Why Does God Allow Evil, Part 2: The Purpose for Which We Were Created

In Why Does God Allow Evil,Part 1, we said that only God is completely free. His purposes alone cannot be thwarted nor His will impeded.1 Therefore, He must have some good purpose for permitting evil. To understand this we must look at the purpose for which we were created.

Because God is eternally self-sufficient, we know that He did not create people out of need or deficiency within Himself.2 From all eternity, God has experienced perfect holiness, perfect happiness, and perfect intimacy as a trinity. God did not need people, but in His sovereign pleasure He chose to create us so that we may glorify Him forever.3

All through the Bible we see that God is committed to making His glory known in all things throughout all the earth.4 God is glorified in our worship and thanksgiving,5 in our unity as believers,6 in our good deeds,7 and even in our bad deeds.8 He is glorified in our cries for help,9 in our salvation,10 in His wrath,11 and in His mercy.12 It is for God's glory that He speaks,13 reveals Himself,14 distributes spiritual gifts,15 and extends His grace.16 It is for His glory that Jesus came to earth,17 was crucified,18 rose from the dead,19 and sent the Holy Spirit.20 So we are not surprised that it is for God's glory that He created us. In Isaiah 43:7 God declares that from the ends of the earth He will gather His children, "whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

To glorify God means to recognize how excellent and beautiful He is and to extol Him for His magnificence. It means to celebrate and exalt Him, and to put His radiant splendor on display. When we enjoy God, we glorify God, and when we enjoy Him maximally, we glorify Him maximally. But we can't enjoy that which we don't know.

Last week a friend told me she had just introduced her grandchildren to corn dogs for the first time. They usually eat healthy foods, so when they tasted corn dogs, they literally burst into song (And people say musicals aren't realistic!). One of the boys started dancing with his corn dog and singing, "Praise God from whom all corn dogs flow. Praise God for corn dogs here below...."

I love that story because it reminds me that we were made to worship (and it comforts me to know I'm not the only one who breaks into song over good things). Worship comes naturally to us, but we can't worship what we don't know. We can't praise God for corn dogs if we've never tasted them, and we can't extol His goodness if we've never experienced it. In order to enjoy God, we must know Him, but that isn't possible if His most glorious attributes are hidden. So what does this have to do with evil? We'll talk about that next time, but I want to mention two more things related to our worship.

First, when we exalt ourselves or seek our own praise, we glorify one who is not most glorious. Our self-exaltation is inappropriate because it promotes falsehood. God, on the other hand, is glorified rightly because He is the most glorious One.21 God is to be greatly praised because God is truly great. He is not vain or arrogant, and He does not need our worship. "The reason God seeks our praise is not because He won't be complete until He gets it. He is seeking our praise because we won't be complete until we give it."22

Second, while we were made to worship, we weren't made to worship just anyone or anything. When we settle for worship of things that are undeserving, we end up disappointed and hurt. When we worship what is most deserving, most excellent, most beautiful, and most praiseworthy, we discover our greatest happiness. For this reason, "God's demand for supreme praise is His demand for our supreme happiness."23

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.24

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[1] Isaiah 46:9-10; Daniel 4:34-35; Psalm 115:3; Psalm 33:10-11; Job 42:2

[2] Acts 17:25; Psalms 50:12-15; 1 Peter 4:11; Isaiah 64:4; 2 Chronicles 16:9; Job 38-41

[3] Isaiah 43:7; Ezekiel 43:2; Revelation 18:1

[4] Numbers 14:21; Habakkuk 2:14; Psalms 8:1; Philippians 2:10; Ezekiel 43:2; Revelation 18:1

[5] Psalm 86:9; Psalm 50:23

[6] Romans 15:5-6

[7] 1 Peter 2:12

[8] Romans 3:5

[9] Psalm 50:15

[10] Romans 15:6,9; Philippians 2:11

[11] Romans 9:22

[12] Romans 9:23

[13] John 12:28

[14] Exodus 33:18

[15] 1 Peter 4:11

[16] 2 Corinthians 4:15

[17] John 8:54

[18] John 21:19; John 12:23; John 13:32

[19] Philippians 2:9-11

[20] John 16:14

[21] Psalms 145:5; Isaiah 4:2; Psalms 24:7; Acts 7:2

[22] John Piper, Life as a Vapor (Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2004), 161-162.

[23] Ibid., p. 159

[24] 1 Corinthians 10:31