Does the Bible say anything about the origin of evil?

Yes, it does. This is a good sign, because it can provide a concrete answer to a concrete question. In Isaiah we read:

“I am the LORD and no one else. Apart from me, there is no God.
I gird you without you recognizing me, so that one recognizes
from the rising of the sun and from its setting,
that there is no one but me.

I am the Lord – and no one else -,
who forms the light and creates the darkness,
who works peace and creates disaster.
It is I, the LORD, who worketh all these things.”
Isa 45:6-7

The last verse speaks of the fact that He who makes all things works both the peace and creates the “calamity”. Instead of mischief, it says “evil” (hb. וּבֹ֣ורֵא רָ֑ע,“and creates [das] evil”). The word for “create” is the same as for the creation of heaven and earth.

Therefore, the answer to the question “Where does evil come from?” is: God creates evil. This is the text. It’s not about whether it suits me or not. Many recognize God as the origin of both good and evil. This is not something new. They believe that because of this statement. I have read this in Jewish authors as well as Christian authors. The reason for this is immediately supplied in the context: God is above all. There is only Him. He is the source of all things. Accordingly, He is responsible for everything. He is God.

These are strong arguments. Still, not everyone sees it that way.

On the one hand, there are people who – analogously to this text – assume that God is responsible for everything, good and evil included. Your image of God has room enough for both sides. For example, he can also plant the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9). He is God.

But then there are Christians who have a different image of God. In this image of God, God is exclusively responsible for good. The popular, trivializing speech of the “dear God” already suggests this. Evil is outsourced to Satan. This creates an antithesis to God, something like a “second God” next to the Almighty. A division of responsibilities, so to speak: God is good. Satan is bad.

Such conceptions of God abound in antiquity and to this day. The struggle between good and evil is deeply rooted in many cultures. Popular culture also talks about it a lot, for example in the “Star Wars” movie series, where it’s about the battle between good and evil. Many more things could be mentioned.

Christians often refer to God as “Almighty,” but a surprising number stop at evil. Suddenly someone else is supposed to be responsible.

With this short description, the field of tension in which such questions are considered can be seen. In the final analysis, it is not about the question itself, but about the scope of the competence, and this explains the understanding of God. The understanding of God is the real issue. Christians often name God as “Almighty”, but surprisingly many stop at evil. Suddenly someone else is supposed to be responsible. However, this contradicts the biblical statements according to which He is the leader in all matters.

Is God “exclusively good”?

The article “Is God exclusively good?” already dealt with a clarification of our concept of God. Jesus stated in Luke 18 that “only God” is good (Luke 18:19). However, this is different from God being “only good” . The idea that God is “exclusively good” deprives God of His omnipotence and omnicompetence. Those who insist on Satan as the author of evil cannot avoid the fact that Satan would be the beginning of all evil. It is the attempt to free God from all jurisdiction.

Only – how could it have come to this? Wasn’t Satan also created by God? Wasn’t every possibility for development or undevelopment already known to God? Let us try to imagine the consequences of these questions. There are now two possibilities:

1. God was surprised by Satan’s “fall” into sin and “evil”
   (He has been trying to do a repair on the creation ever since, with meager success).
2. God was not surprised, but He has everything in His hands
   (Isa 45:7 and other texts suggest that He is involved. Thus He is in charge).

However, the confusion surrounding the assumption that God is only responsible for good is understandable. One has come to know the goodness of God and one abhors evil. The implication then is that God does no evil. But – here is the difference: If God creates evil (according to Is 45,7), this does not mean that He also does evil. Those who confuse this may be inferring God from their own human perception. However, God is quite different. He is not a human being. Job also had to learn this, who experienced very bad things (Job 42:1-6).

