Was Sin and Evil God’s Intention or not?

That evil exists in the world is fair to say, I think.

So, when addressing the problem of evil, we have to ask one question:

Was evil a creation intended by God or did evil enter the universe without God’s intention, created by someone or something else?

First, it would be beneficial to define the word ‘sin’ as related to scripture.

23 for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God. -Romans 3:23

We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. The Greek word for ‘sin’ used in the above verse is Strongs’s word 264 (hamartano) in the verb form and it is 265 (hamartema) in the noun form. The original definition of sin is to ‘miss the mark, make a mistake.’

So, we can ask, “Did God sin or make a mistake with His creation?” Let’s talk in terms of Satan because most belief systems attribute Satan with evil. Therefore, did God intend Satan to be evil or good? If God intended Satan to be evil then the problem is solved. However, if God intended Satan to be good but he turned evil, then how did this happen? Did Satan create evil on his own or did God put the capacity to sin within Satan?

The bottom line is that if God created Satan and intended him to be good but turned out to be evil, then God made a mistake and He sinned. Contrary, if God intended Satan to be evil and for sin to exist for a purpose, then God did not make a mistake, or sin, because it is part of His plan.

Many people think that when we credit God with the creation of evil, we are saying that He is evil or that He is a sinner. However, if God created evil and sin for an ultimate good purpose, then God is not evil nor is He a sinner. Conversly, if God did not intend evil to invade His creation, then He did indeed miss the mark and He did indeed sin. Scripture answers this question for us.

1 Peter 1:20 and Revelation 13:8 says that the lamb of God (Jesus Christ) was FOREKNOWN and SLAIN before the disruption of the world.

Question: What came first? The disruption of the world or Adam’s sin?

Obviously, the disruption of the world occured before Adam was created. Therefore, God already took care of the sin that had yet to invade His creation. God provided the remedy for sin before He even created the creature that brought sin to humanity.

Yet, it is common belief in Christianity, that God didn’t plan for Adam to sin or worse yet that Adam’s sin took God by surprise. How can this be when God already provided the eradication of sin before Adam ever made his choice? The fact of the matter is that God provided the lamb before sin entered the world because He knew and planned for sin to make an entrance.

One of the reasons I know God loves me is because He sent His Son to die for me. Well, how could I, you or anyone else know the love of God’s Son if sin never entered the world? Sin was necessary in order to reveal God’s love through His Son. Without sin, there was no need for a savior. As a result, we can say that sin is the necessary forerunner for which Christ appeared.

Anyone can love a lovely person, right? Well, the apostle Paul describes that its a deeper love when you can love the unloveable. Romans chapter five states that Christ shows a deeper love by dying for the irreverent, while they are still sinners.

Take your own children or loved ones for example, its easy to love them when they do good things and are on top of the world. However, loving them during the hard times when no one else does…that shows a deeper love.

How would Christ show this love for the irreverent, sinners, enemies if sin and evil didn’t exist. The fact that sin and evil exists doesn’t just require Christ to appear but shows just how deep His love actually is. Without this sin, irreverence, and dissention, we would not know the deep love of God.

Sin is the foil on which God shows His love:

6 For Christ, while we are still infirm, still in accord with the era, for the sake of the irreverent, died. 7 For hardly for the sake of a just man will anyone be dying: for, for the sake of a good man, perhaps someone may even be daring to die, 8 yet God is commending this love of His to us, seeing that, while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes. -Romans 5: 6-8

What About Satan?

Did God create Satan good or evil in the beginning?

First, we know that God created all things (Colossians 1: 15-17, Romans 11:36, 2 Corinthians 5:18). So, God did indeed create Satan. With respect to the adversary, there is a popular belief that Satan was a good, glorious creature that chose to rebel against God. However, this position fails to explain how evil originated in Satan when he is not the Creator.

In essence, where did Satan’s rebellion come from? He could not create this evil on his own because ALL is of God, even principalites, powers, authorities, and sovereignties of which Satan is…Remember, Satan is the chief authority of the air.

So, if Satan rebelled, then God must have put that rebellion in him. Again, this position still shows God as the originator of this evil. However, scripture explains that God created Satan to be exactly what he is and to do exactly what he does.

44 You are of your father, the Adversary, and the desires of your father you are wanting to do. He was a man-killer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, for truth is not in him. Whenever he may be speaking a lie, he is speaking of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it. -John 8:44

The above verse in John shows that the Adversary was a man-killer from the beginning. There is no mention of Satan transforming himself from good to evil. But, some may object and say that the ‘beginning’ here is in the garden and subsequent to Satan’s fall. Okay, let’s look at a verse where God speaks of Satan’s creation and purpose:

And I Myself created the ruiner to harm. -Isaiah 54:16

The above verse in Isaiah does not say that God created the Adversary good and then he became bad, niether by God’s nor Satan’s decision. This verse says that God created Satan as he is…as the ruiner. This verse says that God created the Adversary to do exactly what he does…harm.

King James Bible
By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; His hand hath formed the crooked serpent. -Job 26:13

In Job 26:13, I used the King James Bible interpretation because the word ‘formed’ is used. This verse says that God formed the crooked serpent, not that God formed the glorious angel and then he turned bad.

The Hebrew word used in this verse is Strong’s word 2490 ‘chalal.’ Here is this word’s definition and meaning:

Original Word: חָלַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chalal
Pronunciation: khaw-LAL
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-lal’)
Definition: To profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin
Meaning: to bore, to wound, to dissolve, to profane, to break, to begin, to play

So, any way you look at this verse, it was God that began, defiled, and polluted Satan. Satan created nothing and makes no free will choice to rebel, but is what he is by His hand…the Hand of the Almighty God.

Scripture is replete with evidence that God created evil to fulfill His purpose and that God created Satan and other malevolent creatures to exact evil on His creation. Please pay special attention to the rest of this book that will detail how God uses evil to fulfill His purpose and plan. God is not evil because all evil will eventually lead to perfected creatures in the end. Evil is not separate from God as He is the Creator of all.

Evil is used by God to teach, shape, and form His creatures into His children. Evil is in existence throughout history and today in order for God to show His goodness, love, and power in overcoming it. Once God finishes creating everything perfect through Christ Jesus, evil will be abolished forever.