The existence of evil has often been cited as a challenge to belief in a loving God. Yet, from an evangelical Christian perspective, evil’s reality serves as evidence of God’s profound love and ultimate redemptive purposes. By exploring free will, moral law, the redemptive power of the cross, and divine justice, we see how God transforms evil into a means of revealing His character and purposes.

Evil as the Byproduct of Free Will

The Bible teaches that God created humans in His image, granting them the ability to make moral choices (Gen. 1:27; Deut. 30:19). Love and goodness, by nature, require freedom; without the capacity to choose, love would be meaningless. As C.S. Lewis explains, “If a thing is free to be good, it’s also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.”¹

Free will not only explains the existence of moral evil but also the effects of natural evil. According to Romans 8:20-21, the fall subjected creation to futility, meaning the disorder we see in the natural world stems from humanity’s rebellion. Thus, the existence of evil is a byproduct of God’s love and His decision to give humans the dignity of freedom.

Evil as Evidence of Objective Morality

The concept of evil itself presupposes an objective moral law, and such a law requires a divine moral lawgiver. If God did not exist, moral outrage against suffering or injustice would lack grounding. As William Lane Craig states, “If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist. Evil is not evidence against God but evidence for Him because evil presupposes good, and good requires a standard.”²

Even secular philosophers have affirmed this connection. Atheist J.L. Mackie, despite arguing against theism, acknowledged the logical difficulty of grounding objective morality in a godless universe. He wrote, “Moral properties constitute so odd a cluster of qualities and relations that they are most unlikely to have arisen in the ordinary course of events without an all-powerful God to create them.”³ J.P. Moreland adds, “If there is no God, then the moral motions that cry out within us when we see evil are just illusions, the accidental result of evolutionary processes. But if there is a God, these cries are legitimate, pointing to His character and His plan to deal with evil.”⁴

Evil is not a challenge to God’s existence but a reflection of His moral nature, written on the hearts of all people (Rom. 2:14-15). It serves as a divine call to seek justice, which only God can ultimately fulfill.

Evil and the Cross

The greatest demonstration of God’s love in the face of evil is the cross of Christ. Rather than standing aloof from human suffering, God entered into it. Jesus, the “man of sorrows” (Isa. 53:3), bore the weight of humanity’s sin and suffering, defeating evil through His sacrifice. The apostle Peter reminds us that “He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness” (1 Pet. 2:24).

This act is not merely an answer to evil but its ultimate defeat. Through the resurrection, God reveals that suffering and death do not have the final word. As Romans 8:28 assures, “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” Evil, though painful, becomes a means by which God demonstrates His power to redeem and transform.

Evil and Divine Justice

The persistence of evil reflects God’s patience, not His absence. Second Peter 3:9 explains that God “is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Rather than eradicating evil immediately, He allows time for repentance, demonstrating His love for humanity.

Scripture also assures that justice will ultimately prevail. Revelation 21:4 promises a day when God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” God’s justice will not merely erase evil but vindicate the righteous, demonstrating His holiness and mercy.

The existence of evil, far from disproving a loving God, underscores His purposes in creating a world where love, moral responsibility, and redemption are possible. By granting free will, God allowed for the possibility of evil, but He also provided the ultimate answer through the cross of Christ. The recognition of evil points to an objective moral law grounded in God’s nature, while His promise of justice assures us that evil will not have the final word. As C.S. Lewis observed, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”⁵

Evil is not the absence of God but a canvas upon which His love, mercy, and justice are revealed.

¹ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 2001), 52.

² William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), 172.

³ J.L. Mackie, The Miracle of Theism: Arguments for and Against the Existence of God (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1982), 115.

⁴ J.P. Moreland, The God Question (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2015), 84.

⁵ C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (New York: HarperOne, 2001), 91.