First, let's address two related issues: fatalism and dualism. Neither is a biblical concept.

Fatalism is the view that everything in history is scripted and happens regardless of human efforts to determine their own lives. I often hear people say, "Well, I guess it was meant to be." When Christians say this they are often influenced by a misunderstanding of predestination, the doctrine which teaches that God has chosen and will safely guide those under His grace to the safe-haven of eternal life in “a new heaven and earth” (2 Peter 2). Fatalism however is an ancient Greek philosophical concept, not a biblical one. Humans have a free will and our choices affect history, both for good and evil.

Dualism is the view that good and evil exist as equal, but polar opposites, balancing (as in Eastern religions) or opposing (as in Western philosophy) each other. The question is whether God/good will win in the end. Dualism is also rooted in Greek philosophy rather than a Biblical worldview. Dualism leads to hopelessness, whereas in the cross and resurrection of Jesus evil is given it's fatal blow and death is defeated. In the resurrection, God has proven he is greater than Satan, and his Kingdom of righteousness will overcome Satan's kingdom of injustice and evil.

How then do we understand evil?

Most importantly Jesus makes it clear that evil is not God's will, and that evil exists in spite of and in opposition to God's will. Implicit in Jesus' prayer "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," is the truth that God's will is not being done on earth and that God wants His will to be done on earth.

Sources of Evil: How can evil and suffering exist against God's will? There are at least three sources:

1.      Suffering may come as a consequence of our own behaviour or decision: If I overspend or overeat or lie to my spouse I bring suffering upon myself. Rather than blame God or society, we can learn from our experience and make the positive changes needed with the help of Christ.

2.      By extension suffering sometimes comes as a consequence of the behaviour or decision of others: If someone else is hateful, violent and greedy the ripple effect of their sin impacts us, the environment or the lives of those not yet born. It is the result of living in a fallen world. Genesis 3 tells us that all of Creation is under a curse because of humanity’s rebellion against God, and will continue to be so until the return of Christ brings in his reign over all, and the establishment of the promised New Heaven and New Earth (2 Peter 3).

3.      Suffering may come from God: While God forgives freely in Christ, God may allow us to experience the consequence of our sin for a season in order to prompt us to repent and seek the forgiveness we need. Jeremiah reveals God’s heart: "He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men." (Lamentations 3:33).

      Nor is God unjust in this. God does not in fact 'owe' us forgiveness, as Jeremiah recognizes in Lamentations 3:42: "We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven." Forgiveness is not “owed” us but rather a gift based on Christ's merit, not our own. God may allow us this painful experience in order to call us back to the One against whom we have rebelled.

4.      Suffering may come from the evil one: We are not the only ones who have rebelled against God. We follow the one the Bible calls Lucifer or Satan ("the accuser") in passages such as Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19; I Peter 5:8-9; Revelation 12:4-9. Satan seeks to turn God's paradise into a prisoner of war camp.

Why is evil allowed to continue until Christ’s return (Matthew 25)? Here is my understanding:

a)      The delay in Christ’s return is to give opportunity to those in sin's grip to repent. The consequences of evil are so destructive that God wants no one to experience them fully, but gives time to turn and accept his grace in Christ. (2 Peter 3:8-9)

b)      The delay is to avoid destroying those who choose evil. After the flood God promised He would never again destroy humanity in confronting evil (Genesis 9: 9-17). Rather, God chose the way of redemption to rescue us from the evil of this age in Christ (Galatians 1:4).

c)      Some have even suggested that because sin entered the world and into the very nature of humanity through the first man and woman with whom God entered into relationship, Adam and Eve, for God to destroy Satan, He would also have had to destroy the humanity who had received Satan's deception, the humanity He loved.

The Gospel is God's Solution to the Problem of Evil

The Problem of Evil does not overcome the Gospel, rather the Gospel is God's solution to the Problem of Evil. The work of of the Gospel and those following Christ in confronting and overcoming evil can be seen in:

• Christ's healing ministry and authority over demonic forces (Matthew 8-9)

• the overcoming of evil in Christ's self-sacrifice on the cross (Matthew 27)

• the death of death in the resurrection of Christ (Matthew 28)

• the forgiveness of sin and the new birth in Christ (John 4)

• the social outcomes of the Gospel despite opposition more...