As a pastor we are often asked really tough questions by both skeptics as well as beleivers. Recently this question came to me via email. I thought I would share it and the reply I sent in the hopes it may help someone else who has similar questions about our great God. This is quite long so get a good cup of tea and read on.
Question: "My son was asking me a question that surrounded the issue: Since God is perfect, yet He created man who is fallen and satan who was evil in Heaven and on Earth, did His original perfect plan fail since Jesus had to die for sinners? And if evil existed before man was ever created why did God create us? How did perfection and evil coexist and how could a perfect God end up with such imperfect beings.....angelic or human? The way things have turned out for humanity could not possibly be what God's perfect plan initially was or is it? Did His plan fail?"
Reply: This is a very difficult set of questions you are posing so please read this very carefully and prayerfully in order to grasp what I am trying to convey. The premise we will start with is God’s plan has not, cannot and will not fail. This is easily proven by reading the scriptures. I expect what your son is really asking is how all these things fit together in the character and nature of God. I will attempt to address the most common issues and objections I hear and if I leave something out or you wish a further elaboration then please let me know. This is a hard topic and most people take a while to struggle through it. I actually just finished a class on this topic last year so here is some of what we went through.
So, is God in control? If so, what does it mean to say that God is in control? These are two very important questions because the answers affect how we view God, how we view the world, and how we view ourselves. The answers are found by examining the Biblical teaching on the “Providence of God”. God's Providence--sometimes called His sovereignty--simply refers to His preservation of creation and His control over creation, which He does for the purpose of bringing about the greatest glory to Himself.
Preservation, the first aspect of Providence, is the activity of God whereby He preserves all created things in existence. In other words, it is his moment by moment activity of keeping the universe in existence. Hebrews 1:3 says Christ "upholds all things by the word of His power." Colossians 1:17 says that "in Him all things hold together." The universe only continues in existence because Christ keeps it in existence. If He were to cease His preserving activity, everything would cease to exist.
The second aspect of Providence is what answers the question, is God in control and what does that mean? A proper understanding of this aspect of Providence can be a rock of strength in suffering, a source of humility in godliness, and a blazing fire of amazement in worship. Therefore, we will examine the Biblical teaching on this in detail. After examining this truth, the third aspect of Providence should be clear--that God is directing history towards the goal of His greatest glory and His people's greatest good.
The first thing we need to understand about God's rule over the universe is that none of His purposes can fail: "I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure'" (Isaiah 46:9-10). It is absolutely certain that God will achieve everything that He wants in His creation. Nothing that God wants accomplished will be left unfulfilled--that is what God means when He says He will accomplish all of His "good pleasure" because His "purpose will be established." Thus, it also follows that nothing can ever happen which would ultimately keep God from fulfilling everything that He wants.
Some say that God does not have any unstoppable purposes in regards to human history, because this would entail that humans are not in control of history. Scripture, however, poses no such limitation on God. In fact, in the very next verse God applies His purposes to the realm of human activity: "Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country" (Isaiah 46:11). Furthermore, it would be of almost no meaning for God to say that none of His purposes can be thwarted if His purposes had nothing to do with one of the most important areas of the universe--human history and human decisions! The impossibility of God's purposes failing is significant and revealed in the Bible precisely because it applies to our very lives.
Many other verses confirm that God's purposes in regards to human history cannot fail. "The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation" (Psalm 33:10, 11). God has not given control of history over to humans. Instead, this verse is clear that God takes action to frustrate human plans whenever He desires--which means whenever they are not in line with His plans. Since God's counsel must "stand forever" and since God will, as Isaiah says, accomplish all of His "good pleasure," He will frustrate all human plans that will not lead to the fulfillment of His plans. From this it follows that the only things which He will allow to happen are things which will ultimately contribute to the fulfillment of His plans.
So, while the plans of human beings fail, God's purposes cannot fail because they must "stand forever." And since God's plans are always accomplished, He never changes them--they endure "from generation to generation." There are no plan B's with God.
