Some people say a loving God would never allow evil in the world. Others say it’s the devil’s fault. Or it must be our fault. Who is right?
God said, “Don’t do it.”
Adam was told not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve was told she would die if she did. With every other tree suitable for food, she had no reason to disobey. But then Satan came along to make the fruit inviting.
Did God send Satan?
The Bible doesn’t say. What we do know is that God didn’t protect Adam and Eve from sin. He didn’t build a fence around the tree but allowed Adam, Eve, and Satan to go there.
God bears responsibility for what he allows.
Standing at the curb, an off-duty police officer saw a man with a gun enter the corner store, heard shots fired, and saw the man running away with a fistful of cash. Our courts held the policeman guilty of a crime, because he could and should have intervened.
As he should, God allows evil so we can repent and turn to him.
The angels of Heaven were given free will, but they were already part of God’s great power and glory. When Satan said no to God and fell from glory, he and a third of the heavenly host made their final choice. There was no turning back.
God created people a little lower than the angels, with the ability to rebel against God, be sorry for their mistakes, and turn wholeheartedly back to God, choosing his will above their own.
God doesn’t make robots.
Christians still have free will. After we have seen the light, a choice for darkness would be our final answer, as it was for the angels who fell. Therefore, Christians can’t afford to keep sinning. We need to be like Peter, bitterly weeping afterward, until we have repented and recognize our relationship with Jesus as something worth dying for (Luke 14:26).
Those who have seen the light, accepted the gift of salvation, and received the Holy Spirit, having tasted the goodness of God’s word, experiencing the spiritual strength of the world to come, if they turn away, they have no means to gain repentance and forgiveness, since they crucify the Son of God a second time, putting him to open shame. — Hebrews 6:4–6, The Discussion Bible