If God Is Good… Why Does He Allow Evil?
Part 1: The Origin of Evil and the Mystery of God’s Permission
The Question That Haunts Every Tragedy
You hear about a brutal act of injustice. A war. A child is exploited. A family shattered. Or perhaps it hits closer to home – something unthinkable happened, and your heart silently cries:
“Where was God?”
“Why did He let this happen?”
“If God is good… why is there so much evil?”
These are not the questions of atheists alone – they are also the cries of wounded believers, struggling to reconcile what they see and experience, with what they believe.
And it’s not a modern dilemma. Jesus addressed it directly through a simple but stunning parable — one that may hold the key to a question as old as human suffering itself.
A Parable That Tells the Truth
“Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?” (Matthew 13:27)
In the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43), Jesus describes a man who sows GOOD seed in his field. But while everyone is sleeping, an enemy secretly sows TARES (weeds that mimic wheat).
As the plants grow, the servants are disturbed. They ask the obvious question:
“You sowed good seed — why are there weeds?”
The master replies:
“An enemy has done this.” (v.28)
This single phrase turns everything on its head…
Evil Exists, But It Did Not Originate with God
Jesus, the Sower, is perfect. He sows only what is good (v.37). The field is the world. The good seed represents the sons of the Kingdom. The tares are the sons of the wicked one. And the enemy who sowed them? “THE DEVIL.” (v.39)
Here is the first truth we must cling to:
God is not the author of evil. He did not plant it. He did not cause it. He did not initiate it.
What This Teaches About God — and Evil
God Only Sows What Is Good
One of the most essential truths this parable reveals is that evil was never part of God’s original design. Everything God created was good — as Genesis 1:31 affirms. Evil did not emerge from His hand, but from a distortion of what He had made. The introduction of sin, rebellion, and brokenness into the world came through Satan’s deception and humanity’s misuse of the freedom God gave. God’s character remains entirely pure and trustworthy. As 1 John 1:5 declares: “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”
God Is Not the Source of Confusion, Violence, or Sin
In grappling with the presence of evil, we mustn’t confuse God’s sovereignty with His being morally responsible for wickedness. Though God permits evil within the framework of His larger redemptive plan, He is never the one committing or endorsing evil acts. James 1:13 makes this unmistakably clear: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” God’s holy nature excludes Him from being the source of sin, evil, or confusion.
God Allows Evil for a Time — But Not Forever
In Jesus’ parable, the master does not allow his servants to remove the tares from the field immediately. His reasoning is simple but profound: removing the weeds too soon could damage the wheat. Likewise, God’s choice to delay judgment (and the fixing of all that is wrong and evil) is not because He is careless or weak – it is an expression of His patience, wisdom, and mercy. He sees what we cannot, and His timing takes into account what is needed to preserve and protect those who are His. And it allows for what are counted as tares to become wheat as well… before the Day of Judgment. As 2 Peter 3:9 reminds us: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise… but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
The Bible’s Unified Witness on God’s Goodness
This message is not isolated to one parable – it is echoed throughout all of Scripture. The prophet Habakkuk declared that God is “of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness” (Habakkuk 1:13). Paul wrote in Romans 8:28 that “all things work together for good to those who love God,” affirming that even in the presence of evil, God is working toward a redemptive end. And Deuteronomy 32:4 sums up God’s character beautifully: “A God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” God does not ignore evil. He does not condone it. But we must remember — He is not finished yet…
A World Awaiting the Harvest
Jesus ends the parable of the wheat and the tares with a solemn but hope-filled truth. He says: “The harvest is the end of the age… then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:39, 43). This is a promise: there will be a reckoning! Every evil deed will be exposed, every injustice addressed, and every tear accounted for. But until then, the wheat and the tares — good and evil — continue to grow side by side. And we, as believers, must learn to live in that tension with eyes fixed on the coming “harvest.”
PRAYER: Lord, I Trust Your Character
Father, when I see evil in the world — and even in my own life — help me remember that You are not the source of it. You only give and do what is good. Teach me to trust You and Your pure intentions, even when I can’t see the fullness of it yet. Strengthen my faith in You while I wait for Your ultimate justice. And keep me anchored in the truth of Your Word, that You are holy, perfect, just, and full of mercy. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Coming UP Next (Part 2):
“If God didn’t cause evil… why doesn’t He stop it?”
In the following article, we’ll face one of the most heartbreaking questions of all:
“Why didn’t God intervene when tragedy struck?”
“When God sees it coming… and He could have stopped it… why does He stay silent?”