Proverbs 19:21 confirms that while the plans of human beings are not always accomplished, God's plans always succeed: "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord, it will stand." Clearly, "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord" (Proverbs 21:30). The great Biblical character Job, after his extreme trials and great suffering, learned the great lesson that "Thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted" (Job 42:2). Similarly, the apostle Paul asks rhetorically in Romans 9:19, "who resists His will?" The answer, of course, is no one.
It is clear that God can accomplish whatever He wants. But how specific are his plans? Does God simply have general plans that will be fulfilled, or does He have specific purposes in regards to every detail of life? The answer seems to be that God's purposes are specific--His Providence is in the details.
First, if God "can do all things" and "none of His purposes can be thwarted" (Job 42:2), then if follows that for anything that occurs, God could have prevented it if He had wanted to. Thus, if God allows something, it must be because it was part of His plan. For whenever one is able to prevent something that he wants to prevent, he will prevent it. Thus, God only permits what He has purposed--what He wants, in some sense, to occur.
Second, God must control the details of life in order to ensure that His general plans will be fulfilled. If there is even the slightest and most insignificant thing outside of God's control, it would have the ability to mess up God's "bigger" plans. Who has not been amazed at how the difference of a few "insignificant" seconds, for example, can sometimes mean the difference between the significant issue of life and death?
Third, and most importantly, Scripture is clear that God's purposes are specific and very detailed. Job 14:5 says that man's "days are determined, the number of his months is with Thee, and his limits Thou hast set so that he cannot pass." God has determined how long each person will live; you cannot die until God's purposes for you on earth are finished. This is good news, for it means that if you are alive, it is for a reason.
John the Baptist informs us that, "A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven" (John 3:27). Everything you possess is a gift from God. Every meal you are provided with, is because God decided to give it to you. Every shirt you have, friend you have, and talent you have is ultimately a gift from God. If God had not decided to give it to you, you would not have it.
God causes people to be favorable towards us (Daniel 1:9; Genesis 39:21) or to not be favorable towards us (Exodus 14:7). He determines who will be rich and who will be poor: "The Lord makes poor and rich; He brings low and He also exalts" (1 Samuel 2:7). He gives children (Psalm 127:3) or withholds children (1 Samuel 1:5). A woman cannot conceive unless God decides that she will (Ruth 4:13).
God controls the affairs of nations: "He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away" (Job 12:23). "For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations" (Psalm 22:28). The land boundaries of each nation and their period in history are all determined by God: "and He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation" (Acts 17:26). Not only that, God also determines which specific individuals will be the leaders in each country: "And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, and knowledge to men of understanding" (Daniel 2:21). "The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom he wishes..." (Daniel 4:17). God made it absolutely clear to King Nebuchadnezzar that he was not ultimately in charge, rather "it is Heaven that rules" (Daniel 4:26). Paul even tells us that the wicked Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus had been "raised up" by God so that He could show His power in defeating Him (Romans 9:17).
God controls the wind and lightning (Psalm 135:7), the snow and the rain (Job 37:6-13), and directs the stars in their courses (Job 38:32). Forest fires, hail, and storms are all under his command: "Fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word" (Psalm 148:8). The sun does not simply rise on its own each day, rather God "causes His sun to rise" (Matt. 5:45). Neither does the grass grow on its own, but God "causes the grass to grow" (Psalm 104:14). God feeds the animals (Matthew 6:26; Psalm 104:27-29) and indeed controls even the most seemingly insignificant death of a sparrow (Matthew 10:29). God sends rain and withholds rain (Amos 4:7-10). There is nothing in the universe left to chance: "The lot is cast in the lap, but its every decision is wholly from the Lord" (Proverbs 16:33). Nothing in all creation--the weather, the stars, the plants, the animals, the affairs of nations, the role of dice, and the specific details of our lives--is outside of the sovereign control of God.
God controls everything If God's plans never fail, and if His plans are specific (not just general), then it follows that God literally controls every detail of our lives and every detail of the universe. This is exactly what dozens of verses directly and explicitly teach.
