By Mike Kemper
Director of Missions, Lawrence County Assoc. of Baptists
Many are asking why things are as they are in America and in the world today. Why is there evil? Why does God allow evil, pain, and suffering? Here are my thoughts.
God did create everything. Nothing was made that was not made by God. And, God saw that it was all good!
God created man in His own image. Thus, man got much of His qualities, His character, and His nature. Of course there are many who would reject that analogy, but it is what it is! Different from all the rest of His creation, man received a “will,” the ability to make choices.
Man is not programmed like a robot, but man can/does make choices. How can we know that we have chosen the “best” if there are not less than the “best” choices to be made? The choices available range from “the best” to “the worst.”
I believe God allowed evil, pain, suffering, and bad choices to exist, in order that we might experience, feel, and know what is the “best!” We see people daily, making the best choices. And every day, we see others making the worst choices. Like it or not there must be “opposites.” The opposite of love is hate. The opposite of good is evil. The opposite of kindness is selfishness. The best can only be understood/experienced, because there are opposites.
We can/do choose! Choose “the best,” choose “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness…!” Still, many continue to choose “less than the best” and in my opinion this is why things are as messed up as they are.
“And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve … but for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
