If God is So Good, Why Does Evil Exist?

Oct 04, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Goodness Corrupted, Not Created

The world’s brokenness often feels original, but Scripture insists evil is a parasite on God’s good design. Like rust eating metal or mold spoiling fruit, sin distorts what God declared “very good.” Darkness exists only where light is absent. Every tragedy, injustice, and heartache traces back to humanity’s rebellion—not God’s failure. Yet even in decay, glimpses of original goodness remain: laughter, sunsets, acts of courage. These point to a Creator who still reigns over chaos. [56:04]

Then God saw everything he had made, and it was very good.
(Genesis 1:31, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you seen goodness corrupted in your own life or community? How might God’s original design still shine through the cracks?

Day 2: Love’s Risk in a World of Rebels

True love cannot be programmed. God gifted Adam and Eve—and all humanity—the dangerous freedom to choose, knowing rebellion might follow. A robot’s obedience isn’t devotion; real relationship requires risk. When we blame God for humanity’s cruelty, we ignore how often our own choices fuel the pain. Yet God still values our capacity to love freely over a world of forced perfection. [01:01:39]

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.
(John 15:16, NIV)

Reflection: When has someone’s freely chosen love deeply impacted you? How does this help you trust God’s risky gift of free will?

Day 3: Creation Groans for Redemption

Tornadoes, cancer, and earthquakes aren’t God’s “plan”—they’re creation’s anguished response to humanity’s sin. Romans 8 compares the world to a woman in labor: pain with purpose. Natural disasters remind us the whole universe strains toward Christ’s return. What we call “acts of God” are often creation’s cry against the infection we introduced. Yet even here, God works, turning thorns into pathways for grace. [01:10:22]

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
(Romans 8:22, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you seen nature’s brokenness intersect with human suffering? How might this deepen your longing for Christ’s restoration?

Day 4: Wicked Hands, Divine Sovereignty

Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. Religious leaders crucified Jesus. Both acts were undeniably evil—yet God wove them into salvation’s story. This doesn’t excuse sin but reveals God’s power to repurpose darkness. Like an artist using shadow to accentuate light, God writes straight with crooked lines. Our worst choices become threads in a tapestry we can’t yet see. [01:14:11]

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
(Genesis 50:20, NIV)

Reflection: When has God unexpectedly redeemed a painful experience in your life? How does this shape your view of current struggles?

Day 5: Tears Temporary, Joy Eternal

Revelation’s promise isn’t escapism—it’s reality’s final chapter. Every funeral, every cancer ward, every war zone will be archived as “the former things.” God’s delay isn’t apathy but patience, giving rebels time to become children. One day, the Artist will step back from the canvas, and we’ll see why both light and shadow were necessary. Until then, we ache—but not without hope. [01:18:01]

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
(Revelation 21:4, NIV)

Reflection: What current sorrow feels heaviest? How might eternity’s perspective soften its edges without dismissing its weight?

Sermon Summary

The question, “If your God is so good, why does evil exist?” carries real weight because cancer, abuse, war, violence, and the deaths of children are not small things. Scripture does not ignore that pain or pretend that suffering is easy to explain. Genesis begins by saying that God made creation good, with no death, disease, hatred, sorrow, or suffering in the beginning. James calls God the source of every good and perfect gift, not the source of evil.

Evil is not something God manufactured. Evil is the corruption of what God created good, like darkness is the absence of light, rust is the corruption of metal, and disease is the corruption of health. The very ability to call something evil assumes that a real standard of goodness exists. Moral awareness points back to a moral Lawgiver, because counterfeit money can only be recognized by comparison with the genuine article.

Freedom also matters. Love cannot be forced, bought, or programmed into a robot. Genesis gives Adam and Eve real freedom, and Romans says sin entered the world through human rebellion. Humanity opened the door to sin, and that rebellion corrupted hearts, relationships, and the created order itself. Freedom includes consequences, whether those consequences are good or bad, and much suffering comes from humanity harming humanity through greed, abuse, hatred, corruption, and violence.

