Prayer: Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Sometimes translated following certain manuscripts. Deliver us from the evil one. A good prayer. One that we should pray. Lord, today don't lead me into temptation.
Deliver me from the evil one. The recognition that there is an evil one, one who's opposed to God. And I must be delivered. From him. Let me summarize what we've learned about The problem of evil.
Evil exists. Evil is the absence of good. Human. Freedom is often used for evil purposes. There is a real enemy, Satan, who is the epitome of evil.
Now we've thought of the existence of evil.
Now I want to remind you that of the existence of God. And I've selected three basic truths about God. Three things which are always true about God, which are relevant in this discussion. Obviously, there are many. If you have your Bible turn to Psalm 136, Because we want to see, first of all, As we think about evil, that God is good.
Psalm 136. We'll just read the first Verse. The psalmist is exhorting us to worship God, to praise God, to give thanks to God.
Now, why would we do that? Why would we worship God? As we come together like this, for example. Here it is: Psalm 136, verse 1: Give thanks. to the Lord.
For he is What? Good. He's good. His loving kindness is everlasting. His love endures forever.
His mercies are everlasting. And the Bible instructs us that the goodness of God is central to who God is. You we cannot discuss God or think about God without very quickly reminding ourselves that God is good. Nahum, the Old Testament prophet, writes in his prophecy, chapter 1, verse 7: The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. Why would we go to God?
Why? Because there's evil out there. There's a place of danger. We need spiritual deliverance.
Sometimes we need physical deliverance. And we go to the Lord. He's a stronghold. Why? He is good, and he's good all.
of the time. And because God is good, He is not and cannot be the cause or the originator of evil. A holy being. Who is utterly pure, who is light, in whom there is no darkness at all, he cannot be the author of evil. Of course not.
Why? Because he's good all the time. All of the time. God is good. Only God is good all of the time.
Yes, sometimes you are good, sometimes you do the right thing. But often You do what is wrong, and I do what is wrong. But God, in his very essence and his very character, in fact, when Moses in Exodus 33, isn't it, where Moses says to God, Show me your glory. And God passes in front of him. What passes in front of Moses?
The goodness of God. That is an essential Attribute of God. that our God is good. Satan is always evil. Satan will never ever change.
And God is always Good. He's the same. Yesterday, today, and forever. He is Yahweh, He is Jehovah who changes not. He's always good.
And when trouble and suffering and evil come, God is our stronghold. He's a castle to which we flee to. Why? Because he's always good. And when there are evil acts which take the life of innocent people, we're apt to doubt the goodness of God, haven't we?
Who here has never doubted the goodness of God? when some tragedy or evil A devastating situation has come in. I want to remind you The God is. Always good. This is the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe.
There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity.
Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry. Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast, featuring John's weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam. It's available wherever you get your podcasts, or simply go to our website.
Again, that's theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte. We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road. If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ, We invite you to join us for our Sunday services. For more details about Calvary and our service times, visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Do you believe that there is such a thing as evil? How would you define evil? Does the existence of evil shake your belief in God? God did not make you as a robot, but with the capacity of choice.
And isn't it the case that we sometimes choose evil? which has not only severe consequences for ourselves, but disastrous consequences for others. as we see in the world around us. Join me next time as we continue to think. Of this penetrating and difficult question of God and the existence of evil.
Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
