7.5 Love and Evil?
Love and Freedom—The Divine Risk and the Overcoming of Evil
The relationship between love and free will is a central theme in understanding God and the problem of evil. God is love (1 John 4:8) – but love can only exist if there is freedom. Without freedom, love would be meaningless and the universe would be a lifeless place without genuine relationships.
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Why Is Free Will Necessary for Love?
God could have prevented or immediately destroyed evil from the beginning. Yet that would have meant that true love and trust would have been destroyed.
💡 Key Principles:
✔ Love cannot be forced or programmed – it must be voluntary.
✔ Freedom brings with it the risk of abuse, but also the possibility of genuine relationships.
✔ God does not rule by coercion, but through love and truth.
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Why Does God Allow Evil for a Time?
The question remains: Why does God not immediately intervene when He hates evil so much?
📖 Quote from “The Life of Jesus” (SDL 14):
“But this could not be accomplished by force. The use of force is in clear contrast to the principles of God’s rule, for in His kingdom, service is only motivated by love.”
👉 God demonstrates His justice not through power, but through love.
If He were to destroy evil immediately, doubts about His character might arise.
• All of creation must come to see that God’s ways are good and just.
• Evil is not overcome by coercion, but by revealing itself.
🔎 What This Means for Us:
✔ Evil exists because freedom exists – but it will not last forever.
✔ God allows evil for a time because His goal is not control but restoration.
✔ The history of the universe will eventually show that God’s ways are the best.
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What Does This Mean for Our Faith?
💭 One might ask: Would we want God to abolish our free will? The answer is probably no, because without freedom, our lives would be empty and without genuine love.
💡 Our trust in God grows when we understand that:
✔ God has everything under control – even if it is not immediately visible.
✔ Our freedom is valuable because it allows us to experience genuine love.
✔ Evil will not endure forever – God’s plan will ultimately prevail.
✨ Conclusion:
Love is the highest good – and therefore there is freedom, even though it brings the risk of evil. Yet in the end, God’s plan will fully reveal justice, truth, and love.
Read Romans 8:18 and Revelation 21:3–4. How can these verses give us the confidence to trust in God’s goodness despite all the evil in our world?
Evil in the world often causes us to doubt. Why does God allow suffering? Why do injustice and pain seem so overwhelming? Yet the Bible gives us a clear answer: the present suffering is not the end – God has a much greater plan.
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Our Present Sufferings Are Not the Final Word (Romans 8:18)
“For I am convinced that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)
💡 What Does This Mean?
✔ Our suffering is real but temporary.
✔ The coming glory will be unimaginably greater than our current pain.
✔ God sees the whole picture – we see only a small part.
👉 Practical Application:
When we go through difficult times, we can remember: the best is yet to come.
• Suffering is not meaningless, but will one day be overshadowed by God’s glory.
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God’s Ultimate Promise – A Life Without Suffering (Revelation 21:3–4)
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3–4)
💡 Why Is This So Powerful?
✔ God will ultimately defeat evil – it will not last forever.
✔ Every tear, every sorrow, and every injustice will vanish.
✔ Not only will we be free from suffering, but we will live in direct communion with God.
👉 Practical Application:
Our hope is not only that evil will cease, but that we will be in eternal joy and peace with God.
• This promise gives us comfort in the present and hope for the future.
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The Love of God – He Granted Us Freedom Despite His Own Suffering
💔 Jesus knew that our freedom would lead Him to the cross – and yet He did not withhold it from us.
Love is only genuine when it is free. Jesus could have created us without free will, but then our relationship with Him would be meaningless.
• He chose the path of suffering so that we might have the choice to love Him and spend eternity with Him.
• The cross shows that God is not distant from suffering – He Himself bore the greatest suffering to save us.
👉 Why Is This Important?
✔ Because it shows how precious we are in God’s eyes.
✔ Because it demonstrates that love always involves sacrifice – and Jesus was willing to make that sacrifice.
✔ Because in times of suffering, we can know that our God understands pain and will not leave us alone.
Conclusion: Why Can We Trust in God’s Goodness Despite Evil?
1️⃣ Our suffering is not the end – God’s glory is coming.
2️⃣ God will ultimately defeat evil – every tear will be wiped away.
3️⃣ Jesus Himself suffered to give us freedom and eternal life.
💡 This promise gives us strength even in dark times:
👉 Evil is only temporary – God’s love and His future for us are eternal.
How can the fact that God grants us free will prevent us from thinking that everything that happens is God’s will?
Some people believe that everything that happens is God’s will – but the Bible shows us that this is not so. God created us with free will, and that free will means that not everything that happens in the world is directly willed or caused by God.
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Free Will Means Genuine Responsibility
God has given humanity the ability to make our own decisions – for both good and evil.