Romans 8 says creation itself is groaning. Natural disasters, sickness, and death reveal that the world is broken and cannot presently fulfill its purpose. Sin is the disease, while the disasters and pain seen in creation are symptoms of that deeper ruin. God does not call evil good, but God can redeem what others intend for evil. Joseph’s brothers meant evil against him, yet God used that painful road to save lives.

The cross gives the clearest answer to suffering. Human beings committed history’s greatest evil when Jesus, the only sinless man, was crucified, yet God accomplished history’s greatest good through that same event. Christ does not stand far off from pain. Christ entered rejection, betrayal, false accusation, suffering, and death, and Hebrews declares that He sympathizes with human weakness.

Revelation promises that evil will not last forever. God will wipe away tears, end death and mourning, and make an end of pain. God’s delay of judgment is not weakness but compassion, because immediate judgment against all evil would leave no sinner standing. Psalm 34 calls the brokenhearted to run to God rather than away from Him, trusting the character proven at the cross even when every reason cannot yet be seen.

Key Takeaways

1. Evil corrupts what God made good [57:29] Evil does not stand as a created thing equal to goodness. Evil twists, ruins, and damages what God designed for life and flourishing. The reality of corruption points back to an original goodness that sin has vandalized. [57:29]
2. Freedom makes real love possible [01:01:10] Love that is forced is not love at all. God values a relationship freely given, even though genuine freedom makes rebellion possible. Human choices carry real weight because God did not create people as programmed machines. [61:10]
3. Sin is the disease beneath suffering [01:11:29] Creation’s groaning reveals that brokenness reaches farther than individual bad decisions. Disease, disaster, and death belong to a world damaged by sin. These things are not proof that God is absent, but signs that creation still awaits restoration. [71:29]
4. The cross proves God enters pain [01:16:04] Christ did not remain distant from human suffering. Jesus endured betrayal, mockery, injustice, and death while accomplishing redemption through history’s darkest act. The cross gives suffering a Savior who understands weakness from the inside. [76:04]
5. God’s delay is mercy, not weakness [01:18:53] Judgment delayed gives sinners time to repent. God’s patience should not be confused with indifference toward evil. Mercy remains available now, but God’s promise to finally judge evil also remains sure.

## [78:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[52:09] - The Question of Evil
[52:42] - Does Evil Disprove God?
[55:45] - God Did Not Create Evil
[58:12] - Evil and Objective Morality
[61:10] - Freedom, Love, and Rebellion
[65:08] - Choices Have Consequences
[69:35] - Creation Groans Under Sin
[73:15] - God Redeems What Evil Intended
[76:04] - Jesus Entered Human Suffering
[77:28] - Evil Will Not Last Forever
[78:53] - God’s Patience and Coming Judgment
[81:19] - Running to God in Hardship
[83:48] - Sitting With Those Who Hurt
[88:56] - Remembering God’s Faithfulness

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 8:20-22
“For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” [01:10:02]

Genesis 50:20
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” [01:13:56]

Revelation 21:4
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” [01:17:28]

Observation questions

In Romans 8:20-22, what words describe the condition of creation, and what future hope is held out for it? [01:10:02]
What examples show the difference between evil as something created and evil as the corruption of something good? [57:29]
In Joseph’s story, what evil did his brothers commit, and what good purpose did God bring about through it? [01:13:56]
According to Revelation 21:4, what forms of suffering will be gone when God makes all things new? [01:17:28]

Interpretation questions

How does describing sin as the “disease” and disasters, sickness, and death as symptoms help explain why the whole creation is affected by brokenness? [01:11:29]
Why does genuine love require a real choice, and how does that help explain both the value and the danger of human freedom? [01:01:23]
Genesis 50:20 shows that God can bring good from what people intend for evil. How can this give hope without calling evil itself good or excusing the people who commit it? [01:14:08]
How does Jesus’ suffering and death change the way a hurting person can view God’s nearness in pain? [01:16:17]

