One of the common objections to the Christian faith is the evidence of evil. Why would a loving God allow it considering that he is all powerful and in control. The dictionary definition of Evil is 'morally bad' and 'harmful or tending to harm'. Sin is an old Greek archery term to describe falling short of the target which in Christian terms mean to fall short of Gods perfect standard. Evil in our culture tends to be reserved for those sins which are so seriously harmful, usually repeated by the perpetrator and which carry aspects of deception. These would include crimes that were premeditated rather than carried out impulsively due to a general weakness in our human nature.
So why has God allowed evil? God is described repeatedly as loving and just in the bible and that his nature is unchanging and eternal. He is also the creator of the universe including humans whom he created for his pleasure to be in relationship with. So why did he not just create perfect human beings with a loving nature. Well he did, in Genesis he describes us as very good in relation to the rest of creation that was just good. He created us to love but also with free will that we might choose to love him and our fellow man. If we were merely programmed to love like robots, love itself would have no real meaning, but in giving us the choice it opened up the possibility that we could choose not to love. This scenario is described in the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve tempted by the devil in the form of a serpent chose to disobey God by eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and became aware of their nakedness. This was not just about bare physical bodies but rather their natures were exposed and they felt ashamed. As a result Adam, Eve and the serpent were cursed along with the creation and the train of human wrongdoing was set in motion which has come to be known as The Fall.
This brought about disharmony with God who defines what is good and is perfectly loving and who never tempts us (James 1:13) Nor is he ever tempted being himself light rather than darkness. It is people in rebellion against a good God that explains why there are evil acts and yet despite this he has limited the effects of evil by his word which is a guide for us and by sending his one and only son to die for our sins so that we may be redeemed. Evil exists because we choose it.
In some ways the reality of evil creates heroic acts and traits of love. If there were no dangers difficulties or disappointments we would not gain attributes such as endurance or patience. If we were all made nice there would be no need to choose selfless love, so an attribute such as honesty would not be a virtue if we were not free to deceive. How often do we see good coming out of evil? Whilst we can trace all evil to Satan we know that God will allow it sometimes to work out his purposes to reform us and for the greater good. We see this most notably in the book of Job and in the crucifixion of Christ.
The bible suggests that evil is not a substance but rather an aspect of relationship, God has made us to be in relationship with him and each other. He has given us the bible which provides us with wisdom which is to be a guide in our daily lives. He has shown us the limitations of the law by showing his true nature of sacrificial love and grace. He has sent the Holy Spirit to be our guide, comforter and counselor whom we can call on in prayer. He has given by his grace all the resources we need to resist evil.