The Greek word apologia means "to give a reasoned defense for what you believe to be true." It is used 19 times in the new Testament. 1 Peter 3:15 (Amplified) is one such instance.

"But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense (apologia) to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully"

We, as followers of Christ, are mandated to defend our faith in every area. This section is dedicated to answering the questions of many as to the authenticity of our faith as Christians. Though it will not give detailed answers, it will attempt to convey some core truths about Christianity.

Why does God allow Evil?

God is sovereign. This simply means that He is in total control of all things and nothing in the universe is outside of His authority and influence. The Word of God tells us He is above and before all things. He is the beginning and the end. (Rev 21:6). He created all things and holds all things together and there was nothing made that was not made by Him and through Him and for Him (Col 1:16). There is no limit to His knowledge; He knows all things past, present and future. (Romans 11:33). He can do all things; there is nothing too hard for Him and nothing is impossible to Him (Jer 32:17). He is in control of all things and sets up and rules over all earthly and heavenly creatures; kings, nature, angels and demons. Even the devil has to ask permission before he can act. (Psalm 103:19). He is the ultimate source of power and authority over everything and can do anything He desires in this universe. Nothing happens without Him being the one to orchestrate and perform it, or allowing it. So for evil to exist, God has to allow it.

God allows evil, but Himself did not create evil, cannot do evil, does not cause others to do evil, and does not entice anyone into evil: "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted, neither tempteth he any man..." (Jas 1:13-14). The Bible, through which God chose to communicate the truth of His sovereignty to us, is also the source through which He reveals His very character to us. From His character revealed we know that although He is sovereign, there are three things God cannot do; He cannot change; He cannot allow sinners into Heaven; and He cannot sin. The Bible records the unchangeable nature of God in (Malachi 3:6), “For I am the LORD, I change not” and the fact that He cannot allow sinners into Heaven. This is clear from Genesis to Revelation. Sin separated man from God and sin will keep man outside of Heaven’s gate “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” (Rev 22:15) The Bible also records that God is a Holy, pure, and righteous God and as such cannot sin. (Psalm 99:5, 1 John 3:7, 1 John 3:3, Titus 1:2). It speaks of God as being love with the following characteristics or fruits of the Spirit: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, long-suffering (patience) and self-control. He is the Truth, perfectly just, and full of grace and mercy. Thus, the fact that He is sovereign and can do anything, does not mean that He does. God acts sovereignly, but only in perfect love, grace, mercy, kindness, justice and truth. His sovereignty is always exercised in perfect harmony with all of His other attributes.

From the previous article titled “What is Original sin”, we have established that God has not created evil, but has created the possibility of evil. The same way God created light, and not darkness. Darkness is not a thing by itself, but simply the absence of light. Cold is not a thing by itself, but simply the absence of heat. A hole in the ground is not a thing by itself, but simply the lack of dirt or whatever substance is usually in that particular part of the ground. With good comes the possibility of evil. Evil then is simply the absence of God’s pure truth and good in a person, place, or thing - the absence of God in a person’s desire, motive, thought, deed; the absence of God in a place or thing. With free will came the possibility of wrong choices. Adam, the first man made the wrong choice in believing the twisting of God’s truth (lie) that Satan brought and disobeying God. We who were in Adam in seed form, sinned along with him. It is recorded that because of this first sin, the entire human race fell and indeed the entire creation. Suffering, destruction, and death resulted for man, and the deterioration of the universe began. Man using his God given free will has continued to choose to do evil (sin) to this day with great consequences to each other and the world.

Why does God allow this? Normal Geisler writes that it is because God is working to preserve human freedom and at the same time stamp out evil altogether. It is a process for if God were to wipe out all evil today, we would all be destroyed along with it since all have sinned. Evil is allowed for a period of time on earth and final judgment delayed so that all can have the opportunity to choose to receive Salvation from sins. It is God’s great mercy. Those who have already chosen to stand on the Lord’s side have been given the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome all evil. Those who have not yet chosen are given time and grace in which to do so before final judgment. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”(Matthew 24:13-15) Human freedom is preserved in that man is free to choose. When God has determined that the set time has been allowed for man to repent of their sins and all have been given the opportunity to repent and receive Salvation, those who do will be permanently sealed for all of eternity. Those who choose evil will be separated from God and His children forever and then God will destroy all evil forever. Free will would be preserved and a perfect world without sin will then result.

This is one of the best explanations I have heard, but I submit that much of God’s reasons is still a mystery and will only be fully understood when we get to heaven for the Bible clearly tells us that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are far above ours. With our limited knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, we cannot understand the ways of an infinite God, but we know from what was revealed in His word that His ways are perfect, just and loving and if we trust in Him, only good will result for us.