Abstract
This article explores the problem of evil and its relationship to the existence and nature of God, addressing the Epicurean paradox from a biblical and theological perspective. It argues that the existence of evil does not negate God’s omnipotence, omniscience, or omnibenevolence, but rather reflects the limits of human understanding. Evil is examined as a contingent reality—a privation or corruption of good—arising from the misuse of freedom by created beings, including angelic rebellion and human disobedience. The article emphasizes the gift of free will, illustrating that genuine love and obedience require freedom of choice, even with the risk of moral evil. The fall of humanity and its consequences for creation are analyzed, alongside the continued presence of God’s goodness and providential work in restraining evil and guiding creation toward ultimate restoration. Through Scripture, the study demonstrates that evil, while real and sometimes pervasive, is temporary and subordinate to God’s ultimate plan, affirming the eternal triumph of divine goodness, justice, and moral order.
The Challenge of Evil and God’s Goodness
Does the existence of evil truly negate the reality of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving God? Is the Epicurean paradox itself built on flawed assumptions about God’s nature, purpose, and relationship to suffering? To answer these questions, we must explore the biblical and theological perspective on evil, suffering, and the sovereignty of God.
We must first understand that the statement, “God does not exist because of the existence of evil,” is not true. Rather, it reflects how flawed our assumptions about God can be. Instead of disproving his existence, this statement reveals the limits of our understanding of who God really is, his purpose for creation, and what he stands for.
It is within the limits of our own understanding that we, in our self-acclaimed wisdom, sometimes question God because of the existence of evil. While evil naturally provokes the question of whether an all-knowing and all-powerful God can coexist with it, this challenge often arises from misunderstanding what evil is and how God works in his creation. Factually, the existence of evil does not disprove God; rather, it invites us to reflect more deeply on his nature, human freedom, and his ultimate plan for creation.
Who is God and what is Evil?
The Nature of Goodness in God
God is good. If we had to describe him in a single word, nothing captures him better than “good.” God does not merely do good; he is the very essence of goodness (Mark 10:18; Matthew 19:17). Unless we lack a true understanding of what good is, we cannot speak of it apart from God. Any attempt to define good outside of God is, by nature, incomplete. Good finds its ultimate meaning in God alone (Psalm 34:8; James 1:17).
God is light, and light is good. Just as light cannot coexist with darkness because it neither welcomes it nor blends with it, good cannot coexist with evil. Even though we witness evil and might be tempted to say “God doesn’t exist,” we must remember that evil only appeared after God’s goodness was already established. This clearly means:
- God’s goodness predates evil.
- Evil does not originate from God.
- God’s goodness remains sustained.
- His existence is unaffected by the presence of evil.
Evil as the Absence of Good
Evil can therefore be understood as the absence of good, not as a contradiction to God’s goodness. It does not in any way undermine God’s nature or his essence. As defined by St. Augustine, evil is “a real lack, privation, or corruption of a good thing.” In simple terms, evil is the absence of good.
This means evil exists not because goodness cannot remain, but because evil is contingent—a dependent, secondary reality that does not threaten the essence of God’s goodness. Just as darkness is only the absence of light, evil is the absence or corruption of good. Yet the presence of evil—as a privation of good—does not mean good ceases to exist because evil has appeared. Since good can exist on its own, it cannot be overshadowed or overpowered by what only derives its meaning from good’s presence.
It is like arguing that a child has authority over its parent: the child may attract attention for a moment, but this does not negate the parent’s prior and ongoing existence. No matter how brilliant or impressive the child becomes, it can never override the existence of what came before it. In the same way, no matter how much evil seems to prevail—no matter how deeply human hearts have been corrupted—this does not mean that good, which exists in God, has lost its place. To argue that good or God no longer exists because evil is present is unimaginable, for evil cannot even survive on its own. It is the continuing existence of good that makes us capable of recognizing something as evil. Good exists, and so does God.
Evidently, the world was fashioned on the wings of good. God saw everything he had made and called it good (Genesis 1:31). However, from our perspective today, we can see that the world and all its happenings often fall short of the perfect creation God saw. How, then, did we inherit this brokenness?
Free Will, Satan’s Deception, and the Fall
The Gift and Responsibility of Free Will
The reality of evil is tied very closely to the gift of human free will (Deuteronomy 30:19).1 The most dangerous, yet precious gift God ever gave to his creation and the one thing he does not like to control.2 This does not trivialize the gift—it highlights its depth. God created humans with the ability to choose, to love, and to obey—not as robots, but as living, thinking beings made in his image (Genesis 1:26–27; James 1:18). Free will makes love real (1 John 4:7–8). It makes obedience meaningful (John 14:15). Without it, there is no genuine relationship with God. But the very gift that allows us to love him also opens the door for rebellion (Romans 5:12).
