Why did God say He created evil?

[LinaBellus]

Isaiah 45:7 says: 'I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.'
Yet Genesis 1:31 teaches that 'God saw every thing that he made, and, behold, it was very good.' I think God declared that everything he made was perfect. So how can He say that He created evil? I thought evil was not created, that it's not a creature, but the lack of God's goodness in the world.
Romans 5:12: 'Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.' Who gets the blame for evil? If sin entered by man, then what does 'evil' refer to in Isaiah 45:7?

 

[Guide To The Bible]

Isaiah 45:7 says: 'I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.'
Yet Genesis 1:31 teaches that 'God saw every thing that he made, and, behold, it was very good.' I think God declared that everything he made was perfect. So how can He say that He created evil? I thought evil was not created, that it's not a creature, but the lack of God's goodness in the world.
Romans 5:12: 'Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.' Who gets the blame for evil? If sin entered by man, then what does 'evil' refer to in Isaiah 45:7?

Good question. The potential for sin was there on day one when God created the Heavens with all the angels in the third heaven. Satan had the potential for evil from that very moment, it was dormant in his heart. This was actually on day 2 of what is now the 7th month (Tishri). The fall happened on day 10 of that month (The day of Atonement) when this sin entered the world. So this sin was there in the beginning:

John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

 

[rockytopva]

If E = mc2 then we can divide and conclude that...

Mass (m) = Energy (E/c2)

And there are three varieties...

Natural E/c2 - All mass is basically cooled plasma
Mental E/c2 - Mentally, A mathematical formula, but this has chemical and spiritual properties as well.
Spiritual E/c2 - E (motivation, warmth, love) / c2 (faith, hope, charity, joy)

Comparing the light and the darkness, the opposite of E/c2 would be z (absolute zero)/ c (darkness)...

Natural z/d - Nothing, empty space.
Mental z/d - Again nothing but empty space.
Spiritual z/d - z (laziness, coldness, hatred / d (fear, despair, greed, sorrow)

A correct spiritual E/c2 is an important ally to the Christian faith.

But... God creates evil and darkness as well as the good and the light. If you compare darkness and light they are opposites. So good is opposite of evil. If you turn off a light you get immediate darkness. If you turn off the good you will have evil.

I would say that God creates good and evil due to the conduct of men. If men want to be evil then he is pretty good at creating it for them.

 

[dayofgrace]

Isaiah 45:7 says: 'I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.'
Yet Genesis 1:31 teaches that 'God saw every thing that he made, and, behold, it was very good.' I think God declared that everything he made was perfect. So how can He say that He created evil? I thought evil was not created, that it's not a creature, but the lack of God's goodness in the world.
Romans 5:12: 'Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.' Who gets the blame for evil? If sin entered by man, then what does 'evil' refer to in Isaiah 45:7?

There is an answer, but the answer will seem heretically unsound by nature.

I dare not post it here. (I'll leave it up to you, if you want to follow it up)

 

[CrystalDragon]

Isaiah 45:7 says: 'I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.'
Yet Genesis 1:31 teaches that 'God saw every thing that he made, and, behold, it was very good.' I think God declared that everything he made was perfect. So how can He say that He created evil? I thought evil was not created, that it's not a creature, but the lack of God's goodness in the world.
Romans 5:12: 'Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.' Who gets the blame for evil? If sin entered by man, then what does 'evil' refer to in Isaiah 45:7?

Here's the thing: if you notice, it said that God created everything "very good". It NEVER said things were created perfect. Someone can do "very good" on a test and get a 95%, but they didn't get a "perfect" which would be 100%. It wasn't claimed in Genesis that everything was 100% perfect. Just good.

As for the "I create evil" thing, "evil" in that verse can be translated as "calamity"... that doesn't change the fact that God brings calamity though, or that in the Old Testament God was in charge of both good and evil things happening in the Old Testament (the whole "Satan is in charge of all evil and is the father of lies" thing mentioned in the below post didn't come about until the New Testament centuries later.

Good question. The potential for sin was there on day one when God created the Heavens with all the angels in the third heaven. Satan had the potential for evil from that very moment, it was dormant in his heart. This was actually on day 2 of what is now the 7th month (Tishri). The fall happened on day 10 of that month (The day of Atonement) when this sin entered the world. So this sin was there in the beginning:

John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

There is an answer, but the answer will seem heretically unsound by nature.

I dare not post it here. (I'll leave it up to you, if you want to follow it up)

Id be willing to hear it since it may be similar to my views.

 

[timewerx]

I think the entire premise of evil (overall context) is to test humanity.

It seems to be God's way of testing humanity - the fire in which saints are purified.

