Did God Create Evil?

Ava (age 10) asked,

“If God is good and he wants everyone to be good and to be like him, then why did he make evil?”

Thanks for your question, Ava!

When God finished creating on day six of creation week, everything was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit he told them not to eat, sin entered the world.

Sin has left us in a world with hate, sickness, and death. All the evil in the world comes from that original sin and the influence of Satan and his fallen angels (Luke 13:16; Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 11:13–15). God did not make evil—evil is rebellion against his good design for this world.

Imagine that one day you create a painting. It is beautiful, and you are very proud of it. Then your dog walks into the room and steps on your painting, tearing the canvas. Can you still see the beautiful painting that you created? Yes, but it is ripped. The tear was not part of your original good creation. It shows that your painting is broken. The torn canvas goes against your good design.

Ultimately, the evil in this world is our fault because Adam and Eve “stepped on God’s canvas”—we sinned against God.

The good news is that God does not want us to stay broken, which is why Jesus came to earth to die for our sin. Because our sin separates us from God, it is only through Jesus’ death and resurrection that our sins can be erased. So yes, God does want everyone to be good (or righteous), but we can only be righteous by trusting in his Son. Jesus promised that he would come back again and make “all things new” (Revelation 21:5). Someday, all the hurt, pain, and evil will end. God will make everything the way it is supposed to be!

Do you have a question about God’s Word or his world that you want us to answer? Is there a topic you want to learn more about? Ask your parents to help you submit your question today. Watch for our answer here on the blog or in Kids Answers magazine. We’d love to hear from you!