Did God create evil?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible teaches that God is good all the time, including when He created the world. Evil is not a created “thing,” but is rebellion against God and the absence of good. An evil creature, whether it’s Satan, a demon, a man, or woman, is evil because of his or her willful rebellion against God. That said, because God is sovereign, God ordained that His creatures would have volition, with the ability to choose good or evil, and knew they would rebel. He did not cause our rebellion; each of us made decisions based upon free will. It is difficult for us to put those two ideas together. However, we need to remember two things: 1) the character of God is perfectly and invariably good, and 2) He is transcendent and entirely distinct and separate from creatures. Being good, He does not cause us to sin, and being transcendent, His decisions do not make Him morally culpable. Ultimately, the Bible says that we are morally culpable for our sin and that God is completely free from the charge of responsibility. Because His ways are higher than ours, we may not understand how that works, but we can trust Him!

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Everything God created was good—seven times Genesis 1 says that God looked at what He created and saw that it was good (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, and 31). Genesis 1 ends with the statement, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). God did not create anything evil. It was all “very good.”
• Genesis 3 details our rebellion against God. When tempted by Satan to sin, Eve and Adam ate from a tree that God had strictly forbidden (Genesis 3:1–7). We tend to think of “evil” as a created thing, but evil is simply rebellion. It is rebellious thoughts, words, and deeds done by creatures. The result was that God cursed men and women so that we have great difficulty in this life, must work hard to survive, and then die (Genesis 3:16–17).
• The reason the earth was cursed, and not just men and women, is because God created us to rule over creation (Genesis 1:26, 28). When we were cursed, the domain we ruled over was also cursed. It is because the earth is cursed that we have earthquakes, famines and so forth. The result of our rebellion was the entry of both moral and natural evil into our world.
• The fact that God is perfectly good is stated throughout the Old Testament (Exodus 34:6; Deuteronomy 32:4; 1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 100:5; Nahum 1:7). Everything God does is just and righteous.
• David said, “For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with You” (Psalm 5:4). God hates evil and wrongdoers (Psalm 5:6), which is only possible because God, Himself, is perfectly righteous.
• Evil came into existence with Satan and the angels that rebelled. Ezekiel 28:12–17 and Isaiah 14:12–15 are often used to understand this rebellion. While these passages do not directly refer to Satan, theologians believe that the descriptions also allude to Satan. Though Satan was created perfect, He rebelled against God. He asserted, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). As a result, he was cast out of heaven along with other angels (now demons) who joined him in his fall.
• Yes, God is sovereign and allows evil, but He remains perfectly distinct from it because He is transcendent—far above and entirely separate from His creation (Isaiah 55:8–9; Psalm 103:9; 1 Kings 8:27; Exodus 15:11; Psalm 8:1).
• While God allows and even claims responsibility for calamity (ra’a), He remains separate from moral evil (Isaiah 45:7; Amos 3:6; Lamentations 3:38). Throughout Scripture, including Job’s story (Job 1:8–2:10; 13:3; 38:3; 42:6), we see that God allows suffering to reveal His glory and grow us into Christlikeness, even if His reasons remain hidden to us. Ultimately, God's allowance of evil serves to magnify His mercy, grace, and justice to His creation (Isaiah 47:3,11; Job 1:1; Romans 9:22–23).
• God would not be perfectly good if He allowed evil to exist forever, but this will not happen. In Isaiah 13:11 God said, “I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.” He also said, “behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; and the day that is coming shall set them ablaze” (Malachi 4:1). So, God’s allowance of evil is to show His glory and is only temporary. He will bring all evil men, women, demons, and even Satan into ultimate judgement. We, not God, are responsible for evil and therefore we, not God, will be held accountable for it.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Romans 11:33 reminds us that God’s wisdom and ways are beyond our understanding, so we must approach questions about evil with humility. Though we can’t fully grasp how evil fits with God’s holiness and sovereignty, we trust His character and believe His truth holds everything together.
• God is not morally responsible for evil. The book of James opens with talking about suffering (1:2–4). Then James says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone” (James 1:13). In context, James is talking about temptations to sin because of trials and suffering—things that come from God to help mature Christians (James 1:2–4). James clarifies that God does not tempt anyone to sin.
• Rather, humanity is responsible for their sin: “each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust” (James 1:14). We sin because we desire (“lust”) something that is sinful.
• Our desires lead to sin, which leads to death (James 1:15; Romans 6:23a). We, not God, are the ones who sin and we, not God, are the ones who die because of our sin.
• In contrast to we who are evil, 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 the time…even when He sends us trials and suffering! (c.f., Romans 8:28–30).
• Paul explains why evil exists in the world: “through one man sin came into the world, 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. Part of that curse was a corrupted nature which means that everyone sins (c.f., Romans 3:19–18). Because everyone sins, no one is righteous. Unrighteousness is evil. Evil, then, was not created by God but came through Adam’s sin and continues today because we are all corrupted and constantly sinning.
• Revelation 20:11–15 shows that each person is judged according to their own deeds, proving that we—not God—are accountable for our sin. Every sin is recorded and will be brought to light, emphasizing our personal responsibility before God's throne.
• Romans 8:19–22 teaches that creation was subjected to futility because of human sin, not by its own choice, and now suffers along with us under corruption. So while God allows natural evil, it also ultimately stems from our rebellion, which brought ruin to all creation we were meant to rule.
• 2 Peter 3:4–9 teaches that God is not complicit with evil but is patiently delaying judgment to give people time to repent. Though some mock His apparent slowness, Scripture reminds us that just as He judged the world through the flood, He will judge it again—this time with fire.
• God does not ignore sin but punishes all of it—either through Christ’s sacrificial death for those who believe (1 Peter 2:4) or through eternal judgment for those who reject Him (John 3:36b). As Romans 3:25–26 explains, God remains both just and the justifier, ensuring that no sin goes unpunished.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Scripture boldly declares that God is sovereign—even over evil—but never accuses Him of wrongdoing. The blame for sin lies squarely with us, as we choose rebellion through our own corrupted desires. When we question God's justice or accuse Him of evil, we cross a dangerous line, elevating our limited understanding above His infinite wisdom; and Scripture warns that even this accusation is a sin for which we are accountable. Instead of pridefully demanding answers, we are called to respond with humility—recognizing that God's ways are higher than ours and worshiping Him simply for who He is.

Yet this truth is not just sobering—it is urgent. Because we are fully responsible for our sin, judgment is certain and eternal. But in love, God sent Jesus to bear the wrath we deserve and offer mercy to all who repent and believe. Even in allowing evil for a time, God reveals the riches of His character—mercy, grace, patience, and love poured out on us. So let us not blame Him but stand in awe of His justice and rejoice in the compassion He has shown through Christ.

UNDERSTAND

• God did not create evil—everything He made was very good, and Heis fully good.
• Evil is the result of willful rebellion by created beings.
• God is sovereign but separate from evil.

REFLECT

• When have you been tempted to question God's goodness because of the evil or suffering around you?
• How does knowing that evil is rebellion, not something God created, change the way you take responsibility for your own sin?
• How can you trust God's sovereignty without blaming Him for what is wrong in the world?

ENGAGE

• How can we explain to others that God is both sovereign and not the author of evil?
• Why is it important to distinguish between God's allowance of evil and His moral character?
• What does God’s patience with evil tell us about His justice and mercy—and how should we respond as His people?