Friday: Further Thought – The Problem of Evil
Daily Lesson for Friday 14th of February 2025
Read Ellen G. White, “Why Was Sin Permitted?” Pages 33–43, in Patriarchs and Prophets.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“Even when he was cast out of heaven, Infinite Wisdom did not destroy Satan. Since only the service of love can be acceptable to God, the allegiance of His creatures must rest upon a conviction of His justice and benevolence. The inhabitants of heaven and of the worlds, being unprepared to comprehend the nature or consequences of sin, could not then have seen the justice of God in the destruction of Satan. Had he been immediately blotted out of existence, some would have served God from fear rather than from love. The influence of the deceiver would not have been fully destroyed, nor would the spirit of rebellion have been utterly eradicated. For the good of the entire universe through ceaseless ages, he must more fully develop his principles, that his charges against the divine government might be seen in their true light by all created beings, and that the justice and mercy of God and the immutability of His law might be forever placed beyond all question.
“Satan’s rebellion was to be a lesson to the universe through all coming ages—a perpetual testimony to the nature of sin and its terrible results. The working out of Satan’s rule, its effects upon both men and angels, would show what must be the fruit of setting aside the divine authority. It would testify that with the existence of God’s government is bound up the well-being of all the creatures He has made. Thus the history of this terrible experiment of rebellion was to be a perpetual safeguard to all holy beings, to prevent them from being deceived as to the nature of transgression, to save them from committing sin, and suffering its penalty.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, Pages 42, 43.
Discussion Questions
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This is a bit of a side-kick in this week’s study but I think it is important to understand the “free-choice” idea carefully. First, an illustration:
When I was a teenager in New Zealand the people population was about 2.5 million while the sheep population was about 60 million. Nowadays the people population has grown to about 5 million while the sheep population has shrunk to around 25 million. Needless to say, in New Zealand you are never far away from sheep and sheep farms. One consequence of this is that sheep dog trials are pretty popular, and they were even prime-time viewing on TV. For non-New Zealanders, a sheep dog trial is like watching paint dry. The aim is not to drive the sheep through the various sets at break-neck speed, so you do not see the dogs racing around yapping and snapping at the heels of the sheep. Rather, the trick is to convince the sheep that they are making their own free choice to go through the gate, or climb the ramp, or whatever. So, you see the quiet hand signals or soft whistles of the handlers and the slow creeping back and forth of the highly intelligent sheep dogs. And almost imperceptibly, a sheep makes a move towards the gate and the others follow suit by their choice to stick together.
The sheep may be convinced that they made their own free choice to go through the gate. They made their own decision not to step over the dog Those of us looking on know that the sheep have been carefully manipulated by a man and dog team into doing what they wanted them to do.
Free choice is a fundamental part of our explanation of evil, pain and suffering. Yet Evil in its own way is manipulating us into thinking we are exercising free will when in fact we are being craftily decived. Read the Genesis account of the Fall. It is classical sheep handling by a skilful operator.
Make no mistake: Satan knows us pretty well – He can make us believe we are exercising free choice while carefully manipulating us.
Thank you, Maurice, for this down-to-earth illustration. (Not being a New Zealander, I would love to see sheep dog trial, after reading your description. 😊)
To complete your illustration, we need to add that God does not deceive us, but draws us to Himself by telling us the truth about Himself.
By contrast, Satan uses deception to tell lies about God and making us believe that those lies are the truth about God.
This discussion touches on one of the most profound and challenging questions of faith: the problem of evil. How can a just and loving God allow suffering? Theodicy does not attempt to justify evil itself but rather to show that God remains righteous despite the existence of evil.
Like Job, many of us have faced situations that seem impossible to reconcile with the idea of a just and loving God. Losing loved ones, witnessing injustice, or experiencing personal pain can lead to doubts and questions. Even Job, a righteous man, questioned God and struggled to understand his suffering. However, in Job 42:3, he humbly admits, “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” This suggests that human understanding is limited—there are divine realities beyond our grasp.
The book of Job shows that God is not on trial—Satan is the accuser (Job 1:9-11, Rev. 12:10). The great controversy is about whether God is truly just and loving. The suffering of the innocent does not mean God is unjust but rather that we live in a world marred by sin and free will. In the end, God will make all things right (Rev. 21:4).
While it may seem impossible to understand suffering now, Job’s story teaches us that trust in God is not based on complete understanding but on faith in His character. God answered Job not with explanations but by revealing His greatness and sovereignty (Job 38–41).
Have you ever had a moment when you, like Job, felt overwhelmed by suffering but later realized that God was still in control?
The existence of evil has perplexed greater minds than mine. Yet in the shallowness and simplicity of my vocabulary I have attempted to make some sense of the chaos, suffering, and confusion that the presence of evil has brought to everyone who has ever lived.
In my mind, to be able to satisfactorily explain the existence of evil is in some way to excuse it's existence.
The Bible speaks of two great mysteries, the mystery of godliness, (1 Tim 3:16); as well as the mystery of iniquity mentioned in 2 Thess.2:7. These two great mysteries are only fully understood by God Himself.
"In eternity we shall learn that which, had we received the enlightenment that it was possible to obtain here, would have opened our understanding. The themes of redemption will employ the hearts and minds and tongues of the redeemed through the everlasting ages. They will understand the truths which Christ longed to open to His disciples, but which they did not have faith to grasp. Forever and forever new views of the perfection and glory of Christ will appear. Through endless ages the faithful Householder will bring forth from His treasures things new and old." (My Life Today, 360.)
"If it were possible for us to attain to a full understanding of God and His truth, there would be for us no further discovery of truth, no greater knowledge, no further development.... Thank God, it is not so. Since God is infinite, and in Him are all the treasures of wisdom, we may to all eternity be ever searching, ever learning, yet never exhaust the riches of His wisdom, His goodness, or His power."
(The Signs of the Times, April 25, 1906.)
In eternity shall we be better equipped to ponder these great mysteries. To be able to fully explain the mystery of iniquiry would be to make excuse for it. I suppose that there is no legitimate excuse for it. This is all part of the saga of the "Great Controversy," in which all of creation is embroiled. The only question left unanswered is which side will we cast our lot with?
"Only the service of love can be acceptable to God"! What a phrase. Love must be at the center of all motivations - it is a difficult task to be conscious of 100% of the time.
From a Christian perspective, Romans 8:28 ("And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose") highlights God's redemptive work in all circumstances, even the most tragic and unjust.
Slavery in America was an immense moral evil that caused untold suffering, dehumanization, and generational trauma. It stood in direct opposition to biblical principles of justice, dignity, and love for one's neighbor. The only possible good that could come from such a horrific institution is the demonstration of human resilience by the grace of God and the power of God's redemption to bring transformation even through tragedy.
While this outcome is worth acknowledging, it does not minimize the grievous injustice of slavery. From a Christian perspective, the true good comes from God's ability to redeem human sin, and His ultimate justice will prevail. Like Job, I still don't understand why God allowed such a thing to happen, and for so long.
This week's Sabbath School topic was The Problem of Evil. But is it really a "problem"?
We've all heard the classic answers:
1. Our understanding is limited.
2. Evil won’t last forever.
3. Free will makes love possible—but also allows for evil.
4. God can bring good and growth out of evil.
Since we seemingly have the answers, is it really a problem?