First, the Scriptures are clear on who is not in control. Jeremiah said, "I know, O Lord, that the way of human beings is not in their control, that mortals as they walk cannot direct their steps" (Jeremiah 10:23, NRSV). Humans are not in control. In fact, we do not even have ultimate control over our slightest actions, for "mortals as they walk cannot direct their steps." But if humans do not direct their steps, who does? Proverbs 16:9 tells us: "The mind of the man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." It is God who is in control! And his control is specific, not just general because it extends to the very steps of individuals. Every move you make, every step you take has been determined by God. Proverbs 19:24 says "man's steps are ordained by the Lord, how then can man understand his way?" Further, even the very words we say are controlled by God: "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord" (Proverbs 16:1).
Daniel 4:35 is another very clear verse that God controls all things. "And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, `what hast Thou done?'" First, notice that God is not just able to do His will, but actually does His will both among the angels (the "host of heaven") and with human beings ("the inhabitants of earth"). Thus, all of God's creatures are under His control. Second, notice that nothing can prevent God's will from being accomplished ("no one can ward off His hand"). Scripture knows nothing of God limiting his control so that humans can have ultimate self-determination. This verse (as well as all of the others we have seen) teaches the exact opposite--the will of God is always done. Third, Nebuchadnezzar found that God's sovereign majesty was good news. We should share his attitude: "Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride" (v. 37).
Romans 11:36 says, "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." This is another clear verse that God is controlling ("bringing about") all things according to His plan. John Reisinger explains this verse very well: "There are three different Greek prepositions in that verse. They show the truth of God's absolute and total sovereignty. The verse states that all things, without any exception are: 1. from (The Greek is ek and means `out of, or out from') God; 2. all things are through (The Greek is dia and means `by means of, or because of') God; and; 3. all things are to (The Greek is eis and means `into') God. In other words, all things have their source in God's decrees or purposes, and all things that happen do so only because God's power has brought them to pass, and finally, everything that God plans and then brings to pass will ultimately bring glory to him since they all move into him or unto him as their final end. Now that is the Biblical truth about our sovereign God. That is acknowledging that `God can do anything He wants to do, any time He wants to do it, any way He wants to do it, for any purpose He wants to accomplish.'
The next verse we will look at is Proverbs 21:1: "The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes." Jerry Bridges elaborates on this verse: "In Solomon's time the king had the most absolute of all wills...There was no legislature to pass laws he did not like or a Supreme Court to restrain his actions. The king's word was the last word. His authority over his realm was unconditional and unrestrained. Yet this Scripture teaches that God controls the king's heart. The stubborn will of the most powerful monarch on earth is directed by God as easily as the farmer directs the flow of water in his irrigation canals. The argument, then, is from the greater to the lesser--if God controls the king's heart surely he controls everyone else's." This becomes even more significant when we recognize that from the heart flow "the springs of life" (Proverbs 4:23). The deepest depths of every single individual and every decision they make are controlled by God.
Psalm 139:16 makes a very similar point: "In Thy book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them." This verse not only teaches that God has ordained how long you will live, but the Hebrew word translated "ordained" suggests a much stronger meaning. The meaning is that of being shaped, or formed. "David is affirming that God wrote the script of his life in the great book of God's intentions before the actual events began to unfold, indeed, before David was even born. And, mixing his metaphors, David also says that the days of his life were formed or shaped, suggesting the action of a potter shaping the clay. He means that his life, considered not only as a whole but also right down to his daily experience, was determined (what other word fits?) ahead of time."
Lamentations 3:37 asks rhetorically, "Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?" (NIV). The answer expected is, no one. There is nothing that comes to pass through human agency unless God has ordained it to happen. If you say to your friend, "Let's go to Burger King for supper," it will not happen unless God has ordained it to occur. If someone threatens to hurt you, take courage, for it cannot happen unless God has ordained it.
God's control over all things raises many questions for us. Perhaps the biggest one is in regards to evil. Does God ordain evil as part of His plan? In light of the verses we have examined above, the answer must be yes. If God controls all things, then it must be that evil is a part of His plan. There are also many specific Scriptures which make it clear that God controls evil.