Imagine if there is absolutely no evil, it will be like paradise, but how can our righteousness be tested? No, it can't if everything is perfect and nothing went wrong.

 

[CodyFaith]

God created both humans and angels to be free-will beings, we choose between good or evil.

God created us with the ability to choose evil. So, in that regard, God created evil because without creating free-willed beings that would choose to do evil, there would be no evil in existence. The free-willed beings are the ones who brought evil into existence, but since God brought us into existence, in that sense he "created" evil.

That does not mean God's hand is involved in evil itself though. God, out of his love created free-willed beings who had the potential to choose between good or evil. He wanted beings that would choose good instead of evil, he didn't want us to be pre-programmed. He wanted beings that would understand his mercy and his love... and there are many other reasons both known and unknown as to why God created us free-willed agents.

God can do no evil - that's the important thing to remember, and evil is not a good thing.

Hope this clears things up a bit.

 

[St_Worm2]

Isaiah 45:7 says: 'I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.'
Yet Genesis 1:31 teaches that 'God saw every thing that he made, and, behold, it was very good.' I think God declared that everything he made was perfect. So how can He say that He created evil? I thought evil was not created, that it's not a creature, but the lack of God's goodness in the world.
Romans 5:12: 'Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.' Who gets the blame for evil? If sin entered by man, then what does 'evil' refer to in Isaiah 45:7?

Hi Lina, I post this as an explanation for you, and also as a recommendation to acquire this 2 Volume Commentary on the entire Bible (the Believers Bible Commentary by MacDonald). It will come in very handy for verses and passages just like this one in the future

45:7 Verse 7 does not mean that God creates moral “evil,” as some have claimed, based on the King James Version and other early translations.

Delitzsch points out that the early “Christian” heretic Marcion, and the heretical Valentinians and other Gnostic sects, abused this text to teach that the God of the OT was “a different being from the God of the New.”

Addressing the problem of evil (including calamity, no doubt), Delitzsch continues, “Undoubtedly, evil as an act is not the direct working of God, but the spontaneous work of a creature endowed with freedom.”

In the present context the contrasts are between light and its opposite, darkness; between peace and its opposite, calamity. What God permits, He is often said to create. Some think that light and darkness refer to two principles which the Persians practically revered as two gods who were in perpetual conflict. (Others say that there is no evidence that Cyrus followed this religion.) As Cyrus swept forward in his campaigns, there would be peace for Israel and calamity for Israel’s foes, and God was the One who was supervising the entire operation. ~MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 972). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
​

The NASB translation is a better translation contextually in this case. It reads:

Isaiah 45:6-7
I am the LORD, and there is no other,
The One forming light and creating darkness,
Causing well-being and creating calamity;
I am the LORD who does all these.​

Yours in Christ,
David

 

[Daniel9v9]

The Problem of Evil is unsolvable, but that's no cause for alarm, for God is higher than human reasoning, which is bent on evil. God did most certainly not create evil. He punishes evil, which in itself is good, according to His righteousness and goodness.

The context of Isaiah 45:7 has to do with God's governance and his just punishment of evil. It's NOT to be understood as God being the source of evil.

 

[LinaBellus]

Good question. The potential for sin was there on day one when God created the Heavens with all the angels in the third heaven. Satan had the potential for evil from that very moment, it was dormant in his heart. This was actually on day 2 of what is now the 7th month (Tishri). The fall happened on day 10 of that month (The day of Atonement) when this sin entered the world. So this sin was there in the beginning:

John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

How do you know the day of the fall?
You haven't answered the question.

But... God creates evil and darkness as well as the good and the light. If you compare darkness and light they are opposites. So good is opposite of evil. If you turn off a light you get immediate darkness. If you turn off the good you will have evil.

I would say that God creates good and evil due to the conduct of men. If men want to be evil then he is pretty good at creating it for them.

I don't think God created darkness, He only created light, and then divided the two.

Here's the thing: if you notice, it said that God created everything "very good". It NEVER said things were created perfect. Someone can do "very good" on a test and get a 95%, but they didn't get a "perfect" which would be 100%. It wasn't claimed in Genesis that everything was 100% perfect. Just good.

As for the "I create evil" thing, "evil" in that verse can be translated as "calamity"... that doesn't change the fact that God brings calamity though, or that in the Old Testament God was in charge of both good and evil things happening in the Old Testament (the whole "Satan is in charge of all evil and is the father of lies" thing mentioned in the below post didn't come about until the New Testament centuries later.

Id be willing to hear it since it may be similar to my views.