The first act of moral evil involved both angelic and human choice. Satan—formerly Lucifer—was originally created good (Ezekiel 28:12–15). By his own will he sought a role he was never meant to occupy (Isaiah 14:12–15). His rebellion revealed him as Satan, the adversary (1 Peter 5:8). His action was a corruption of good. He deceived Eve, who by her own will disobeyed God; Adam also, by his chosen will, transgressed (Genesis 3:1–7). So while Adam and Eve bear responsibility for their choices, it is important to recognize that human sin was influenced by the subtle deception of a rebellious angel (Romans 5:12; 1 Timothy 2:14).
The Consequences of the Fall
God foresaw all this (Isaiah 46:10), but he did not cancel free will. Why? Because the nature of the gift is freedom—the ability to choose without an imposed decision (Joshua 24:15). That is why the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil stood in Eden: they were not random, but reminders that humanity was truly free (Genesis 2:16–17). Without this freedom, obedience would mean nothing, and love would not be love (Deuteronomy 30:19; John 15:13–14).
Humanity’s use of free will led to the fall, yes, but its purpose was good. Every good and perfect gift is from the Lord (James 1:17). God meant it as a gift, a way for humans to choose to love him for him, and not merely because he made them or gave them life (Matthew 22:37–38). He did not want to assume the role of a manipulative head, even though he had the absolute right to do so if it were his ideal plan (Psalm 115:3). He expected genuine love—and still does—not as puppets, but as people who could choose him (Joshua 24:15; Revelation 3:20). This also explains why, even though by nature all have sinned because of the fall (Romans 3:23), in Christ’s reality each person must still make the choice to genuinely want to belong to God (John 1:12; Galatians 5:13).
The fall illustrates how moral evil arises when created beings misuse the freedom given by God, yet it does not diminish his goodness or sovereignty (Romans 8:28). It did not only alienate us from God, it also corrupted creation itself. Morality was twisted. The ground was cursed. The world became filled with pain, disasters, disease, and death (Genesis 3:17–19; Romans 8:20–22). From the distortion of human morality to the brokenness of the natural order, creation groans (Romans 8:22). As Job said, “Man is born to trouble” (Job 14:1). Suffering is now part of human life. Even though God never causes suffering (James 1:13), he is still able to use it—to teach us, refine us, and draw us closer to himself (Hebrews 12:5–11; Romans 5:3–5).
God’s Sovereignty Over Suffering
Jesus warned his disciples to expect suffering, but he also promised victory in him (John 16:33). Revelation 21:4 assures us that pain and death will cease in the renewed creation. These truths remind us that evil is real, yet temporary. It is not ultimate. We are empowered to overcome it, with a future assurance of its final extinction (1 Corinthians 15:24–26; Romans 8:37–39).
Even in a fallen world, God’s goodness remains steady (Psalm 145:9; Psalm 136:1). He is not absent; he is at work, restraining evil until its final end (2 Thessalonians 2:6–7). Evil, as the absence of good, never originates from him (James 1:13). Instead, his providence ensures that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). He works all things according to his will and purpose (Ephesians 1:11).
Moral Awareness and Divine Justice
The existence of evil points to the reality of a higher moral standard, and therefore can be argued not primarily by experiential means but through moral judgment.3 When we recognize injustice as wrong, it shows that moral law is not arbitrary—it reflects God’s perfect goodness (Luke 18:19; Romans 2:14–15). If a man only feels wet when he falls into water, can he tell a fish that it is wet, when the fish does not feel it?4 In the same way, our awareness of evil shows that we are not at home in it; we sense what is wrong because we were created for what is right. Evil exposes sin, but it also reveals the necessity of God’s justice, guiding us toward him as the source of all that is good (Psalm 97:2; Romans 3:25–26).
The Problem of Evil Revisited
Seen through Scripture, the Epicurean paradox loses its force. Evil exists, but it is contingent—arising from angelic rebellion and human disobedience, not from God (Genesis 3:1–7; Isaiah 14:12–15). God remains omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent. His goodness is evident in creation, sustained in the present, and ultimately perfected in the promise of a renewed world (Revelation 21:4). The problem of evil does not disprove God; rather, it calls us to recognize our dependence on him, the value of free will, and the ultimate triumph of his goodness over all that is broken (Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 15:24–26).
- C. S Lewis, Mere Christianity (Great Britain: William Collins, 1952), p. 48. ↩︎
- Myles Munroe, ‘The Power of Human Will’ [YouTube video], Mind Morphosis, 30 May 2022 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI1RhlcmtGI> [accessed 3 October 2025]. ↩︎
- Alister E. McGrath, Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers & Skeptics Find Faith (Baker Publishing, 2012), p. 163. ↩︎
- Lewis, p. 38. ↩︎
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