The Doctor Is In

evil

How Does God Use Evil?

Although it might sound strange, God has been using evil to accomplish His purposes for a long, long time. In fact, we can even go back to the book of Genesis, the very first book of the Bible and find an example of God using something evil to bring about His plans.

For example, there is the example of a man named Joseph that's found beginning in Genesis 37:17. This passage of Scripture tells the story of how Joseph's brothers threw him down into a well and then left him for dead. In this case, the actions of Joseph's brothers were evil because the good that they should have shown Joseph (such as love, compassion and protection) wasn't there.

Fortunately, the story doesn't end at that point. If you continue reading Joseph's story, you'll find that his brothers later changed their minds and sold him to a group of traveling merchants. These merchants then sold Joseph to a captain in the Egyptian government. God later arranged for Joseph himself to become a high-ranking government official though a course of events that were related to what his brothers had originally done. This later enabled Joseph to provide for his family during a severe famine and caused him to say, "…God turned into good what you meant for evil, for he brought me to this high position I have today so that I could save the lives of many people" (Genesis 50:20).

Of course, the ultimate example of God using evil to accomplish His purposes is found in Jesus' death on the cross. Jesus' death was completely unjustified, thoroughly unfair and totally lacking in any good that should have existed. Yet God used Jesus' death to make a way for people to get right with Him, for as we're told in Acts 4:12, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (NIV).

So we can see from these examples that God sometimes uses evil to accomplish a greater good, However, you might be surprised to learn that people today often do much the same thing. Believe it or not, people often follow God's lead in using evil for a greater purpose.

Take the example of a police officer who is responsible for controlling various types of crime. Sometimes the police will see an illegal act taking place but will choose not to make an arrest right away. Why? Well, sometimes the police will allow a low-level criminal to continue for a short time so that person will eventually help lead them to bigger, more important criminals. In this case, a small amount of evil is allowed in order to prevent a larger evil and accomplish a greater good.

Firefighters sometimes take a similar approach to help contain dangerous wildfires. In certain situations, firefighters will actually sometimes start controlled fires in order to help contain larger wildfires. Now starting a fire in an area where there is already a wildfire burning would normally seem like an evil thing for the Fire Department to do. However in this case (as we saw earlier), a small evil is permitted in order to prevent a larger evil and also accomplish a greater good.

So if we as human beings sometimes use evil to prevent evil and accomplish a greater good, we shouldn't find fault with God if He does so too.

Evil In The Real World

Now, all this might sound fine as a discussion topic but what happens when something tragically evil happens in your world? What happens when there is a horrible accident, a sudden death or a fatal diagnosis? What do you say to someone who has lost a loved one to something evil? What do you say when someone asks, "Why? Why did God let this happen??" Perhaps you've even asked that question yourself.

People are often told that God loves them and that He has a wonderful plan for their life but we somehow never imagine that God's plan could also include some painful, hurtful things that are not easy to explain. When evil things happen that we can't understand or explain, simplistic answers can sometimes cause more harm than good. So let's try to make some observations that can help us make as much sense as we can from these things.

Perhaps the first, best thing you can do for someone who is suffering and asks "why?" is to simply "be there" for him or her. Usually it's best to speak very little and just simply be with that person, console them and let them express their feelings. Remember, Romans 12:15 tells us, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (NIV) and Galatians 6:2 says, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (NIV). The word "burden" here refers to a difficulty, a trial or something that causes a heavy weight. So the idea is not to let the person who is struggling with the question of "why" struggle on alone- help carry that burden with them by being there for them.

And what is this "Law of Christ" that Galatians 6:2 talks about? Well, it's found in John 13:34-35:

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (NIV).

Outward displays of affection can sometimes be phony but helping to bear someone else's burden never is.

Proverbs 3:5 also tells us, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding..." (NIV). Notice that God doesn't forbid us from trying to make sense of things that we don't understand. But neither does He promise to give a complete understanding of all the things that don't make sense to us. No matter what the situation, our response should always be to trust God even if the circumstances seem to say otherwise.

Now at this point, perhaps it would be good to look the lives at some important Biblical characters and try to gain a little insight from the seemingly unexplainable things that God allowed in their lives. For instance, here are a few examples of some Biblical characters that really had to "tough it out"...

Joseph: Besides being thrown down a well and left for dead, Joseph was also put in prison for a crime he didn't commit (Genesis 39:20) and forgotten for more than 2 years (40:23, 41:1).

Job: Suffered almost complete loss of his money, family, personal possessions and health for no outward reason at all

Isaiah: Tradition says that Isaiah was cut in two for his dedication to God and His Word

John the Baptist: John had his head chopped off for telling a king that it was wrong for him to have sex with his sister-in-law (see Mark 6:17-29)

Peter: Peter is said to have been crucified upside down during the persecution of Christians under the Roman emperor Nero

Stephen: Stephen was stoned to death for preaching about Jesus (Acts 7:55-58)

Paul: Paul was shipwrecked, whipped, thrown into prison multiple times and then beheaded according to church tradition.

Now all of these guys were good, solid, dedicated people of God. Yet they all suffered some tremendously evil things. Of course, the ultimate example of senseless suffering is found in the evil experienced by Jesus Himself. Anyone living in Jesus' day might have reacted to His crucifixion by saying, "Why is God letting this man suffer so horribly? What possible reason could God have for allowing this to continue??" But those of us living today have the advantage of knowing exactly why those things had to happen as they did.

This provides a very important message for us: valid reasons for suffering always exist, even if we don't always understand them. We don't always know what God's purpose for evil is but just because we don't know what the plan is, doesn't mean that God doesn't have one. It's not always possible to say why bad things happen to people but one thing is for sure: there is a God who has your best interests in mind at all times even when you don't always understand why things happen the way they do. Never lose sight of the fact that God does have a plan that He is working out in your life. If you've been a victim of something evil, remember that it's important to be patient and let God work His plan through.

Finally, don't forget God's promise to you in Hebrews 10:35:

"So do not cast away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded."

The Doctor is not a real doctor but he plays one on the Internet. E-Mail prescriptions are also available on an individual basis.

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