If God Is Perfect, Why Is There Evil?Намуна

Day 4: To Whom Does God Answer?

So far, I’ve said much about responsibility, but I’ve omitted something important. We need to keep in mind we’re speaking about the Creator of the heavens and earth and all that exists. Yet, the question that often comes—especially from skeptics—is this: To whom then is God responsible?

The answer is that there are no other gods, and God is answerable to no one but himself.

As Isaiah 40:13–14 (NIV) says: “Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?”

Again, God is answerable to no one. No creature has a right to judge the Creator.

This is also made clear in God’s response to Job when he is protesting his affliction: “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!” (Job 40:2 NIV).

So, is God a “moral monster” or “vindictive bully,” as New Atheist Richard Dawkins famously put it? No, God is not a despot who rules his creatures tyrannically. Rather, Scripture makes clear that he rules with our very best interests in mind.

God’s Character

The best place to start is with God’s character.

God’s character is the absolute standard for good (Mark 10:18). His character is the changeless criterion for right versus wrong, for righteousness versus sin. This is why sin is best defined as anything contrary to God’s character.

There’s no antecedent principle of goodness or truth to which God must conform. He is the absolute for goodness, beauty, and truth. Therefore, God is free to do the whole counsel of his will, and this will lead, by definition, to the greatest good.

Many have objected to this idea, claiming the God of the Bible isn’t good, at least in terms of society’s standards. But this doesn’t follow because society’s moral standards have no foundation, no “measuring stick,” apart from the Bible.

The morals of society should be compared to God’s standards, not vice versa. Those who refuse to believe that God exists or that he is good have no basis for morality at all; they are left merely with instinct and conditioning. The existence of real moral evil requires an unchanging absolute for good. In other words, rather than offering evidence against God’s existence, evil actually enhances the argument for his existence.