I must gently point out that the act of overcoming evil is also an act of experiencing it.
The question still remains: Why does a good and sovereign God allow evil?
I'll bring back Epicurus's dilemma:
“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him 'God'?”
The traditional Christian's answer to Epicurus and his modern children is that God has a greater Good in mind that requires Him to tolerate Evil in this world, in this age, for a while. And the Christian lives in hope, trusting that God will eventually clean up the mess.
I agree, and think that Epicurus' thesis a devilishly devised attack on the character of God... And that's the issue at stake here. Theodicy is a fascinating subject, and I love meditating upon it, and have a clear enough understanding of the issue in my mind, but
often always fall short of expressing that in plain words that give the topic the reverence and honor and respect it deserves. But I love trying. So ...
In the beginning of the controversy, we are told of Lucifer's rebellion in heaven. In symbols and type we are informed that the rebellion was a desire to receive the worship that belongs to God alone. It was a desire to take the throne. To run the government. (I think we are all mature enough thinkers and Christians here to know the scriptures that point to this). We are also informed that 1/3 of the angels were deceived into following Lucifer and taking his side. Obviously, this could not have been an armed insurrection. It was a war certainly, but much more like a political campaign. A war of words and ideas, just like any political campaign here where am aspiring leader denigrates the current administration, suggesting the old ideas of love and service are insufficient to rule beings who know already what they need, and don't need to be ruled out overruled by anyone. (A quick perusal of the antinomian threads will reveal that concept repeated ad nauseum). So the only way to promote such a campaign, which could not have taken overnight, but a long time, was to demean God's character. God is love. Lucifer, aka Satan, therefore had to persuade the angels that God is not love, but selfish. This was his argument against Eve. "There's a tree you're not allowed to eat? Seriously? Wow, obviously God is holding back something that's for your good. I know! He doesn't want competition! He knows you also can be as God, having knowledge of everything... Etc etc etc".
This slander.. This traffic...KJV Ezekiel 28:5-6, 16
5 By thy great wisdom and by thy
traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:
6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God....
16 By the multitude of thy
merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Traffic, merchandise,
7404 הלָּכֻרְ rëkullah
rek-ool-law’
pass part of
07402; n f; [BDB-940a]
{See TWOT on 2165 @@ "2165a"}
AV-merchandise 2, traffick 2; 4
1) merchandise, traffic, trade
share the same root...
7400 ליכִרָ rakiyl
raw-keel’
from
07402 a scandal-monger (as travelling about); n m; [BDB-940b]
{See TWOT on 2165 @@ "2165b"}
AV-slander 2, talebearer 2, talebearer +
01980 1, carry tales 1; 6
1) slander, slanderer, tale bearer, informer
So of course God could have put down the rebellion in an instant. One flick of His divine thumb and Satan would cease to exist. But what of the ideas that Satan made so public? That God is a tyrant, and didn't have the best interests of His creation at heart? Those ideas would not only have persisted in the minds of the angels, even the loyal ones, but would have been confirmed. Satan was clever enough to know this. That he would have to be given the opportunity to prove his ideas, right or wrong. And that is what the last 6000 years have been all about. The earth was a proving ground for Satan's philosophy. Could he run the earth better than God? Was he right about God's character and was his ways of governing an improvement? Only time and opportunity would tell. By the end of man's probation... The completion of the 6000 years since creation... The vindication of God's character... The vindication of God's style of government... And the vindication of His laws and statutes, would be complete. Satan's own character of course was revealed at the same time as God's... At Calvary. But as can be seen outside our front doors, not everyone is convinced. Not even in the church. But when Jesus comes in the glory of the angels, His own glory, and the glory of the Father, then, and only then, will every knee bow and every tongue confess, that Jesus is Lord and is worthy of our worship, adoration, and right to rule. So. That's my take on theodicy. Why there's evil. Why Satan was permitted to live. Why God has given His creation the free will to choose whom they will serve.
Now. I
know you'll have questions lol.
