I have been often asked if God was the creator of evil. The answer is a simple NO. Many people get hung up on this question. Why is there so much evil in this world? Why does a good God let things like 9-11 happen?
Glance at any newspaper and the headlines tell you what's wrong with the world. Watch television, listen to the radio, talk to friends, and you will find no shortage of opinions as to what is wrong on planet Earth.
When terrorists hijacked passenger planes and slammed into the Pentagon, two NY skyscrapers, the world quickly called it evil. The destructive power of this epic evil event made people feel paralyzed and helpless. And that's what evil does best; it makes us feel powerless.
But we're not. Most of us experience evil on a smaller more personal scale. And for us, the apostle Paul outlined the proper response. He said we are to abhor evil (Rom. 12:9), not to repay it with more evil (v.17), and not to be overcome by it (v. 21)
The true victim of evil is goodness-- the goodness that God designed as part of creation for everyone to enjoy (Gen. 1:4-31). It is surprising then when Paul concludes that the casualty of evil is also its conqueror (Rom. 12:21).
Evil gets all the headlines, but God's goodness is stronger, and He wants us to use it on His behalf to overcome His enemy.
See also:
Prov. 20:22, MaTT 5:38-48, 1 Thess 5:15, 1 Peter 3:8-17
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