How do we talk about evil?  How do we explain it to those who say “if there is a God, why is there evil?”  Here are some points to ponder from the Word of God.  I have taken most of the following from my friend Dr. Jerram Barrs’ lecture on the subject and added some things.  You will have to look up the scriptures yourselves–hey, we did most of the work for you

The Problem of Evil (taken from lecture by Dr. Jerram Barrs)

The Seven pointed curse:

1. God is separated from humanity, for he must judge evil and have nothing to do with it

2. Humanity is alienated from God. Paul said “no one seeks God”, we fear him, and we are hostile toward him, our only hope is that he will pursue us

3. We are alienated internally, separated from ourselves we struggle with self-hatred, covered constantly in shame, our very hearts deceive us!

4. We are alienated from each other, no human has ever had a perfect relationship of any kind.

5. We experience loss of dominion- over ourselves, our work, every area of life in the world, and over creation. We don’t know how to properly care for God’s earth, unable even to control ourselves

6. We are separated body from spirit at death, our bodies break down.

7. Creation itself is subject to decay

Guiding principles:

1. God is not tainted with evil: He is not the tempter. We can fight evil without fighting God

2. The world we know is abnormal

3. We must acknowledge the corruption of the human heart

4. God alone has the resolution to the problems we face

Seven Stones: Our Personal Response to Suffering

1. Weep with those who weep; comfort people with God’s sovereign commitment to never abandon or forsake them (Rom 8:31-39)

2. Humility (Job’s Friends)

3. God is not the author of evil (James 1:13-14)

4. God’s anger and grief at sin, suffering, and death (John 11)

5. God’s passion to make right the wrongs of the world (Rev 19)

6. Passionately intervene on the behalf of the suffering: Prayer is intervention! (James 5)

7. Comfort with the sure and certain hope of ultimate redemption (Rev 21)

Former Sr. Pastor Mike Higgins