✔ Genesis 2:16–17 – Adam and Eve had the choice to obey or disobey God.
✔ Deuteronomy 30:19 – “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life…”
✔ Joshua 24:15 – “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”
💡 Not every decision is God’s will – often, it is the result of human choice.
👉 Practical Application:
When people do evil, it is not God’s fault – it is the consequence of free will.
• God does not force us to do good; He invites us to choose Him willingly.
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God Allows, But Does Not Cause Everything
There are things that God permits because He respects our free will – but that does not mean that He wills or endorses them.
📖 Matthew 23:37:
Jesus wept over Jerusalem because the people rejected Him—even though He wanted to save them.
👉 This shows: God’s will is for good, but people choose otherwise.
📖 Ezekiel 33:11:
“I do not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.”
👉 God does not want people to perish – but they have the choice.
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Distinguishing Between God’s Sovereign Will and the Consequences of Freedom
God’s will is expressed in two aspects:
1️⃣ His sovereign will – the things He has determined (e.g., redemption through Jesus).
2️⃣ His permitted will – the things He allows because people have free choice.
💡 Not everything that happens is God’s will – but nothing escapes His control.
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Why Is This Understanding Important?
❌ If we think that everything is God’s will:
We might passively accept injustice (“It was simply God’s plan.”)
• We would not hold people accountable for their actions.
• We might associate evil with God – even though He hates it.
✅ If we understand that not everything is God’s will:
• We see that we share responsibility for our lives.
• We recognize that God fights against evil, not causes it.
• We have the hope that God will one day put an end to evil (Revelation 21:4).
Conclusion: Free Will Protects Us from a Fatalistic Faith
1️⃣ Not everything that happens is God’s will – it is often the result of human decisions.
2️⃣ God permits evil, but He does not cause it.
3️⃣ Our responsibility is to use our free will for good and choose God’s ways.
💡 Free will means that our decisions matter – and that God’s will is not always manifested in what people do, but in what He offers us: life, love, and grace.
The relationship between love, free will, and evil is not only a theological question – it affects our daily lives and our faith in very practical ways. How do we deal with suffering? Why are we struck by injustice? Why does God not immediately intervene? These questions accompany us throughout our daily lives.
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Free Will Means Genuine Responsibility in Our Lives
Every day we make decisions – some small, others with profound consequences. God does not force us to do good; He gives us the freedom to choose.
💡 Practical Application:
✔ Our words and actions have impacts – we are responsible for what we do.
✔ Choosing to do good is not always easy, but it demonstrates our love for God and for others.
✔ Wrong decisions are not God’s fault; they are the result of our free will – yet He offers forgiveness and a new beginning.
👉 Daily Question:
How do I use my free will? Do I make conscious decisions for good?
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Why Does God Allow Evil? – Our Perspective in Times of Crisis
Sometimes we ask: Why does God not immediately prevent suffering? Yet the Bible teaches us that God has a larger plan, even if we cannot see it.
📖 Romans 8:18:
“For I am convinced that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
💡 What Does This Mean for Our Faith?
✔ Our sufferings are real, but they are not the end – God’s glory is coming.
✔ Evil will not endure forever – Revelation 21:4 promises a future without pain or sorrow.
✔ God has everything under control, even if it is not visible to us.
👉 Practical Application:
In times of suffering, we may hold on to God’s promises: the best is yet to come.
• Our faith grows when we understand that God’s timetable is greater than our current understanding.
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Why Is Love Meaningless Without Freedom? – Relationships in Daily Life
God could have forced us to love Him – but then our relationship with Him would not be genuine. This also applies to our interpersonal relationships.
💡 Practical Application:
✔ True love is shown through freedom, trust, and mutual respect.
✔ Parents can educate their children, but they cannot force them to love or believe – that must be a free choice.
✔ Relationships flourish when we are there for one another out of love rather than obligation.
👉 Daily Question:
Do I allow others the freedom to make their own choices, just as God does?
What Does This Mean for Our Faith? – Hope and Trust in God’s Plan
There are many questions we still cannot answer—but God has shown us enough to trust Him.
✔ We have the choice to follow Him or not – but He does not force us.
✔ We can choose to hold fast to God’s love despite suffering and pain.
✔ We know that evil does not have the final word – God will turn everything to good.
💡 Conclusion:
Every day is a new opportunity to use our free will for good.
• Suffering is real, but it is not the end – God’s plan will prevail.
• True love exists only in freedom – God invites us to trust Him voluntarily.
🙌 Our lives are a daily decision for or against God – and in that decision, genuine love is revealed.
True love can only exist in freedom – God invites us to choose Him freely and to trust Him, even when we do not understand everything.
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