Psalm 105:25, speaking of the Exodus, says of the Egyptians that God "turned their heart to hate His people, to deal craftily with His servants." After a time of unfaithfulness, Israel asked God, "Why, O Lord, dost Thou cause us to stray from Thy ways, and harden our heart from fearing Thee?" (Isaiah 63:17). In Revelation 17:17 it is said that the wicked kings who will wage war against Christ (which is sin) will ultimately be doing the purpose that God had put in their hearts: "For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purposes by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled." Lamentations 3:37-38 is a direct statement that God decrees not only good things, but also bad things: "Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth?" God says that He is "the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these" (Isaiah 45:7).
When all of Job's children were killed, he acknowledged the sovereign control of God behind the evil situation. Job did not say that "The Lord gave, and Satan took away." He said "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Some argue that God is not ultimately behind the bad circumstances in our lives, and therefore Job was wrong to attribute his calamity to God. However, the author of the book, who was inspired by God and therefore infallible, affirms Job's statement: "Through all his Job did not sin nor did he blame God" (v. 24). At the end of the book we once again see the author's agreement with Job. When describing Job's restoration, he says that Job's friends came and "consoled him and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought on him" (Job 42:11). The book of Job makes it clear, however, that God's control over evil does not deny the activity of Satan and the reality of wickedness in human hearts. Further, God never does evil and cannot be blamed for evil. However, God has not left the sources of evil to simply do as they please. He has them on a leash and they can only act if God specifically decides to allow it. Since the evil that Satan causes is only by the specific permission of God, then it is correct for Job to ultimately attribute his suffering to God's plan.
The evil spirit that tormented Saul was said to be "from the Lord" (1 Samuel 16:14). In punishment for David's sin, "The Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, so that it was very sick" (2 Samuel 12:15-18). If natural or man-made disaster occurs, it is ultimately because God had planned it, for Amos 3:6 asks rhetorically, "Does evil befall in a city, unless the Lord has done it?" Physical infirmity and disease are not outside of God's plan either: "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?" (Exodus 4:11). No person in this world was ever born blind that God had not planned for him to be blind; no person was ever deaf in this world that God had not planned for him to be deaf--If people do not believe that, then they have a strange God who has a universe which has gone out of gear and He cannot control it."
Perhaps the clearest example that God ordains sin is the crucifixion of Christ. It was sin for the Jews and Romans to crucify Christ, for He was the innocent Son of God. Yet, what Christian would deny that the crucifixion of Christ was brought about by God? Scripture is clear that "It was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer" (Isaiah 53:10). Acts 2:23 says that Jesus was "delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God" even though it was "by the hands of godless men" that He was put to death. The acts of Herod and Pontius Pilate, the Jews and Gentiles, in crucifying Christ were sin. Yet Scripture says that "Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel [did] whatever Thy hand and Thy plan predestined to take place" (Acts 4:28).
The sovereignty of God over evil raises many questions for us. First, how can a holy, good God allow/ordain sin? Very simply, God does not ordain sin for its own sake, but in order to bring about a greater good. For example, God did not will the crucifixion simply for the sake of bruising His Son, but because it was the means for bringing salvation to the world. Another example is the case of Joseph being sold into slavery. It was sin for Joseph's brothers to throw him in the well and then sell him into slavery. But many years later when Joseph finally encountered his brothers again, he said "And now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life...Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God" (Genesis 50:5, 8). Joseph being sold into Egypt was not simply allowed by God, but was actually brought about by God as part of His plan. This does not make God sadistic nor does it excuse Joseph's brothers of their sin. Why? Because God's intentions were for good, but Joseph's brother's intentions were for evil. "And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about his present result, to preserve many people alive" (Genesis 50:20). This is a necessary truth in order to properly understand God's Providence. When God ordains bad things to occur, it is not because He delights in suffering and evil in itself, but it is because He is working to bring about a greater good.
As Piper says "God has the capacity to look at any event through two lenses, a wide angle lens and a narrow angle lens. When God looks at an evil act through the narrow lens, He sees it for what it is in itself and abhors it. But when God steps back and looks at that event in the wide angle lens, He sees it in relation to all the events flowing up to it and flowing out from it. He sees it in relation to the good that He plans to bring out of it and its overall place in His wise plan. It is in this sense that He wants it to occur and thus decrees it".
