A powerful God and evil

God does have “the total power of the world.” He is all-powerful (Genesis 1-2; 17:1; 1 Chronicles 29:12; Psalm 65:6). God could have created a world in which sin could never have existed. He chose not to do that, and he does not offer explanation in the Bible on his actions (nor does he need to). “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him” (Psalm 115:3).

When I am confronted by mysteries like this, I think of Romans 11:33-36: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”

“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

You and I do not know what is in God’s mind unless he tells us. What he does tell us is that, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). We really aren’t to be surprised if we can’t understand God and his ways completely.

What we do know with certainty is that God met evil head-on in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus defeated Satan by overcoming all his temptations and by rising from the dead after offering his life as a sacrifice for sin. What we also know with certainty is that God will one day remove evil completely from the lives of his followers (Revelation 20-22).

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20)