Monday, April 14, 2008

Grudem and the Problem of Evil

I am reading through Grudem's chapter on God's providence. He has much to discuss on the problem of evil. His chapter is definitely worth your time. This one paragraph says the obvious problem for those who deny God's sovereign providence over evil.

We should notice that the alternatives to saying that God uses evil for His purposes, but that He never does evil and is not to be blamed for it, are not desirable ones. If we were to say that God Himself does evil, we would have to conclude that He is not a good and righteous God, and therefore that He is not really God at all. On the other hand, if we maintain that God does not use evil to fulfill His purposes, then we would have to admit that there is evil in the universe that God did not intend, is not under His control, and might not fulfill His purposes. This would make it very difficult for us to affirm that "all things" work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). If evil came into the world in spite of the fact that God did not intend it and did not want it to be there, then what guarantee do we have that there will not be more and more evil that He does not intend and that He does not want? And what guarantee do we have that He will be able to use it for His purposes, or even that He can triumph over it? Surely this is an undesirable alternative position.

His chapter on providence is a full chapter that deals extensively with the various aspects of God's control over His creation. Enjoy!

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