The Obedient Heart by John Paul Jackson

     God, who is light, created in us a dwelling place for Himself.  When we no longer welcome Him, the Light goes and only darkness remains.  Many (most) have questioned why evil exists throughout history.  John Paul Jackson does an admirable job of explaining it, I think, so I thought you might be interested to read this article, too.

The Obedient Heart

by John Paul Jackson

Did God create evil?

If God is thoroughly good and there is no “bad” in Him, why did He create the angel Lucifer, who later became Satan? Some people look at this equation of good versus evil and conclude Satan must not actually exist, because an all-perfect, completely good God could not have created evil. Have you ever considered this before? What was your conclusion?

My conclusion is that evil was not created. It is the darkest form of the absence of God. Just as darkness is the absence of light, sin (evil) is the absence of God.

If evil were a created substance, like a rock or a plant, then yes—I couldn’t imagine there being a devil because God could not create evil. But evil is not created; it is the absence of God.

If we refuse to do what God wants, evil begins to show its face in our lives. This is a case of simple cause and effect. The closer we are to God, the more we look like Him. The further we are from God, the less we look like Him and the more at home we are with darkness.

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