CAN THE EXISTENCE OF EVIL SHOW THAT GOD IS NOT REALLY POWERFUL?

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“If God is all-powerful, He can defeat evil. Evil is not yet defeated. Therefore, God is not all-powerful.”

We can never deny the reality of evil. Injustice. Wickedness. Corruption. Sickness. Immorality. Poverty. Sin. We could use many terms, but we all know what evil looks like. We see it every day because we are living in a fallen and suffering world. Now the question is: if God, who has limitless power, can do all things, why does evil still exist? Does this mean that the Lord is not really all-powerful?

According to Rabbi Harold Kushner, in his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, the answer is “yes.” For him, God is good, but He is not strong enough to carry out everything He wants to do. In other words, God is finite; the “Almighty” God is not really almighty at all. He even said, “Even God has a hard time keeping chaos in check and limiting the damage that evil can do.” He was so convinced of this idea that he thought it was easier to “swallow” than to believe in an all-powerful God who allows evil. As he put it: “I can worship a God who hates suffering but cannot eliminate it more easily than I can worship a God who chooses to make children suffer and die, for whatever exalted reason.”

I don’t know what “god” he is referring to, but that is not the God of the Bible. In dealing with this issue, we should understand several truths:

We cannot change the truth just to explain what we cannot understand.

The Bible consistently reveals God as the “Almighty” (Rev. 1:8; 19:6, etc.). This means nothing is too hard for Him (Gen. 18:14; Jer. 32:17,27), for nothing is impossible with Him (Matt. 19:26; Mk. 10:27; Lk. 18:27). No one can stop what He desires to do (Job 42:2; Isa. 43:13). This is the truth revealed in His Word. None of us has the right to deny this or to redefine who God is simply because we cannot explain why people die of cancer, or why calamities strike. God is infinite and in control. That remains a fact despite the presence of evil. That remains true even if we do not fully understand it.

God is not finished yet.

If God is all-powerful, then it follows that He can defeat evil. And yet, evil still exists! Does this mean He cannot? No. It means He is not finished yet. The fact that sin and suffering still exist today does not mean God will not end them in the future (see 2 Pet. 3:3–13; Rev. 21–22). God is not only all-powerful; He is also all-wise (Ps. 147:5; Rom. 11:33, etc.), and His ways are higher than ours (Isa. 55:8). If God has chosen not to resolve the problem of evil yet, we can be sure that one day He will—for He surely can. And we can trust Him, because He knows exactly what He is doing.

God is always working something out.

The existence of evil does not prove that God is not all-powerful. In the end, it will prove that He truly is Almighty. We have a God who can use evil to bring out good. God is never the author of evil, for He is holy (1 Sam. 2:2; Isa. 6:3). Yet because He is sovereign, He is able to use even evil itself.

God used all the wicked events in Joseph’s life to bring him into a position of authority where he could save countless lives, including his own family (Gen. 37–47). In the end, Joseph understood: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20). God also used the injustice and cruelty of men so that Jesus would be crucified and pay for the sins of the world. God used Paul’s imprisonment to produce many personal letters that later became books of the New Testament, which continue to bless believers to this day.

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We may not yet understand why we face certain trials, why God allowed the Holocaust, why hunger persists, or why injustice fills the world. And perhaps we may never find out in this life. But one day, on the other side, we will. For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed (Luke 8:17). When God shows us the “big picture,” when we finally see how He fit all things together like the pieces of a puzzle, we will realize that evil never stopped Him from accomplishing His purposes. We will see His power displayed in how He even used evil to fulfill His will. Truly, He works all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.” (Rev. 19:6). Stay Curious. 


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