Did God create sin?

from the old testament

• God created everything good (Genesis 1), and nothing He made was sinful; sin entered later through rebellion.
• Adam and Eve disobeyed God in Genesis 3, bringing sin and curse upon themselves and the world they were meant to rule (Genesis 1:26, 28).
• Scripture repeatedly affirms God's perfect goodness and justice (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 5:4–6).
• Satan and his demons were created good but later fell through pride and rebellion (Ezekiel 28; Isaiah 14).
• God, in His sovereignty, allowed the fall of Satan, demons, and humanity, yet He Himself remains sinless and transcendent above creation (Isaiah 55:8–9; Exodus 15:11).
• Scripture sometimes attributes calamity (ra’a) to God (Lamentations 3:38; Isaiah 45:7; Amos 3:6), though never in a way that makes Him guilty of sin—either the cause of evil or the action of it.
• Job's story shows that God allows moral and natural evil for His purposes, even when humans don't understand why (Job 1–2; 38–42). Job acknowledged God's sovereignty but sinned by demanding an explanation; God's response was to assert His transcendence and wisdom. He cannot sin.
• Sin will not last forever; God promises to judge all evil decisively (Isaiah 13:11; Malachi 4:1). We are responsible for sin, and we will be held accountable—not God.

from the new testament

• Sin is anything that goes against God's perfect order and instructions. Therefore, our first rebellion was sin. Because of that sin, all subsequent generations of humans were born sinful (Romans 5:12). That is, we are, by nature, rebellious and sinful. So, sin is not a created thing, but simply a word for “rebellion.” Our rebellious thoughts, words, feelings, and deeds are all sin.
• Romans 11:33 tells us that we don’t even know where to start searching for God’s thoughts. That is, His wisdom, thoughts, and intentions are above what humanity can comprehend. Therefore, humility is our starting point when asking about God’s relationship to evil. Though we may not fully understand the existence of sin and a perfectly holy and sovereign God, we must trust what He says, rely on the truths of His character, and know that while we cannot put all the pieces together, they must all go together somehow!
• James 1:14 tells us that we are not tempted or caused to sin by God but by our own lusts. We sin because we desire (“lust”) something that is sinful. “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:15).
• Unlike us, God is perfect and everything He gives us is good and perfect (James 1:16–17). He does not “shift” or have “variation.” To have variation would mean that sometimes God would be less good or less perfect than at other times. But God does not change—He is a perpetual stream of perfect goodness all of the time…even when He sends us trials and suffering! (c.f., Romans 8:28–30).
• Paul repeats why sin exists in the world: “ Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). When Adam sinned, God cursed men and women. That curse was a corrupted nature. That corruption means that everyone sins (c.f., Romans 3:19–18). Because everyone sins, no one is righteous.
• Every sin is accounted to us, meaning we are responsible for each one (Revelation 20:11–15).
• God does not overlook sin but punishes every sin—either through the wrath borne by Jesus for those who trust in Him (1 Peter 2:24; Romans 3:25–26) or through final judgment for those who reject Him (John 3:36; Revelation 20:11-15). In this way, God remains both just and the justifier, fully righteous while graciously offering forgiveness through Christ (Romans 3:26; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

implications for today

God did not create sin; rather, sin entered the world through the willful rebellion of His created beings—both angels and humans. This means sin is not a force beyond our control but a personal choice for which we are responsible. When we sin, we cannot blame God, who is perfectly good and just, but must acknowledge that our own desires and decisions lead us away from His perfect will. Recognizing this personal responsibility calls us to honest self-reflection and humility before a holy God.

Despite the seriousness of sin and its consequences—separation from God and judgment—God’s provision for salvation offers hope. Through Jesus Christ’s perfect life, sacrificial death, and resurrection, God made a way for us to be forgiven and reconciled to Him. When we repent and trust in Jesus, our sins are covered by His righteousness, and God no longer holds them against us. This gift of grace is both a comfort and a motivation to live in obedience, honoring the incredible love and mercy God has shown us.

Living with the awareness that God is both just and merciful leads us to humility and gratitude. We acknowledge that we are fallen creatures in need of God’s grace and that His goodness extends far beyond what we deserve. We can confess our sins honestly to God, knowing that He will fully forgive us when we repent and turn to Him. We can choose to live for Him instead of sin, reflecting His character to a world that desperately needs Him. In this way, we live not as victims of sin but as grateful recipients of God’s redeeming love, empowered to walk in the newness of life.