36. How Does Evil Reveal the Greatness of God?
How Does Evil Reveal the Greatness of God?
When we cannot trace God’s hand, we must simply trust his heart.
CHARLES SPURGEON
You’ve probably heard the statement, “If God is good, why is there evil?” But here is a twist: “Can evil demonstrate something beautiful about the greatness of God?”
It can. While many can picture a nirvana free from the stain of sin, few can digest a good, loving God who has allowed our world to be permeated with evil. While a world tarnished by sin exposes our depravity, with God it provides a greater opportunity for certain attributes of His to be revealed that otherwise would have remained concealed. For example, because we live in a fallen world, we are able to experience God in a way that would be impossible had the Fall never occurred.
As evil as the Fall was, it has afforded us the opportunity to experience God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and unconditional love. Those attributes of God are highlighted against our sin. Without sin, what need is there for grace, mercy, and forgiveness? If sin had never entered the world, how would we really know that we are loved unconditionally? Perhaps we were loved because of our perfections. But God’s love is deeper, richer, and more stunning as it is highlighted against the backdrop of our depravity.
The greatness of God was revealed most splendidly at the cross where Jesus Christ looked into the evil face of our sin and demonstrated through His death that we are loved unconditionally by a gracious, merciful, and forgiving God we call Yahweh.
Thought to Ponder
God is so good that even when evil enters the picture, hidden aspects of His greatness crystalize before thinking minds.
Memory Verse
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens (Psalm 8:1).
Question to Consider
How can thinking about these aspects of God now revealed in our fallen world help you appreciate God’s greatness?
One-Minute Apologist Video
Bobby Conway, “How Can Evil Reveal God’s Greatness?”