Why doesn't God remove evil from the world?
VideoTranscript
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The heat of the day is beginning to fade as Abraham sits by the entrance of his tent near the great trees of Mamry. The sun is still strong, but there's a gentle breeze that brings some relief from the scorching Middle Eastern afternoon. Abraham, now an old man with weathered hands and eyes that have seen God's faithfulness time and again, is resting in the shade when something extraordinary happens. Three men appear before him. Now, Abraham doesn't know it yet, but these aren't ordinary travelers. Two of them are angels and one is the Lord himself in human form. But Abraham with the hospitality that was so characteristic of ancient neareastern culture immediately springs into action.
Despite his advanced age, he runs to meet them and bows low to the ground. My lord, he says, if I have found favor in your eyes, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat so you can be refreshed and then go on your way. What happens next is beautiful. Abraham hurries to Sarah and tells her to quickly prepare bread from their finest flour. He runs to the herd and selects a choice tender calf and gives it to a servant to prepare.
He brings curds and milk and the calf that's been prepared and sets it before them. And while they eat, he stands nearby under the tree serving them with genuine care and attention. It's during this meal that the Lord makes an incredible promise to Abraham and Sarah about the son they'll have in their old age. But then, as the afternoon continues, something shifts in the conversation. The Lord's attention turns toward the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, lying in the distance across the Jordan Valley. The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sins so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. The Lord says, "If not, I will know."
Now, here's where the story takes a turn that reveals something profound about God's character. The two angels head towards Sodom, but the Lord remains with Abraham. And Abraham, sensing what's about to happen, approaches the Lord with a question that has echoed through the centuries and still resonates in our hearts today. Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Abraham asks. You can almost hear the concern in his voice, the weight of what he's asking. This isn't just an academic question for Abraham.
His nephew Lot lives in Sodom with his family. Abraham continues, "What if there are 50 righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the 50 righteous people in it? And then Abraham says something that cuts right to the heart of this question about suffering in God's justice. Far be it from you to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you. Will not the judge of all the earth do right?
This is the question, isn't it? The question that keeps people awake at night, that causes some to doubt God's existence, that makes others angry at heaven itself. If God is good, if God is just, if God is loving, then why does he allow suffering? Why doesn't he just end all the evil in the world right now? But watch what happens next in this conversation. It's absolutely remarkable. The Lord doesn't rebuke Abraham for his boldness.
He doesn't tell him to mind his own business to remind him that God's ways are higher than our ways. Instead, the Lord engages with Abraham's concern. If I find 50 righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake, he says. But Abraham isn't finished. With incredible courage and humility, he continues to negotiate. What if the number of the righteous is five less than 50? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?
And the Lord says, "If I find 45 there, I will not destroy it." Abraham keeps going. 40? The Lord agrees. 30? Yes. 20?
The Lord consents. And finally, with what seems like his last breath of courage, Abraham says, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only 10 can be found there?" And the Lord replies, "For the sake of 10, I will not destroy it." Think about what we're seeing here. This isn't a picture of a God who's quick to judge and slow to mercy. This is a God who's incredibly patient, who's willing to spare an entire city, a city so wicked that its very name has become synonymous with evil for the sake of just 10 righteous people.
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This conversation between Abraham and the Lord gives us a window into God's heart and helps us understand something crucial about why he allows suffering in this world. You see, the question isn't really whether God has the power to end all suffering and evil right now. Of course, he does. The question is whether he can do that without also destroying the righteous along with the wicked. And here's where we need to be honest about something. When we look around at our world today, we see suffering. Yes, we see injustice, cruelty, violence, and pain.
But we also see something else. We see people who are trying to live good lives, who are showing love and compassion, who are working to make the world a better place. We see parents sacrificing for their children, teachers investing in their students, doctors healing the sick, people feeding the hungry in countless acts of kindness that happen every single day. If God were to end all suffering right now by destroying everyone who contributes to it, how many good people would be caught in that judgment? How many people who are imperfect but trying their best would be swept away? How many people who haven't yet had the chance to turn their lives around would lose that opportunity? The truth is, we're all a mixture of good and evil.