Thus, God's control over all things is good news, not bad news, because God is good, loving, and just and is therefore working all things for the greatest good. God's Providence is not random, but is directing all things toward a goal--His greatest glory and His children's greatest good. Thus, God's Providence is something we can trust and rejoice in. It is good that we are not in control of history, for surely God knows better than we do!
The second question that God's sovereignty over sin raises is, does this take away human responsibility and put the blame on God for evil? The Bible is clear that the answer is no. God cannot be blamed for sin, and humans are responsible for the sins that they commit. God stands behind good and evil in different ways. God is behind good in such as way as all of the credit for it goes to Him. But He is behind evil in such a way that, though it is part of His sovereign plan, none of the blame for it is chargeable to Him. We do not need to understand how these truths can fit in our minds, but if we are going to believe the Bible must believe them both.
For example, God used the wicked Assyrian nation to carry out His judgments, yet judged them for sinning because their intentions were evil (see Isaiah 10). The case of Pharaoh is another example. In Exodus 7:2 God tells Moses to command Pharaoh to let Israel go. But God also says that He will harden Pharaoh's heart so that Pharaoh will not let the people go (v. 3). God, however, does not regard this as taking away Pharaoh's responsibility, because when Pharaoh refuses to let Israel go, God judges Egypt for this sin (vv. 14-25). Some say that Pharaoh hardened his heart first and that God only acted in response to this. But this view misunderstands the whole narrative of the Exodus. God says that He hardened Pharaoh's heart so "that I may multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 7:3), not because Pharaoh hardened his heart first. Further, God's promise to harden Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 4:21) comes long before we find Pharaoh hardening his own heart (which we read of first in 8:15).
In 1 Chronicles 21:1 we read that "Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel." The parallel passage in 2 Samuel 24:1, however, tells us that God incited David to take the census. David, however, is regarded as responsible for his sin, saying "I have sinned greatly in what I have done" (2 Samuel 24:10). His responsibility is further shown in that God judged him for this sin (24:15). "In this one incident the Bible gives us a remarkable insight into the three influences that contributed in different ways to one action: God, in order to bring about his purposes, worked through Satan to incite David to sin, but Scripture regards David as being responsible for that sin." If we are to remain faithful to the Bible, we must hold these two truths together: humans are responsible for their sins, yet every sin committed was allowed by God as part of His plan.
Atheists often argue against God's existence from the problem of evil. Their argument goes as follows: If God is all loving, He would have prevented evil from entering the universe; if God is all powerful, He could have prevented evil; evil exists, therefore there is no such God.On the contrary, I will argue as follows: If God is all loving, He would allow evil to enter the universe; If God is all powerful, He could allow evil without being guilty of evil Himself, and He could make evil work for the greatest good; therefore we have great reason to praise the God who exists!
There are two errors that must be avoided concerning the problem of evil. The first error would be to believe that God is the source of evil. This terrible error would blame God for evil and hold that evil was produced by God out of His own nature. The second error would be to believe that evil occurred apart from God's sovereign plan. This position would hold that evil entered the universe because God was helpless to prevent it, and thus it overthrew the purposes of God. The position the Scriptures seem to teach is that mankind is to be blamed for and is the source of evil, while nonetheless the entrance of evil into the universe was ordained by God as part of God's plan from the beginning. God could have prevented evil from entering into the universe had He desired to, but chose not to prevent it for wise and holy reasons.
Let's probe this issue a little further. God is not the author of evil because He created the universe good. In its original state, there was nothing evil or sinful in the universe. Evil first entered God's creation as a result of the disobedience of the angels who rebelled. Evil then entered the physical universe and human race as a result of mankind's sin in Adam. God is not the source of evil or sin; evil is a result of the disobedience of God's creatures. For these reasons, God cannot be blamed for the existence of evil--all responsibility for the presence of sin and evil in the human race falls upon mankind. All responsibility for the presence of evil in the spiritual realm falls upon the angels who rebelled.
