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What is evil?

Evil is one of those immaterial concepts that everyone acknowledges but struggles to define. How do we know evil to be evil? By what standard do we measure it? And how do we agree on what that standard should be? Does evil exist in and of itself, or does it only exist as the result of something else?

Good questions.

Biblically, evil might be defined as that which opposes God's revealed will. Of course, humanity has expanded on this definition to encompass anything that opposes human will also; and sometimes the two are in harmony, but more often they are not.

However, sticking with first causes, if evil is that which opposes Gods will, then the question is not, 'How can a holy God allow evil to exist within his creation?' But rather, 'How can he not?' For how can you disallow the existence of something that only exists as the antithesis (opposite) of your own will? In other words, something that exists because something of you exists.

There is only three ways God could accomplish this:
  1. For Him NOT to have a will regarding anything He creates. For if He doesn't have a will, there can be no chance of anything in creation opposing it, and therefore no evil. Or,
  2. God refraining from creating anything with the ability to oppose his will; I.e. nobody gets a free-will but God. For if nothing in creation has a free-will, nothing can oppose Gods, and therefore no evil. Or,
  3. God destroying any free-willed being the moment before they choose to oppose his will; and thus preventing evil entering into the world.
Of course, the first option would render anything God created both purposeless and pointless. The second would require God create only tools and/or toys. And the third, that God condemn a sinner before they actually sinned ...Hmm.

Bottom line: to require God to keep evil out of his creation is to desire God to be less than He is, or to desire humans to be less then they are. We can get hung up, or we can accept that God has a will. A will we can seek and fulfil or ignore and oppose. Of course, if we choose to ignore Gods will, we become part of the problem of evil. For to exist, evil requires two opposing wills. Doesn't it make more sense that we amend our wills rather than expect God to amend His.

For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” [Jesus]
John 6:38-40

For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
1 Peter 3:17-18

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