As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans chapter 3 23, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And in chapter 7:1 19, Paul describes his own struggle. I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do. This I keep on doing. If God were to remove all the people who contribute to suffering in this world, he'd have to remove all of us. And that's exactly what Abraham understood when he asked, "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?"
Instead of ending suffering by ending the world, God has chosen a different path. He's chosen to work within the world to make it better. He's chosen to be patient, to give people time to change, to grow, to become more loving and compassionate. As the apostle Peter wrote in his second letter, chapter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." And you know what? This approach is working.
When we take a step back and look at the big picture, we can see that despite all its problems, the world today is far better than it was in the past. We live in the most peaceful time in human history. Extreme poverty has been dramatically reduced. Literacy rates have skyrocketed. Diseases that once killed millions have been eradicated. Human rights, while still imperfect, are more widely recognized and protected than ever before. None of this is to minimize the very real suffering that exists today.
Every act of cruelty, every injustice, every moment of pain matters deeply to God. But it's to recognize that God's patience and his decision to work within the world rather than destroy it has allowed for tremendous progress. Think about all the biblical examples of God's restraint and mercy. When Moses came down from Mount Si and found the Israelites worshiping a golden calf, God's anger burned against them. But Moses interceded and God relented. In the book of Jonah, God sent the prophet to warn the violent city of Nineveh of coming judgment. But when the people repented, God had compassion and didn't bring the destruction he had threatened.
Again and again in scripture, we see God's heart for redemption rather than destruction. In the book of Ezekiel 33:1, God says, "As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live." This is the same God who instead of destroying the world chose to enter into it. When the time was right, he sent his son Jesus not to condemn the world but to save it. As Jesus himself said in John's gospel 3:17, "For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." Jesus could have come as a conquering king, bringing immediate judgment and ending all suffering through force. Instead, he came as a servant, taking on himself the very suffering he could have prevented.
On the cross, Jesus absorbed the full weight of human sin and suffering, showing us that God doesn't stand apart from our pain. He enters into it. This is why suffering continues to exist. Not because God doesn't care, but because he cares so much that he's willing to work patiently within the mess of human history to bring about redemption and healing. Every day that God allows the world to continue is another day for people to choose love over hatred, forgiveness over revenge, compassion over indifference. And here's something beautiful. We get to be a part of this work.
Just as Abraham interceded for Sodom, we're called to be agents of God's mercy and justice in the world. We're called to be the righteous ones for whose sake God preserves and blesses our communities. We're called to feed the hungry, care for the sick, comfort the grieving, and work for justice. When we ask why God allows suffering, we're really asking why he allows us to continue existing in a world where we can make a difference. Every act of kindness, every moment of forgiveness, every choice to love instead of hate is a small victory against the forces of darkness. Every person who chooses to follow God's ways of love and justice is a reason for God to continue being patient within the world. The prophet Jeremiah gives us insight into God's heart in chapter 18 7-10.
If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, then if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had I I had intended to do for it. God's judgments aren't fixed and unchangeable. They're conditional based on how people respond to his call for justice and righteousness. This is why he's patient. This is why he allows time for growth and change. But let's be clear about something else.
God's patient doesn't mean he's indifferent to suffering. Throughout scripture, we see God's deep concern for the oppressed, the poor, the vulnerable. In Psalm 82:3 we read, "Defend the weak and the fatherless. Uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed." In Isaiah 1:17, God commands, "Learn to do right. Seek justice. Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless. Plead the case of the widow." God doesn't just tolerate suffering. He actively works against it. He causes people to be instruments of his justice and mercy. He establishes systems and institutions that protect the vulnerable. He inspires movements for social change.