But in order to have the full picture, we cannot stop here and conclude that God was powerless to prevent evil. Since God is sovereign and He "works out everything in conformity with the counsel of His will" (Ephesians 1:11), none of His purposes can be thwarted (Job 42:2). Therefore we must conclude that evil did not occur apart from the purpose and plan of God. The ultimate reason that evil occurred is because God planned it, not because His creatures are able to overthrow His plans. These two truths we must hold: man is responsible, yet God is absolutely sovereign and controls all things.
Last of all it is necessary to understand that evil is not permanent. It was defeated at the cross and will be quarantined in hell for eternity at the final judgment. Then God will create a new heavens and new earth where only righteousness and purity will dwell forever.
We are now in a position to ask the question, Why did God willingly choose to allow evil into the universe? How is this consistent with His love? Without claiming to exhaust the mystery here, I offer this answer: God allowed evil because the temporary presence of evil in the universe would result in the greatest glory to His name. And since God's glory is what most benefits His people, it is loving for God to seek His glory to the highest extent in all that He does. Therefore it is loving for God to allow the temporary presence of evil in the universe. Let's examine these points more closely.
The glory of God is the shining forth of the splendor and greatness and infinite value of His perfect character. When God glorifies Himself, He is not making Himself more glorious (that is impossible), but calling attention to and displaying His infinite greatness. How does evil seem to fit into God's plan to glorify Himself? Part of the answer seems to be this: many of God's attributes can be more clearly and brightly displayed to us if there is sin and therefore evil in the universe.
For example, God's mercy is His goodness and help shown to those who are in a miserable plight. But God could not show mercy if there was no sin and evil in the universe, because then there would be no one in a miserable plight to need mercy.
In addition, the greatness of God's mercy is highlighted by the fact that those whom God chooses for His saving mercy are saved out from the most awful and terrifying situation possible--being under the almighty wrath of God. How could God's mercy appear fully as his great mercy unless it was extended to people who were under his wrath and therefore could only ask for mercy? God's mercy is magnified by delivering us from under His wrath.
So we see that in the just punishment of sinners, God's mercy is fully highlighted to those whom He has saved. The punishment of sinners (which could not have happened if God had not allowed evil) is also an occasion for God to glorify Himself through the vindication of His justice, demonstration of His wrath, display of His power, and purity of His holiness which will not tolerate sin. This also works to reveal the riches of God's glory to the vessels of mercy: "What if God, in order to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory..." (Romans 9:22, 23, RSV. cf. Proverbs 16:4, "The Lord has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil").
The wrath of God is the righteous assertion of His holiness against sin. If we could not see that God is so holy that He hates sin and thus reacts against it with His wrath, we would not know as fully the purity and zeal of God's holiness. For only in contrast to sin (and thus His holiness reacting against this sin as wrath to vindicate His righteousness) is the purity of God's holiness most intensely highlighted. If there were no sin upon which God could pour His wrath eternally, He could not assert the full range of His holiness because He could not show that, in His holiness, He hates and despises all that is unholy.
God's judging of sin and reacting in wrath to punish it eternally in hell demonstrates the infinite value of His perfections. Why? Because the infinite penalty of attacking God's glory--eternal punishment in hell--reveals the infinite value of the glory that was attacked. Thus, hell is ultimately an eternal display of the infinite value of God's glory. While this certainly does not mean that God delights in the sinner's suffering in and of itself, He does delight in it in the sense that it is a vindication of His righteousness and display of His power. This is how Ezekiel 33:11 ("I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked") fits with Deuteronomy 28:63 (where God tells Israel that if they disobey He "will delight over you to make you perish and destroy you; and you shall be torn from the land where you are entering to possess it").
Having seen that God's decision to allow sin was for the purpose of fully displaying the greatness of His perfections to an extent that He could not otherwise have done, we are led to look at the next question in greater detail: Why must God display the full range of His character? This is because doing so most magnifies His worth. If God did not display, for example, His mercy, then He would not be fully magnifying His character because there would be some of His character that is not expressed. And if God did not magnify His character to the fullest possible extent, God would not be acting in perfect righteousness. Why is this? It is because God is the most precious, valuable being in the universe. Therefore, He must delight in and value Himself above anything else. From this it follows that if God did not seek to display His honor and perfections above all else, He would not be placing infinite worth on what is infinitely valuable. He would be putting something before Himself, which would mean putting something less valuable before the more valuable, which would be unrighteous.
