The Existence of Evil
2004-11-21
“If there were a God, why would this happen?”
“If there were a God of love, why would He allow evil into the world?”
This article is for the people that have asked these questions before. What is wrong with the world we live in? Why is this a world of pain, sadness, and death? The Bible has the answers to these questions. It does not specify why every event happened in the history of everybody’s life. But the Bible does say that, first, how evil came into the world, and second, that evil will not be around forever. Genesis 3 is the prominent passage that speaks to these matters.
The Context of Genesis 3
To understand the Genesis 3, one must also understand some critical events that happened in the first two chapters:
- God created the world by His decree: He spoke, and the world and everything in it came into being (Genesis 1:1-31; 2:1-3).
- Humankind is created in the image of God to be His representatives on the earth, and to have dominion over the land and the living creatures on the earth (Genesis 1:26-29).
- This creation was declared very good at its inception (Genesis 1:31).
- The first man was permitted to eat freely from all trees in the garden with the exception of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The penalty for eating from this tree was death (Genesis 2:15-17). I will discuss this more later.
- After that, God said it was not good for the man to be alone and created the first woman, a “help,” from his rib and marriage was ordained (Genesis 2:18-25). The woman was created after the provision and commandment about eating of the trees’ fruit; this commandment was given to the man.
Imagine a world that knew no death and no pain. In Eden, where the newly created man and woman were placed, was a land very fertile where four rivers intersected. A garden grew with trees that produced fruit and humankind never knew what it was like to lack anything. This world in its simplicity was exactly this: a paradise.
History in Genesis 3
There are three sections to this chapter: The temptation and fall of humankind (Genesis 3:1-7), the oracles of God for humankind (Genesis 3:8-19), and the faith of humankind in the dawn of a new era (Genesis 3:20-24).
Part I: The Temptation and Fall
Genesis 1 and 2 describe the brief era in history where the creation was “very good” (Genesis 1:31) and without any hint of imperfection or blemish in the world or in human life. The man and the woman lived in harmony (Genesis 2:18-25), and everything was provided for them (Genesis 2:16). The events of chapter 3 immediately succeed those of chapter 2 with no reason to believe there was any lengthy period of time between Genesis 2:25 and Genesis 3:1. In Genesis 3:1 the serpent is introduced into the narrative. This is what we know about this serpent:
- He is “subtil,” which has the connotations of being very sly. He is craftier than any other animal that God had created.
- He is a subordinate, that is, humankind is supposed to have dominion over him, as all animals (see Genesis 1:26).
- He only refers to God as “God,” as opposed to “the LORD God,” which are the names used in both chapters 2 and 3. “The LORD” (in all capital letters) in our English Bible represents the covenantal name of God, or His personal name. When the term God is used, that typically represents the power of God. The serpent will not use the personal name for God; he is no friend of God.
- The serpent is later revealed as the devil, or Satan (Revelation 12:9).
The Serpent’s Question
The serpent comes to the woman, and for the first time so far in the Bible, questions God’s commandment. By God’s word the world was created without hesitation. Now God’s word is being questioned in Genesis 3:1: “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
The Woman’s Response
The woman’s response in Genesis 3:2-3 shows that the woman did not know God’s provision and commandment. As I have said, the creation of the woman came after the provision and the commandment given to the man. The woman answers by restating God’s words, but by understating it twice and adding to it.
- The woman changes God’s original provision. God said that the man could freely eat of the fruit of any tree in the garden in Eden. God is emphasizing that he can eat “freely,” or with no restriction. The woman in Genesis 3:2 says that they may eat (no freely), undermining God’s provision.
- Second, the woman adds to the restriction. God never said that the man could not touch the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but the woman states this as part of God’s commandment.
- Third, the woman undermines the consequence for eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God’s original commandment in Genesis 2:17 stated they would “surely die.” There is no question about it: if the man eats of this tree of knowledge, he will most certainly die. The woman, again, undermines the commandment: “lest ye die.”
Now of course the woman was not around yet when the provision and the commandment were given. The word of God was either changed by the man, by the woman, or by both of them. It is like the game “whisper down the lane,” though it is a very short lane! Ignorance of God’s word had its consequences then, just as it does today.
The Serpent Retorts
The serpent retorts in his own wisdom, quoting God’s almost words exactly, by adding the word ‘not’: “Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). The serpent, which is the devil, knows God’s words better than the man and the woman did; he did not forget the word “surely”!
Then the serpent states in verse 5 the supposed motive for God withholding the fruit of the tree of knowledge: that humankind will become like God if they ate from this tree. The serpent is clearly questioning God’s goodness. God had created a world that was very good. The serpent says now goodness is being withheld from the man and the woman. But the woman and the man were already created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26)!
The Sin and the Fall
The woman, convinced of the lie, believed that God was holding something from her. In verse 6, she sees the fruit, desires it, eats it, and gives it to the man to eat. Maybe the woman was deceived by the serpent, but the man had no excuse. He was given the commandment not to eat from the tree of knowledge in Genesis 2:17 directly from God.
In verse 7, their eyes became opened. They came to have knowledge of evil, but with this came the experience of evil. Though they were once naked and unashamed (2:25), they now have shame. They had sinned, and there is more than being naked physically here; they were then naked spiritually. They knew they needed to be covered, and attempted to cover themselves with fig leaves. We know by verse 10 they were naked again, so their attempt to cover themselves failed.
Part II: The Oracles of God
When they heard God walking nearby in verse 8, they hid. They were afraid (Genesis 3:10). Uncleanness and unholiness cannot come into the presence of the holy God. But God asked questions (being God, of course He knew the answers already) to elicit an admission of guilt:
- “Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9). The man must admit he is hiding because he is naked.
