Why does God let bad things happen? “God allowed it to happen so that good might come of it.” I have heard this rationalization many times and as one who has experienced the deep injustice of a malicious act – my mother was murdered nearly forty years ago – I feel I have a claim to speak authoritatively in saying that God did not allow it so that good might come of it, but rather God was being good by allowing it. Let me explain what I mean. What God really wants is for us to choose and do good. When God allows us to do evil it is the consequence of his perfect will that we should be able to choose good. If God stopped us from doing every evil thing then we would not have free will at all, but we would be programmed or conditioned. We would have no choice but to do good and that is not freedom. So, in order to be truly free to do good things, it must be completely within our control to do evil things, no matter how heinous these things may be.
Just how good is free will? I mean free will better be some awesome stuff if its going to be worth all that evil that men do… right? The good of free will – that is, the good that comes of freely loving God and others – far outweighs, and in fact diminishes to the point of obscurity any evil that was, is or shall be done; that is because good endures whereas evil passes. I know this seems contrary to experience, but I mean it in a scale larger than our brief mortal existence. I admit that evil can be present, potent and pervasive in our lives, but I point out that it hardly amounts to anything in the span of infinite time and the ever-present, all-potent, and omni-prevalent love of God. Furthermore I acknowledge that in the moment of ripe pain and suffering, this hardly seems like consolation, but I insist that it can be very consoling to know that each moment that passes, each day that moves into yesterday is one more moment, one more day toward the time when pain and suffering are gone and the beauty of life and love triumph.
More importantly, the good we can choose in no way requires evil; not in our selfishly tainted thoughts, our imperfect actions in carrying out good intentions, and certainly not in anything that God wills by perfection or permission. No. Good, like God, is sufficient for itself. And thank God that this is true, for without it no good would truly be good and so it would have no power or allure, and there would be no point in faith or hope whatsoever. For if pure good is not perfect alone but requires evil to make it good by contrast or in response, then it would not be worthy of doing since to do good would necessitate a preceding evil. And I would not (and should not) want with all my soul, a false good such as that. This is what carries me on and moves me forward in life ever since my mother died so tragically; that goodness is perfect, that goodness is reason and purpose enough for itself, and that goodness is most desirable, worthy and splendid, needing nothing to enhance or reduce it, save that a soul magnify and spread it by imitation.
The revelation of this sublime goodness, even in its quasi-formed inception in our ill-conditioned minds and darkened hearts, can fuel us to do amazing things like forgive or to seek justice for hideous crimes against us and humanity, or it can fortify us to endure long suffering, or it can pull us back from the precipice of self-destruction. It is not merely trusting that good will come out of evil, but also the certainty that good cannot be destroyed by evil, and that good will prevail and is worth living and dying for that quenches my God-thirsty soul. Goodness is so potent that to think on it conceives more goodness even for those in utter despair.
Let’s compare hope and despair in the light of goodness. How does despair enter the human heart? Here are three very common paths: First, through intellectual ascent or rational espousal of the false axiom that there is no good in the world. Second, by another false axiom that good is not worth living for. Third, by the existential assertion that everything is an accident and so nothing matters. Conversely, some very accessible paths by which hope enters the heart are: First, through acceptance of the truth that good is valuable in and of itself. Second , through acting on this important axiom: do good to others. Third, by knowing that life has meaning and purpose when we do good things. In these ways we give our consent to, and get to cooperate with, the perfect and redemptive plan of God; and so our good acts become elevated from purely human endeavor up to divine measure. And that is the true value of good, that even in a world filled with pain and suffering, hate and destruction, and all manner of corruption, or that even in a utopian world void of those things, regardless and without aid of any kind, good remains good, begets itself, transforms hearts, imbibes with spirit, and lifts souls toward heaven.
Why did my mother have to die deprived of her autumn and sunset years? It most certainly was not so that some good might come of it. Although it is true that God can make good out of this evil act, I firmly deny that it had to happen in order for good to come out of it. For the good of her long life, getting to meet her grandchildren and great grandchildren, the good of her spirit growing in faith, understanding and wisdom, the good of her passing blessings in a fond farewell, would far outweigh a paltry consolation of the character it took two score years for the suffering of loss to produce in me. God bless his people who find it sufficient and take consolation in the platitude that evil had to happen for some good to come of it, for I yearn for deeper satisfaction because I know that God is not the equal opposite of the devil and that goodness is not the twin brother of evil. And I know that these pairs are not symbiotic dichotomies but that God and goodness are greatest beyond compare.
So when offering condolence, rather than sharing what some feel is comforting, instead, acknowledge evil for what it is; no place or party to what God in heaven wants for us. God has nothing to do with death, which he never wanted for us, except to say that he lovingly chose freely to share in it with us so that we wouldn’t have to endure the resulting and rightful pains of our mistakes throughout all eternity, but would be rescued and reclaimed as his own forever. Instead, offer the sublime truth that this evil and all evil will not just pass away but will burn up ferociously in fire and smoke. And finally, offer the abiding truth that goodness, not in the slightest spite of evil, triumphs not just tomorrow but today, here and now. Offer your friendship, your shoulder, your ear to share the mournful moments, to spot the unbearable burden of loss, and to hear laments for the life that might have been. That, my brothers and sisters, is the good that comes after evil, the right that follows wrong and I would rather have a bit of the steadfast sobering assurance that those good deeds bring than have a trite phrase of feigned wisdom no matter how well intended. Remind me that evil dies young in the scope of eternity and that good endures for all time and I will know that wherever evil and sin abound, goodness and mercy abound the more, and I will heal so that the scars on my heart and soul will no longer remind me of my loss but will be my constant comfort and consolation because I will know that no matter how deep once was the wound of hate, that exceedingly surpassing beyond measure is the enduring presence of love.