The existence of evil in the world dissuades many people from believing in God, even some who would call themselves faithful Christians. They wonder why God would permit evil, when He could so easily eliminate it. How could we (Christians) call God merciful if He allows killers to escape justice, wars to tear apart nations and families, poverty to condemn innocent people to starvation and death? With God, there is nothing without reason. So what, then, is the meaning of evil?
5 minutes
What is evil?
In order to understand what evil means, we must first define what evil is. Many people equate evil with suffering, need, and deprivation. However, that is not the definition used in the Church. Evil, in the eyes of the Body of Christ, is sin and moral guilt, as these are in contradiction to the will of God. God does not desire – and indeed forbids – evil, punishing those who deliberately continue to engage in it.
Sin began when the highest angel, created by God, rejected obedience to God’s will in his arrogance and became the Devil. And it is he that inspires and influences the occurrence of sin in mankind, by playing to this same arrogance and pride in each of us.
What is the cause of sin?
While the Devil is the origin of sin, and can influence us to commit sins against God, ourselves, and others, he is not the source. Many mistakenly believe our bodies are the source of sin. However, the body is merely an instrument of sin or of good. And it only becomes so through that person’s will. According to the Church, there are two causes of sin in the world: the free will of man and God’s use of evil for good. Let’s explore each of these a bit more in-depth.
1. Free will
Our free will is but one of many ways in which we bear the image and likeness of God. It is a gift that elevates us to the highest of all earthly creatures. By freely choosing good and rejecting evil, man exalts and glorifies God. At the same time, he perfects himself and moves closer to communion with God. The opposite, of course, is also possible. Should we reject good and pursue evil (sin), then we bring condemnation upon ourselves.
Related: Peace and War in Eastern Orthodoxy
Without free will, we cannot truly love God. Loving without choice (even if are not aware that we have no choice) is not love. Love is uninhibited, liberated, and deep.
As St. Basil the Great writes: “Why is not sinlessness incorporated into our nature, so that it would be impossible to sin, even if we wanted to? You do not recognize good and faithful servants when you keep them restricted, but only when you see that they voluntarily fulfill their responsibilities before you. Virtue comes on the condition of free will, not of necessity; and free will depends on the condition that we be free. Therefore, whoever reproaches the Creator for not creating us sinless prefers the irrational, immovable nature, not having any yearnings, to the nature gifted with judgment and independence.”
In other words, such a man essentially prefers that humans be little more than robots, or animals ruled by nothing but instinct. Without free will, we cannot possibly be intelligent, spiritual beings.
Thus it is the existence of free will that allows for evil’s existence. Through our free choice to reject God’s will, we entertain evil and allow it to defile not only our own souls, but the souls of those around us.
2. God directs evil to good
God did not wish for, nor did He create, evil. But when sin and evil entered the world through the wrongful exercise of free will, God, in His providence, compelled this evil to serve good. We see many examples of this in the Scriptures, but perhaps the most notable is that of Joseph’s slavery in Egypt. His brothers committed an evil deed and sold him into slavery. However, God used that evil for good, elevating Joseph to a position of authority there, one he used to save both his people and the Egyptians from starvation. It is from this family that he saved, that Christ Himself would come many generations later! Joseph himself said to his brothers: “You intended evil against me, but God turned it into good!”
Another example of this, in the early days of the Church, were the martyrdoms of the Saints. The evil done to them at the hands of their persecutors convicted the hearts of many and opened their hearts to the Truth of the Gospel. God turned all of their wicked deeds against His children to the good. Indeed, the entire history of mankind, right up to the events of our day, testifies to the truth of these words.
We need only have patience and wait, and we will see the good that the Lord creates out of the wickedness of men. One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (II Peter 3:8).
Let us repent and strive toward goodness
As faithful Orthodox Christians, we must always allow piety and knowledge of the Faith to guide our lives. How do we do this? By cultivating the virtue of discernment. “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge” (II Peter 1:5). For when we do something without first applying discernment, we invite the possibility of harm rather than benefit. Even if our intentions are good.
Then, with this discernment employed, we act. The teachings of the Church we have learned concerning faith and Christian life must manifest themselves in our deeds. Moreover, we must act sincerely, not out of hypocrisy or a desire to simply feel good about ourselves. If we become aware that we commit sin and do not fulfill these teachings as we must, then we must repent. We must resolve to shun the sin from that moment forward and make every effort not to fall into it again. And we must strive once again toward goodness of our own free will.
Keep Reading: Do I Really Need To Go To Church?