September 11th and the Problem of Evil

1. Evil exists today due to choice and the Bible teaches that all men have the choice between right and wrong.

1) Perhaps the most famous choice in the scriptures is found in Joshua 24:15. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

2) In order for man to have free-will, he must be able to choose between right and wrong.

3) If there is no choice, then he is no different than a computer program.

4) Who is held responsible when a computer program goes awry? The programmer.

5) If we were not free, then God would be responsible for evil.

6) The atheists asks why God could not have created a world in which mankind could exist with no evil–we answer because man would not be man if he had no free-will.

2. Choices entail consequences.

1) In the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned, there were consequences. God said, “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

2) A theoretical choice is no choice at all.

3) Choice occurs in the realm of the practical.

4) Imagine a situation where a friend who had the means seriously gave you a choice between a new mansion or $1,000.000. During the course of your decision he made you sign legal documents and notify your decision. Then at the end the process, told you he was merely pulling your leg. We all would recognize that this would be no choice at all.

5) In order to choose, not only must one have the ability to choose, but the real opportunity as well.

6) If one has the opportunity to choose, then one can truly choose and expect consequences as a result of that choice.

7) Again the atheist asks why could God not create mankind in such an environment where he would always choose good. We answer because in order to choose good there must be the real opportunity to choose evil as well.

3. The consequence of a bad choice is sin and that is the only and REAL evil.

1) David brought down a whole slew of consequences when he chose to commit adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11).

2) What if there were no consequences? What if God miraculously stopped all consequences from happening?

3) First this would throw things into a bit of confusion. Can you imagine being confronted with the fact that when you fired a gun at someone, the bullet would stop in mid air? All of a sudden, the evidence that you just did something wrong is striking.

4) Choices made under such circumstances are not really choices when the outcome is going to be obvious. Even our laws recognize that confession of a crime under duress is inadmissible in a court of law because the individual could have been so persuaded as to confess to something he did not do.

5) Moreover, how could anyone be held responsible for their ultimate choice if the consequences did not occur? Again our laws recognize that there is a difference between murder and attempted murder and that the choice of one is not equal in punishment to the choice of another.

6) Consequences must be allowed to happen if there is going to be free choice and as a result of consequences comes real evil.

7) The atheist asks why could not mankind be allowed to choose evil but the consequences of evil just be stopped? Again we answer because in order for a choice to be a choice it must be made in an environment that is free from mitigating influence.

1. Atheists will say that because there is evil in the world that therefore God does not exist.

1) They say that the fact of evil in the world involves a contradiction with the concept of God.

2) Their argument is as follows: If God is all-good, then he opposes evil. If God is all-powerful, then he can stop evil. If God is all knowing, then He knows when evil is going to happen. So a combination of these three things, claims the atheist, should lead us to the conclusion that since God doesn’t stop evil when He is able, means that God does not exist.

3) Does this prove that God does not exist?

2. To the contrary, the atheist’s argument against the existence of God actually proves the existence of God.

3. If there is evil in the world, then how can we judge it to be evil? Only by the existence of objective good! Paul would say it like this, “for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).

4. Real objective evil implies the contrary–that God exists!

5. If there is no God, there is no evil. (Jean-Paul Sartre quotation). “If there is no God, then anything goes.”

6. The atheist simply has failed to prove His case–to show that there is a logical incompatibility with the concept of God and the concept of evil.

1. Again, if there is no God, there is no evil.

2. The act on September 11th, 2001 would simply be another human event devoid of moral value.

3. The actions on the part of the firefighters, policemen, and the people on the flight from Pittsburgh would contain no moral value.

4. Their act would be no different than that of the terrorist–just another non-moral choice.

5. But there is a God.

1) This is the same God that says, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

2) This is the same God that says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13).

3) This is the same God that says, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8).

4) This is the same God that says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” (Romans 12:19).

6. The same God that praises the heroes condemns the villains.

7. And one day He will justly judge all mankind.

8. ” Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” (Romans 11:22)