The Intellectual Dilemma of Evil and the Goodness of God

The Ancient Question

The problem of evil has challenged thinkers for centuries. How can a good and all-powerful God coexist with a world so full of suffering and sin?

Three hundred years before Christ, Epicurus framed the dilemma this way:

Either God wants to prevent evil but cannot (then He is weak),
or He can prevent it but does not want to (then He is not good),
or He neither wants nor can (then He is neither benevolent nor omnipotent),
or He both wants and can (then why does evil exist?).

This ancient question still echoes through every tragedy, every injustice, every heartbreak we face. Evil is a universal reality — it permeates every level of human experience, from birth to death.

The Reality of Evil

Evil is not a philosophical abstraction; it is a painful fact of life. It touches families, societies, and nations. The world is scarred by greed, war, cruelty, and moral corruption. Even the earth groans under the weight of sin (Romans 8:22).

And yet, Scripture reminds us that even amid chaos, God reigns supreme:

“And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will… and none can stay His hand.” — Daniel 4:35

If God is truly in control, how can evil persist under His rule?

Understanding God’s Will

To make sense of this tension, theologians often speak of the two wills of God — His will of edict (what He decrees to happen) and His will of desire (what pleases Him most).

God does not delight in suffering. He does not rejoice in sin. Yet, in His sovereignty, He allows and even uses evil to accomplish His greater purposes.

For instance, it was God’s will that His Son die on the cross (Acts 2:23). Yet that act — the greatest evil ever committed — became the greatest good ever accomplished: the redemption of humanity.

God’s ultimate goal is a world free from sin and sorrow — heaven. But until that final restoration, He works through the brokenness of creation to bring about His perfect plan.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” — Romans 8:28

The Logical Perspective

We can restate the logical situation this way:

God is perfectly good (omnibenevolent).
God is infinitely powerful (omnipotent).
Evil exists.

At first glance, these seem incompatible. But in reality, they are not. If God is all-powerful and all-good, then evil must serve a greater purpose within His plan — one that we may not yet fully understand.

Just as a surgeon causes pain to remove disease, God allows suffering to bring healing, growth, and salvation. We don’t accuse a doctor of cruelty for operating; neither should we accuse God of injustice for allowing what He alone can transform.

Biblical Examples of God’s Redemptive Purpose

One of the clearest illustrations of this truth is found in the story of Joseph. Betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and imprisoned unjustly, Joseph could have cursed God. Instead, he saw the divine hand behind it all:

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good — to save many people alive.” — Genesis 50:20

What his brothers intended for harm, God used to preserve nations.

The same principle applies throughout Scripture:

Job’s suffering revealed God’s sovereignty and deepened his faith.
Paul’s thorn in the flesh kept him humble and dependent on grace (2 Corinthians 12:7–9).
Christ’s crucifixion opened the way to eternal life.

Every instance of evil that God allows, He also redeems for good.

The Christian Response

From a biblical perspective, the “logical problem of evil” dissolves once we understand that God’s wisdom and purpose transcend human understanding (Isaiah 55:8–9).

Rather than seeing evil as evidence against God, the believer sees it as a stage upon which God’s goodness is magnified.

We may not always know why He allows specific suffering, but we can trust who He is: holy, loving, and faithful.

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” — Romans 8:37

Through Christ, even pain has meaning. Even loss becomes a tool in God’s hands. Even evil bows to His redemptive will.

✝️ Final Reflection

The existence of evil does not negate the existence of a good God.
It proves instead that a redeeming God is at work in a fallen world — turning darkness into light, sorrow into strength, and death into life.

In the end, good triumphs, because God is both good and sovereign.
And that truth gives the believer hope — even in the valley of shadows.