- “Who told thee that thou wast naked?” (Genesis 3:11). The only way the man would know that he is naked and needed to hide himself is if he ate from the tree of knowledge. The man knew this, so he tried to pass the blame before confessing.
Questions and Consequences
This series of questions and oracles form what is called a chiastic structure. For example, if there are 5 lines of writing, such as poetry, for example, verses 1 and 5 would be parallel, verses 2 and 4 would be parallel, and verse 3 would be the center of focus. The focus in this literary device is what the author wants to emphasize. Genesis 3:9-19 is such a structure. God questions the man first, and then the woman, and then God pronounces his oracles for the serpent (the crux of the chiastic structure), and then for the woman, and then the man.
When God asks the man “Who told thee that thou wast naked?” the man blames both God and the woman: “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12). Nonetheless, the man finally confessed that he ate.
God asks the woman also in verse 13, “What is this that thou hast done?” The woman does the same thing as the man, but she has less people to blame: “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” She also had to confess the truth, for the reality of the matter was clear to God.
When God turns to the serpent, there is no question asked, but a pronouncement of a curse, which is twofold. First, God condemns the serpent to eat dust his entire life. He once was more subtil than all the animals, now he is cursed above all the animals (Genesis 3:14).
As the first part of the oracle is to the physical animal, the second part is a pronouncement to the force behind the serpent. In verse 15, there is a picture of the continuous struggle between good and evil. There is enmity between the woman and the serpent, and her seed and the serpent’s seed. The serpent, however, will bruise the woman’s seed’s heel, as the woman’s seed will bruise the serpent’s head.
Who is the seed of the serpent, the devil? Who is the seed of the woman? The former refers to anybody who is hardened and opposes God (see John 8:44). The latter is absolutely amazing. “Seed” is used as a seed of man in most biblical cases, unless there is no man involved (as in the case of Hagar, Ishmael was not going to be called the seed of Abraham, Isaac was; Genesis 16:10). Interestingly, the man and the woman are both there when God is pronouncing the oracles, but refers to the seed of the woman, as if there would be no man involved. This virgin-born man would deal a deathblow to the one who authored rebellion again God. This Man is none other than Jesus Christ. He was born of a virgin, and though He would suffer under the serpent (bruising of the heel), he would eventually destroy the serpent for all time.
The oracle for the woman and the man pronounced a new way of life for them both. The punishment a lot of the time is identical to what they did themselves. Since the woman prompted the man to evil, man would dominate woman for generations to come. Since they brought pain into the world through disobedience, therefore they would both suffer pain. Life was not going to be free of pain and want as before, as brief as that utopian time was. The ground was cursed. Humankind was going to die, and return to the dust, and they would be condemned to be eaten by the serpent, who is condemned to eat dust (Genesis 3:14).
Part III: Grace and Provision to People of Faith
The man names his wife again in verse 20. The first time he names his wife Woman, because she was taken out of Man (Genesis 2:23). Now he names her again, Eve, which apparently correlates her to being the mother of all living. After hearing the oracles of God, there is a sense of faith that we see. They chose to hold onto the promise that life would continue (though they would die eventually), and that the woman would bear a child who would destroy the serpent. They could have chosen to walk away from God, but the opposite is apparent.
In verse 21, God gave the woman and the man animal coverings that would work better than their fig leaves they tried:
- Only God can cover our sin and shame by His grace.
- The death sentence that was pronounced on them was pronounced on the animal or animals whence the skins came. The animals died in their place. This was the first record of physical death in all of history.
In verses 22-24, they are banished from the Garden of Eden, no longer to eat of the tree of life. The reason for this is twofold:
- Judgment: Imperfection cannot come into the presence of God.
- Grace: Humankind will not live forever in the painful condition of the curse.
Putting It All Together
God allows evil in this world because of His mercy. If He eliminated all evil, everybody would be destroyed, including you and me, because everybody is evil. Have you ever thought of, did, or said anything evil? God is a holy God, which means that imperfection cannot come into His presence. All of us are imperfect, and have rebellion in our hearts because the first man and first woman rebelled! But in His mercy, He is allowing evil to continue in this world to allow time for people to turn to Him before He returns to make things right in this world.
What I would like to reiterate at this juncture are three points from this Genesis 3 passage:
- Genesis 3:7: We cannot cover our own shame. We can do nothing on our own that will please God in our rebellious state. The fig leaves did not work for Adam and Eve, within a few verses they were already naked again! “Being a good person” does not earn God’s favor and cover our shame, because we all fall short of God’s standard.
- Genesis 3:15: There is a Man who will come to defeat the devil who deceived humankind. This Man was born of a virgin, and His name is Jesus Christ. The serpent has already “bruised His heel” in the crucifixion. We can look forward to this same Man to come back and destroy the devil and restore God’s blessing to the entire world. Evil, pain, suffering, and death will come to an end!
- Genesis 3:21: God alone could provide the true covering for our rebellion against Him. This is only a picture of His Son Jesus Christ who would die in our place thousands of years later (now almost 2000 years ago, in A.D. 33!)
Jesus Christ came first into the world to suffer and die for His creation. He was crucified, was buried, but He rose again from the grave. He was seen by about 500 people, and then ascended to heaven until the appointed Day when He will return. As Adam looked forward in faith that Christ would come from the woman’s body to restore humankind to God once again, we look forward to the when the risen Christ will return to earth. This is my challenge: God will tolerate evil of this world until the message of salvation found in Jesus Christ permeates the globe. Then He will return and put an end to evil once and for all. In the meantime, the Lord wants us to turn to Him.
Reference
Ross, Allen P. Creation and Blessing. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998.