It seems human that when God is named as the creator of “evil,” we immediately impute evil actions to Him. However, that is not the point. Does not God have the power to make the one vessel a glory, but the other a dishonor (Rom 9:21)? One should not hastily try to see God only one-sidedly. This mixing of human perception and fading out of God’s omnipotence leads to assumptions about God that contradict the Bible. It takes faith if we are to take Isaiah 45:7 seriously, for example. Isaiah apparently has no problem with this, for the prophet leaves the testimony in the context of God’s omnipotence. It is not a contradiction because it concerns God. God can.

Apart from these considerations, there are several passages in the Bible that state that everything is from God without exception:

“For out of him and through him and to him are all things! To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.”
Rom 11:36

“Surely then there is for us one God, the Father, from whom are all things.” (gr. ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα).
1Cor 8,6

Likewise, we can read that He causes everything to happen according to the counsel of His will:

“who works all things according to the counsel of his will”.
Eph 1:11

If we assume that God is exclusively responsible for the good, one would have to exclude these and similar passages. The biblical testimony is very clear: God is God precisely because He is in charge of everything.

God is light and there is no darkness in Him

Although there are quite strong arguments that God has everything in his hands, and even created evil, someone with a different understanding of God will look for biblical passages that supposedly invalidate the previously mentioned passages. One Bible passage that I have heard over and over again over the years is this:

“And this is the message which we have heard from Him and proclaim to you: that God is light, and there is no darkness at all in Him.”
1Joh 1,5

The passage is usually quoted without context and it is meant to express that God has nothing to do with evil. Evil is not mentioned with a word, but the following is deduced: God is only light and He knows no darkness. Darkness is something like evil. So God has nothing to do with evil.

This is an inference. It is not written there, nor anywhere else, but it is derived from one’s understanding of God. It is a very free interpretation that cannot be supported by any biblical passage. However, since this passage is mentioned again and again, one should of course take it seriously in one’s own context. However, why is it in the context of this statement?

• It is not about the origin of evil
• It’s about everyday living.

John writes:

“And this is the message that we have heard from Him and proclaim to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not speak the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
1Joh 1,5-7

Every Bible word is true, but only in its own context. We cannot arbitrarily misuse such a word to override other Bible words. John writes about the lifestyle of believers and says: You (people!) cannot say that you live with God but at the same time lead a life of darkness. Life and faith should be of one piece and not contradictory. Or in other words: If God is light, you too become light in your life.

God works

As it says in Isaiah 45:7, God creates evil. This is a powerful statement that, of course, invokes many questions, yet is clear. The statement is so clear that we cannot pass it over. It is also not the only statement. There are several statements that clearly indicate that God is not just “the good Lord.”

“I, I also created the spoiler to devastate.”
Isa 54,16

Why can such things be written in the Bible? In my opinion, there are two reasons for this. The first reason is, of course, that it represents reality. God does. But the second reason lies in the understanding of God’s ways and work. This understanding is different in the biblical account than in some theology. If He is above everything, He also leads everything back to Himself (Rom 11:36). Of course, those who cannot believe this face a dilemma: Is God loving or cruel?

If He is God in the true sense of the word, then He can do whatever He wants. He does not need my approval. Job experienced this when God asked him to give an answer:

“Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm, and said, Who is he that darkeneth counsel with words without knowledge? Gird up thy loins like a man. Then I will ask thee, and thou shalt teach me! Where were you when I founded the earth? Share it, if you know insight!”
Job 38:1-4

As I understand the Bible, God works in time (Eph. 3:11). We are not at the end of everything that has happened yet, but everything is in His hands. This is what the Bible writers convey (such as Rom 11:36) and I trust that He will also bring His promises all to completion. One day, even the last enemy will be defeated. This is not even Satan, but it is death (1Cor 15:26). Then God will be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28). Everything is not only of Him and through Him, but also to Him (Rom 11:36). If this is the case, all statements about evil acquire a temporary character and no omnipotent effectiveness.

The origin of evil is given in the Bible. The destination of God’s ways is also indicated. If I have my trust in an Almighty God who holds good and evil in His hands and, moreover, leads everything back to Himself, there is, in my opinion, no reason to panic, but rather to be grateful.