Application questions

When you see injustice, violence, sickness, or loss, are you more likely to run toward God or pull away from Him? What would it look like to bring your honest questions and pain to Him this week? [01:21:25]
Where might you be tempted to blame God for consequences that are connected to human choices—either your own choices or the choices of others? How can owning responsibility lead to repentance and wisdom? [01:07:06]
Is there a painful part of your story where you can now see even a small way God provided, strengthened you, or brought someone alongside you? If the answer is not yet clear, what would it mean to trust God’s character while you wait? [01:23:31]
Who in your life is carrying grief, illness, disappointment, or another deep burden right now? What is one simple, practical way you could be present with them rather than trying to give them a quick answer? [01:23:53]
God’s patience gives people time to repent and receive mercy. Is there someone you care about who needs the hope of Jesus, and how could you prayerfully and lovingly take a step toward them this week? [01:18:53]
What are some specific ways you can remember God’s faithfulness when a new hardship makes it easy to forget His past care? Would keeping a record of answered prayers, provision, and encouragement help you? [01:29:27]

Sermon Clips

53s

#JesusInOurSuffering

“Many will ask, if your god is so good, why doesn't he do something about all this evil? Well, let me tell you today, the truth is he already has. God himself entered into our suffering. Jesus came into this world, and he experienced rejection and betrayal and mocking and false accusation. He was beaten. He was scourged with a whip. He wore a crown of thorns, and he was nailed to a cross where he died. Christianity, this faith that we claim to have is unique. Our God, the one true God, he does not choose to remain distant from our suffering. He does not choose to remain separated from our pain. Instead, he enters into it.”

51s

#SinAndTheFall

“Now notice carefully what it says here. Sin entered into the world. It wasn't originally there. It entered into the world. God did not inject. He did not unleash. He did not send evil into his creation. Through Adam and Eve, humanity opened the door. We allowed or invited sin to come into the world and to corrupt God's creation. Every broken heart, every funeral, every disease, every injustice, every war, all of these can ultimately be traced back to humanity's rebellion against God that originally began in the Garden Of Eden.”

49s

#NoMoreSuffering

“God is telling us here. This book starts by introducing sin into the world, and he's telling us here at the end that one day there will be no more cancer, no more hospitals, no more cemeteries, No more abuse. No more war. No more funerals. No more tears. No more suffering. And no more death. Justice delayed is not justice denied. God's timetable differs from ours. But his promises never fail. Critics critics will say, if your God can stop evil, then why does he wait?”

58s

#MoralArgument

“Things like murder, abusing children, genocide, rape, slavery, or human trafficking. Most people will identify things exactly like this as being bad. They might even call them evil. Why is that? Because we have all been created according to the word of God. We have all been created in the image of God. He made us to be like him. Our moral awareness points to a moral law giver, a moral creator. Ironically, the existence of evil actually points toward God rather than pointing away from God.”

48s

#FreeWillAndLove

“We all know that true love, true love cannot be forced. You can't force someone to love you. No matter how bad you might want it, no matter how hard you might try, you can't force another individual to love you. If you could or if you did force someone to love you, that wouldn't really be love. Now, would it? If it was forced. A robot can and will obey in accordance with its programming. Only a free person can actually truly love.”

33s

#BibleAndSuffering

“If you're familiar at all with God's word, you know that it never ignores suffering. Instead, the Bible explains for us exactly where evil comes from. It explains why God has permitted it for a time. It explains what he has done about it through Jesus Christ and how one day he will eliminate all forms of evil forever.”

56s

#BrokenCreation

“In this passage, all of creation is described as groaning and suffering. Not just people, but creation itself. The curse of sin has affected more than humanity. It's affected and or infected all of creation, the entire created order. The world is no longer functioning as God had originally designed it to function. And thinking about natural disasters and how they impact people's lives, these serve as reminders that creation is broken. These things are symptoms. They're not the original and or actual disease. Sin itself is the disease that has messed up the world.”

54s

#GoodnessOverEvil

“Imagine someone says to you, there's no such thing as counterfeit money. It's never existed. How would you even recognize a counterfeit $100 bill? The simple answer is by comparing it to a genuine bill. Right? That's the simple answer. By comparing it to the genuine article, the real thing. Likewise, we are able to recognize evil because goodness does exist. And ultimate goodness comes from God. We know from the first few chapters in the book of Genesis that God gave Adam and Eve genuine freedom there in the garden of Eden.”

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