In fully displaying His glory (which, we have seen, requires sin), God is being most loving. Why? First, if He did not do this, we would not know Him "fully, just as I also have been fully known" (1 Cor. 13). Put simply, we wouldn't know God as well if He did not display who He is to the fullest possible extent. And it seems that it would be most loving for God let us know as much of Himself as He can. Also, it is truly loving of God to seek His praise to the highest possible extent (which, as we have seen, would require the brilliance of His mercy highlighted by demonstrating His wrath). Why is this? In our lives, there is a pattern that we see: We tend to praise what we prize. Enjoyment of something overflows into praise. Go to a great movie sometime, and when you leave the theater, what are you usually talking with your friends about? How great the movie is! You are praising it. It also seems as if our enjoyment of something is not complete unless we are able to praise it. If your friends said, "Be quiet, I don't want to hear about it," your enjoyment of the movie would not be complete. So praise is necessary for full, complete enjoyment. If God did not seek His praise from us then our enjoyment of Him would not be made full -- it would be incomplete since it wouldn't overflow into praise. The way for God to win the most praise from us is to fully display His character. So if God wants us to fully enjoy Him and prize Him, He must seek His own praise through us so that our enjoyment of Him will overflow into praise and complete our joy.
John Piper summarizes these truths well: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." So even in our enjoyment (and resulting praise) God is glorified. Thus, God seeking our good and God seeking His praise are really one and the same pursuit, since our good/joy yields praise to His name.
Further, in order for us to truly value God's great mercy and gift of eternal life, it is good for Him to highlight the unconditional freedom He has in bestowing mercy. His unconditional freedom makes it absolutely clear that He owes mercy to no one. If everyone got saved, He could not show His unconditional freedom in showing mercy and it might seem as if we were entitled to salvation. If you think you are entitled to something, it is hard to see it as a free, undeserved gift. And it is hard to be grateful and thankful for it if you think it is owed to you. God's freedom in mercy rebukes our sense of entitlement and thus evokes gratitude.
Exodus 33 declares the sovereign freedom of God in showing mercy. In this chapter, Moses asks to see God's glory. God says (among other things) that He will show His glory and that "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." This is a Hebrew expression called idem per idem which stresses the absolute freedom of the agent in doing the action--He can do it however He wants, constrained by nothing outside of himself. Thus, God is saying that one aspect of His glory is absolute freedom to grant mercy constrained by no reason that is outside of His own will. He will give mercy in whatever way He wants. Then God says that He will pass by Moses and proclaim His "name." To the Hebrews, one's name was who they were. It was your very identity. When God proclaimed His name, He said that He was "abounding in lovingkindness and mercy." So one aspect of God's character, His glory, is that He is merciful. But this also draws us back to 33:19--where it says that God is absolutely free in His bestowal of this mercy. Thus, it is God's glory and essence to be absolutely free in His giving us mercy by not being constrained by anything outside of His own will. His will alone determines who gets mercy, and therefore His mercy is unconditional.
If God gave mercy to all, it seems that He would not be displaying that His essence is to be absolutely free in giving mercy. And as we've said, God's freedom in giving mercy rebukes our entitlement and evokes gratitude, thus causing us to value heaven as a true gift of grace. Lastly, as we saw earlier, in order for there to be mercy, there must be people in a miserable plight to need it, which requires sin.
Thus, we have seen how God's love and goodness would cause Him to allow evil into the universe, for in due time this will lead to truly the best of all possible worlds where God's attributes are most displayed, God is most glorified, and eternity is truly valued. Perhaps some may be troubled by the fact that even evil, in the long range, results in glory to God. It may be troubling to think that such a terrible thing as evil was permitted by God for His glory. But look at the other option--that evil ultimately worked to defeat the glory of God. Wouldn't evil truly have the upper hand if God was unable to overrule it for His greatest glory and His people's greatest good?