So you're assuming God's work was not perfect. I think that anything imperfect is due to sin, because God is perfect. Genesis 6:9 says that 'Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations' despite Noah not actually being perfect (Genesis 9:21).

 

[victorinus]

So how can He say that He created evil?

He didn't
-but-
He did allow bad translations of the bible
-
evil doesn't exist
-so-
it can't be created
-
God did create free will
-and-
with free will we can do evil acts

 

[LinaBellus]

God created us with the ability to choose evil. So, in that regard, God created evil because without creating free-willed beings that would choose to do evil, there would be no evil in existence. The free-willed beings are the ones who brought evil into existence, but since God brought us into existence, in that sense he "created" evil.

I know we were created with the free choice between good and evil, but your thinking makes no sense to me regarding my question...
But thank you, brother

 

[Dave-W]

Here's the thing: if you notice, it said that God created everything "very good". It NEVER said things were created perfect.

It also did not say HE was done creating. Indeed, did not our Lord say several MILLENIA after Genesis 1 that the Father was still working and creating?

 

[CodyFaith]

I know we were created with the free choice between good and evil, but your thinking makes no sense to me regarding my question...
But thank you, brother

Evil is not an entity. You can't create evil in the sense that it's an actual entity that is formed. Evil are wrong actions. You can't create wrong actions.

When Isaiah says God created evil, it means God allowed it to happen and provided the circumstances for which they would happen.

I'll give an example of the language being used. Remember when it said God hardened Pharaoh's heart? But do you also remember God punishing Pharaoh and Egypt because of Pharaoh's rebellion and hard heart?
So why would God punish Pharaoh for something God himself was responsible for?

Pharaoh was responsible of course, not God. When it says God hardened Pharaoh's heart, it means that God allowed Pharaoh's heart to become hardened, he allowed that to come into existence on earth. He gave Pharaoh the opportunities to choose between evil or good, even though God knew Pharaoh would choose evil, he still presented those opportunities. Thus he hardened Pharaoh's heart by presenting him with things that he knew would harden his heart.

I think if you begin to understand what the above means, you'll begin to understand what it means that he created evil.

It's also worth noting I'm a KJV believer.

And your welcome, sister. Any time.

 

[LinaBellus]

It also did not say HE was done creating. Indeed, did not our Lord say several MILLENIA after Genesis 1 that the Father was still working and creating?

He did say that the Father was still working, but not creating.
'To this very day My Father is at His work, and I am too working.'

Genesis 2 says: '2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.'

 

[Heber Book List]

'Evil' in Isaiah 45:7 is often translated as 'woe', and is applied to G_d's punishment being inflicted on occasions. In this case G_d is talking to Cyrus after the Exile and explaining to him that his victories were not of Cyrus' own doing, but were to achieve G_d's will and to let Cyrus know who G_d is. Cyrus, as we know was instrumental in restoring Jerusalem.

 

[LinaBellus]

When Isaiah says God created evil, it means God allowed it to happen and provided the circumstances for which they would happen.

Yes, I agree with that.

It's also worth noting I'm a KJV believer.

And your welcome, sister. Any time.

So am I. Thank you!

Blessings.

 

[CrystalDragon]

So you're assuming God's work was not perfect. I think that anything imperfect is due to sin, because God is perfect. Genesis 6:9 says that 'Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations' despite Noah not actually being perfect (Genesis 9:21).

How do we know that God and everything he does is "perfect"? I don't recall if ever saying in the Bible that God said "I am perfect", and it never said his creation was perfect—I recall him more times saying that he is a jealous God, and it was other people, centuries after the Old Testament, who said "God is love".

And regarding Noah, "perfect in his generation" is different depending on the translation. In the New International version it says that "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time". That doesn't mean that Noah was perfect, far from it, it just means he didn't do anything really bad that he could be blamed for and he tried to be a good person. Far cry from "perfect".

 

[Dave-W]

He did say that the Father was still working, but not creating.
'To this very day My Father is at His work, and I am too working.'

And what work would that be for the Creator?

 

[Heber Book List]

How do we know that God and everything he does is "perfect"? I don't recall if ever saying in the Bible that God said "I am perfect", and it never said his creation was perfect—I recall him more times saying that he is a jealous God, and it was other people, centuries after the Old Testament, who said "God is love".

And regarding Noah, "perfect in his generation" is different depending on the translation. In the New International version it says that "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time". That doesn't mean that Noah was perfect, far from it, it just means he didn't do anything really bad that he could be blamed for and he tried to be a good person. Far cry from "perfect".

It means that Noah was perfect in his generation - ie there were none as good as him in his generations (Footnotes: JPS 1917). It may well be a simple comparative statement.