Why Does God Allow Evil?

[4] They will say, “Where is this ‘coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”…  [9] The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  [10] But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. - 2 Peter 3:4,9-10 (NIV).

I Once used my car as an Uber driving. One time I picked up three people. They were all related, two brothers and a sister. Maybe in their late 20s to early 30s. They noticed the crosses hanging from my rear view mirror. The sister asked me if I was a Christian. I response by saying I was a follower of Jesus Christ. The reason why is because in today's American culture the word Christian can have a wide meaning. They were familiar with Christianity but only in a superficial way. 

She asked if she could ask me another question. I said sure. (I never turn down an opportunity the share Jesus. Not the Jesus of the media or the Jesus of the institutionalized religion of the day. Or the Jesus that mainstream Christianity has created in the image of their patriotism.)

She ask me why does God permit all the evil we see in the world today? My first response to this kind of question is "That's a good question.” However, when I hear this question from everyday people it's usually not from an academic or philosophical perspective. It's more of an emotionally charged question in response to the world around them. Since mankind really can't do anything about it so why doesn't God? All the money, education, philosophies, psychologies or science hasn't solved the problem so why doesn't God just step in and end it?

From here I try and re-frame the question for them to look at it from more of a personal perspective. I asked them if they have ever heard of the butterfly effect? Made popular by an Ashton Kutcher movie called The Butterfly Effect. It is something this age group is somewhat familiar with. It's an exercise in the law of cause and effect. Which states, for every effect there is an antecedent cause.

In theory if we had the resources and ability we could theoretically measure the causal effect of one flap of a butterfly's wing in California to a typhoon is Southeast Asia. With this illustration in mind I ask the question if God were the stop all evil in the world today can he start with you?

The great evils that humanity perpetrates on itself begin with some mundane, what we might consider innocuous wrong. Such as a little lie or a small theft or an unkind remark. Maybe a selfish act or mild exercise of pride. These are our flaps of a butterflies wings. If God were to stop all of these he would have to do away with free will in all humans or wipeout the entire human race. Because we are all guilty in some way or another of causing a butterfly effect for evil. However, since God is love and true love does not force another to follow or believe, he will not force people to make the right decisions.

Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. A world of automata—of creatures that worked like machines—would hardly be worth creating. The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most rapturous love between a man and a woman on this earth is mere milk and water. And for that they must be free. - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

The sister answered, “No I don't want him to start with me.” Which is indirectly saying I want mercy not judgement right now.

That is exactly what God has been extending to all humanity, mercy. As individuals we all want to see the other guy get their just dues. However, when it comes to us we typically have our personal excuses as to why we shouldn't be judged. Paul in Romans says it this way, “So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

Acts 17:30 (NIV)
[30] In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 

God will bring an end to all the evil in the world today. This means that his mercy has a limit. So we need to stop kicking against the goads with excuse questions like Why doesn’t…? And start asking that personal question, “Am I ready?”

Acts 17:31 (NIV)
[31] For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” 

Jesus answered a similar question when some people came to him and ask why did certain tragedies happen to these people? The people were of the mindset that they must have done something wrong for this bad thing to happen to them. In today’s culture we would call it karma. Jesus dispelled this idea of Karma or God’s judgement caught up to them. He told them that essentially that we live in a broken world and that evil comes at us through the hands of people or because of the circumstances of life and the world we live in is imperfect and we feel the effects of it all arounds us. Given these truths our concern should be “Am I ready?” Am I ready to suffer the ultimate tragedy of death and then stand before my Creator and be judged? Or Am I ready to receive mercy?

 [13:1] Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. [2] Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? [3] I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. [4] Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? [5] I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

[6] Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. [7] So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'

[8] “‘Sir,' the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. [9] If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'” - Luke 13:1-9 (NIV)

We all are on spiritual death row. We don’t know when our time will be up. Have you accepted God’s pardon in the person of Jesus Christ? 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” - John 14:6, 11:25-26 (NIV)

Jesus proved the truth of his claims by his resurrection. Because of this he still asks every person this same question, “Do you believe this?”