Our Sunday school director asked a good question to open up class last week. We were preparing to study Genesis chapter three where the temptation and the fall of man is recorded. He simply asked, “Did God create evil? ”
Hmmm, good question. My knee-jerk reaction is to shout, “of course not! God is good, God is love! He absolutely could not create evil and even if he could, he would not. God is not the author of evil!”

Then again, as I pondered the question I began to consider a few things. Where did the serpent come from? If God is the Sovereign creator of all that exists then logically he must be the creator of evil, right? And what do I do with Isaiah 45:7;

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. (Isa 45:7)

After some initial mental scrutiny, I felt scripture supported God as the creator of evil. The class discussed it briefly without coming to a consensus. The question stuck with me throughout this past week. While I didn’t study it to any great depth, I have a handful of scriptures I would like to showcase that I believe clarify the matter somewhat. Continue reading →