Part 7 – Understanding Sin’s Evil Work

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called What God is Doing?.

The Devil, who “sinneth from the beginning” (1Jn. 3:8), only appears to have complicated and delayed God’s original purpose in creation. Scripture reveals to us a gradual unfolding of how the Creator has wisely devised, arranged, and enacted strategies to bring it about anyway. As we look at the world, we not only see the Creator God at work. We see one chief Adversary opposing it all, a spirit creature who, while wise, is not wise enough to outdo his Creator. It is the work of this evil being that we must now consider.

The God of the Bible is a strong advocate of free will. He does not have to be in control of every last detail of every single event. Since He is God, all-powerful, He has the right/power to give His creation permission to make its own choices. However, let it be clearly understood that, regardless of who does what, no matter how disruptive that “who” or “what” is, the Creator has purposed to accomplish a specific goal and it will be achieved in the end. His creatures can cooperate or oppose, but His counsel shall nonetheless stand forever!

Something just is not right in creation. Even without the Bible’s testimony, we can sense it. We expect there to be justice, and yet, where is it? We envisage prosperity, health, and happiness all around, and there abounds poverty, sickness, and misery. Life—no matter how long and glorious—still ends in death. Indeed, something is wrong… something is terribly wrong. What, oh what, is it?

Some terrible choices were deliberately made long ago. Though we had nothing to do with them, we must live with their consequences. Immediately, the Bible scoffer rises to make his case. Some would say,“See, if God is loving, He would not allow such suffering, such injustice! He must therefore not be loving. If He can do nothing to stop the evil, then He must not be God!” Unfortunately for him, the God critic has not gathered enough evidence (though he thinks he has).

In his rash zeal to free himself from a holy, righteous God, he has overlooked the following counterargument: “Right choices were intentionally made long ago as well. Though we had nothing to do with them either, we must live with their consequences too.” Overall, there is a balance. The Creator God was not outsmarted, and He has certainly not been outdone either. Behold, what wisdom He has displayed for us all to see.

Long ago, God’s chief spirit creature—a “cherub” named “Lucifer”said in his heart;

“I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:12-15 KJV).

We also see him in Ezekiel 28:11-19, the attractive creature who “wast perfect in [his] ways from the day that he [wast] created, till iniquity was found in [him]” (verse 15). He was “full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty” (verse 12). Verse 17 says Lucifer’s heart “was lifted up because of [his] beauty.”

Lucifer decides to attempt to usurp God’s throne. Thus, he led a rebellion in Heaven, recruiting numerous angelic beings to oppose the Creator God. Lucifer became “Satan” (the adversary—Luke 10:18), he and his angelic cohorts were evicted from Heaven, and we thus read of “the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). In Genesis 3, Satan—the “serpent,” a calculating character—entices Adam and Eve (our parents) to join him in his revolt against the Creator God. Adam, the head of humanity, was not deceived: he intentionally followed his wife, Eve, in following Satan (1 Timothy 2:14). Thus, Earth was corrupted with sin—cursed with thorns, thistles, childbirth pain, sickness, and ultimate death (Genesis 3:16-19).

Romans 8: “[20] For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, [21] Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. [22] For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”