My dad lived through the horrors of World War II. What he saw and experienced profoundly affected him all his life. It has affected his faith in God. He and many others have questioned the existence of a loving God when they have seen unspeakable cruelties and injustices committee — some even in the name of God. When we see evils in the world, do we question why God allows them, if he exists and if he cares? Do we believe the existence of a loving God as our creator means he protects us from all evil or there can be no evil if he is real and he is love as the Bible says (1 John 4:8)?

There is such a place where there will be no evil and only love, peace, and joy. It is a spiritual heaven reserved for those souls who choose, while on earth, to follow God and Jesus and to obey his Word (Revelation 21:1 – 5, 27).

While we live in our bodies on this earth, we live in a world and in a body that are decaying. We live in a world of illness, disease, death and, yes, evil. Why is there evil if God is only good? Very simply, because he created us, and angels, with a free will to choose whether or not to love him and obey him. He did not create robots. God loves us and desires us to love him in return (Matthew 22:37). That is only possible when we have a choice.

Some angels have chosen to rebel against God (Jude 6) and they tempt and deceive mankind to do the same. God clearly communicates to us in his Word, the Holy Bible, that we humans are in a spiritual war; that there are “spiritual forces of evil” in this world, and that we are to “stand against the devil's schemes” (Ephesians 6:10 – 13). God urges us to “abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:11). “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed” (James 1:13 – 14).

Basically, and very simply, God created a magnificent world and universe in which we exist in human form. He has written to us (the Holy Bible) and has come to us in human form himself (Jesus) to show us who he is and how to have a relationship with him now and eternally in heaven. But, we choose who and what to live for in this life. Some choices have evil consequences and eternal consequences. We should choose wisely.

— Cynthia Clayton

Picture credits:
©Patty Gibson