This world is evil. That is beyond dispute. Governments are corrupt, run by a lust for power, riches and control. The rich are protected and given carte blanche while the poor are exploited and oppressed. Racism and bigotry, terrorism, wars, mass murders and genocides all point to the intolerance and brutality of humanity. Cancers, heart disease, diabetes, genetic defects, and all manner of other diseases take countless lives daily, and natural disasters indiscriminately kill and maim thousands.
So is this “the will of God”?
The short answer is “no”, evil is not from God, nor is it the will of God. God is good, and all that is good comes from God. He only wants good things for us.
God is love. He loves us with an undying love. How can evil be his desire?
Consider this: Jesus instructed us to pray “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. If God’s will were being done on earth, would we pray like that? Wouldn't we rather be thanking him that his will was being done?
“Surely God is all-powerful,” some will say, “so everything follows his will”. While it is true that God is all-powerful, it is decidedly not true that everything follows his will. So, did God make these things evil? Or, are these evils the results of choices made by others?
That's the key here - choices. God has chosen to create beings with the freedom to make their own decisions.
In 1 John 5:19, the apostle John says that, “the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” The “evil one”, the “Devil” or “Satan” is also called the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11).
Did God choose to make Satan evil? Or, did Satan rebel against God and become evil? Christian theology holds that Satan became evil by rebelling against God. It was not the will of God, it was the will of Satan.
What about us humans? Did God make us evil? Or, do we choose to do evil things? Again, Christian theology says that we have all chosen evil. The evil that we do is not the will of God, it is our own free will. The Bible tells us that in the beginning, humans lived together with God in paradise, but they fell away from him through sin - and this world was cursed because of it. He gave them a choice between a blessing and a curse and they chose the curse. Death, disease and natural disasters resulted from that curse - from that choice. They chose to follow Satan and not God. And, less we blame Adam and Eve for all of this, we must remember that every one of us has done the same - none of us have followed God without failing.
“But”, some will object, “God knew all of this would happen, so why did he allow it to be so? Can’t he stop it?” Yes, of course he can, but only if he takes away our freedom. He would have to make us automatons, who blindly follow him without alternative. We would have no individuality, no personality, no autonomy. Apparently, he doesn’t want that for us. Although God is all powerful, he has chosen to rule, not as a dictator, imposing his will upon cowering subjects, but rather as a loving Father, giving us absolute freedom of choice, but with guidance. For he has given each one of us a conscience that resonates with the good and is troubled by evil.
So, there is evil and there is good. The will of God is good and rejection of his will is evil. If it were not so, there could be no judgement, no standard by which to quantify good and evil, and justice could never be carried out. If the holocaust were "the will of God", then Hitler would not stand before God condemned, but would rather be rewarded for doing "the will of God". But make no mistake, there will be a final judgment where everyone will stand before God and give an account of how they lived their life and the choices they made.
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15
Nobody gets away with anything. Everything we’ve ever done is written in the books of God and will be brought to light on judgment day. God will punish sin, but he has also made a way for us to be forgiven. God is merciful. God is love. God is forgiving. He loves a world that disobeys and hates him. He made a way for this evil world to be forgiven and reconciled in the sacrifice of the human body of Jesus. Everyone who trusts in him will have their name written in the "book of life"
Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” Luke 9:56.
1 John 2:2, "He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."
2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Galatians 1:4, “who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.”
Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us, because it is written, 'cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'.”
Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
So what is the will of God, then?
It is really only one thing - to believe in Jesus.
Jesus said, “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:40
Jesus is the central figure in human history. More than that, he is the central figure of the universe, for he created it, he encompasses it and he redeemed it with his own blood.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him all the fullness should dwell, and by him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1:15-20
If we believe in Jesus, we will love, help, and forgive one another
“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6: 27-38
This requires an eternal mindset. Jesus speaks often of rewards in the gospels. He says of those who choose this world, that “they have received their reward”, and of those who choose to follow his way, that “their reward shall be great”. It is all about a future reward. We must realize that God is eternal, and as such, his will is an eternal will. He exists outside of space and time and sees all of time at once - from beginning to end - like a yardstick. Our lives are but microscopic specks of dust on that yardstick, yet we fight and claw, argue and kill, for our piece of that insignificant dust. If our focus is on this temporal world and our temporal existence, it is very easy for us to blame God for the evils we see instead of recognizing his eternal goodness. It sets us up to miss the reward he has prepared for us. We must try to see things through God's eyes. We must see time as he sees it, and our existence in it as fleeting. We must adopt "the 1000 year stare": ask ourselves if this thing we find so consuming, so demanding of our attention, will even matter in 1000 years.
Be assured that the reward he has prepared for those who choose him is beyond our imagination.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'” Revelation 21:1-4
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Cor. 2:9
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