He gives people the courage to stand up against injustice. And ultimately, God has promised that suffering won't last forever. In the book of Revelation 21:es 3 and 4, we get a glimpse of God's final plan. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,"Look, God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
This is our hope. This is our destination. God hasn't abandoned the world of suffering. He's working within it, through it, and despite it to bring about a future where every wrong will be made right, where every tear will be wiped away, where justice will flow like a river and righteousness like a never-ending stream. But until that day comes, we live in the tension between what is and what will be. We live in a world where God's patience allows both suffering and the possibility of redemption. We live in a world where our choices matter, where our actions can either add to the darkness or push back against it.
This is actually incredibly hopeful when you think about it. Your life matters. Your choices matter. Your compassion, your kindness, your willingness to stand up for what's right. These things matter to God and to the world. You might be one of the 10 righteous people for who say God preserves your community. You might be the answer to someone's prayer.
You might be the light in someone's darkness. The question isn't really why God allows suffering. The question is what we're going to do with the time and opportunity he's given us. Are we going to use our lives to increase the sum total of love and justice in the world? Are we going to be people who make God's decision to be patient with humanity worthwhile? Remember, Abraham didn't just ask God to spare Sodom. He was willing to intercede for it.
He stood in the gap between judgment and mercy. That's what we're called to do, too. We're called to be intercessors, to be people who stand in the gap, who work for healing and reconciliation, who choose love even when it's difficult. The story of Abraham's intercession for Sodom reminds us that God is not some distant uncaring deity who arbitrarily allows suffering. He's a God who deeply cares about justice, who's patient with human weakness, who's willing to spare the many for the sake of the few righteous ones. He's a God who enters into our suffering and works through it to bring about redemption. When we look at the world today, yes, we see problems.
We see injustice and pain and suffering. But we also see unprecedented levels of literacy, health care, human rights, and opportunities for people to flourish. We see medical advances that would have seemed miraculous to previous generations. We see communication technologies that allow us to connect with people around the world. We see growing awareness of environmental issues and efforts to address them. More importantly, we see people, millions and millions of people who are trying to live good lives, who are showing love and compassion, who are working to make the world a better place. We see teachers and doctors and social workers and volunteers and parents and friends who are daily choosing to add light to the world rather than darkness.
These are the people for who say God continues to be patient with the world. These are the people who make God's decision to work within history rather than end it worthwhile. And by God's grace, we get to be among them. So the next time you're troubled by the question of why God allows suffering, remember Abraham's conversation with the Lord. Remember that God's patience isn't indifference, it's love. Remember that his restraint isn't weakness, it's strength. Remember that his decision to work within the world rather than destroy it is motivated by his desire to see people turn from darkness to light, from hatred to love, from selfishness to compassion.
And remember that you have a part to play in this great work of redemption. Every act of kindness, every moment of forgiveness, every choice to love your neighbor as yourself is a small victory against the forces of darkness. Every time you choose to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem, you're giving God another reason to continue being patient with the world. The world needs people who will stand in the gap, who will intercede for the hurting, who will work for justice and mercy. The world needs people who will be salt and light, who will show others what God's love looks like in action. The world needs people who will trust in God's timing and his methods even when they don't understand everything about why things happen the way they do. This is our calling.
This is our privilege. This is our hope. Not that God will immediately end all suffering, but that he will continue to work through imperfect people like us to bring healing and hope to a broken world. Not that we'll have all the answers to why bad things happen, but that we'll trust in the goodness and justice of the God who loved us enough to enter into our suffering and work through it to bring about redemption. The same God who is willing to spare Sodom for the sake of 10 righteous people is the same God who's working in our world today. He's patient. He's merciful.
He's just, and he's calling us to be part of his great work of redemption. Let this be our prayer. Aba Father, we thank you for your patience with us and with this world. We thank you that you don't sweep away the righteous with the wicked, but instead work within the mess of human history to bring about redemption and healing. Help us to be people who make your patience worthwhile. Help us to be agents of your mercy and justice in the world. When we don't understand why suffering exists, help us to trust in your goodness and your timing.
Give us the courage to stand in the gap, to intercede for the hurting, to work for justice and peace. May we be salt and light in a world that desperately needs both. And may we always remember that our choices matter, that our lives matter, that we have a part to play in your great work of redemption. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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