Is God Omnibenevolent?
In a conversation, God not being omnibenevolent came into question. I was asked how can he be omnibenevolent when he allows evil. I explained that in our limited knowledge, we cannot see the end of everything, and have to have faith that all evil will end with good. I cited Joseph being sold into slavery as an example. Am I correct that he is omnibenevolent, and is there any particular Scripture that says it directly without question?
Your question illustrates the challenge we humans have in understanding our immense God. We are very grateful that, beyond revealing himself through creation and our conscience, God has made himself known in his holy word. And yet that fuller revelation of himself in the Bible still leaves us with questions.
Is God all-powerful? Yes. Is God all-knowing? Yes. Did God know that Satan and other angels would rebel against him, and that Adam and Eve would disobey his command? Yes. Could God have prevented both those “falls”? Yes. Why did God allow sin and evil to enter his perfect creation? That last question leads me to turn to 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 him?’ For from him and through him and to 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 completely.
What we do know with certainty is that God met evil head-on at Calvary. The cross of Christ shows us God’s power over sin and his compassionate love for a world lost in sin. At the cross of Christ God’s justice and love intersect.
You ask if God desires good for every person. Most certainly. God does not want “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
As you indicated in your reference to Joseph, God can take evil and turn it into good. Christians can say with the apostle Paul: “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” (Romans 8:28).
The online essay file of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary has many, many good papers written about the Bible and the Christian faith. One that I could recommend with your question in mind is The Hidden God. While it was written almost 100 years ago, it still has relevance. That’s because it relays truths from a timeless Bible. God’s blessings as you continue to speak to others about Scripture!