May 16, 2024 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Greetings, friends! Today we are going to look at some very important questions that many people have wondered about down through the centuries—“If there is a God, why is there such evil in the world? Why is there so much suffering? Where did evil come from?”
When looking into deep questions such as these, it is important to understand what the Bible reveals, and what it does not reveal. First of all, it is impossible to explain the origin of sin fully, because if it could be explained, it would give a reason for its existence. Yet, enough may be understood concerning the origin of sin and what will finally become of it that we can be assured that God is good, fair, and just.
In The Great Controversy we read, “Sin is an intruder, for whose presence no reason can be given. It is mysterious, unaccountable; to excuse it is to defend it. Could excuse for it be found, or cause be shown for its existence, it would cease to be sin” (The Great Controversy, p. 493).
The Bible is very clear in defining sin. We read in 1 John 3:4, “sin is the transgression of the law.” Whose law? God’s law. “It is the outworking of a principle at war with the great law of love which is the foundation of the divine government” (The Great Controversy, p. 314).
You see friends, there was a time when sin did not exist. There was peace and joy throughout the universe. “All was in perfect harmony with the Creator’s will. Love for God was supreme, love for one another impartial” (The Great Controversy, p. 341).
The law of love was the foundation of the government of God, and the happiness of all created beings depended upon their acceptance of His law of love. God has never, and still does not force anyone to accept His will for them. He longs for all His created beings to choose to have a relationship with Him based upon love, and He grants freedom of will to everyone.
But sadly, there was one that chose to pervert this freedom. We are told that “Sin originated with him who, next to Christ, had been most honored of God and who stood highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven” (The Great Controversy, p. 494).
Before his fall, Lucifer was the closest to the throne of God.” We read this incredible description of this once mighty angel in Ezekiel 28:12-15—
“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering. . .
You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.”
Friends, this description of Lucifer shows that God did not create a devil. When He created Lucifer, this heavenly being was “full of wisdom and perfect” until “iniquity was found in [him].”
How could sin originate out of someone who was created perfect? This is inexplicable—it is what we call “the mystery of iniquity.” If we could explain it, it could be excused. But there is no excuse for sin.
However, the Bible does give us some clues as to what led Lucifer down this horrible path. We read in Ezekiel 28:17—“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.”
Somehow, pride had risen up in the heart of this angelic being, and little by little, he started seeking self-exaltation. The Bible gives us further insights into Lucifer’s thoughts, where we read in Isaiah 14:13-14—“For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.”
Friends, pride is a terrible thing! As pride welled up in Lucifer’s heart, it turned him into a devil as he determined to be like God! But instead of rising to the heights of God, he fell far, far below where he once stood.
And not only that, but since his fall, he became determined to bring as much pain and sorrow to the heart of God as possible. And it was through his temptations, offered to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden that sin entered this world. To Eve, he offered the same temptation that he himself had aspired, “to be like God.” To Adam, he offered the temptation of doubting God’s word and goodness, and Adam succumbed.
But praise God, although the wily wicked one, through his temptations, plunged this world into sin and sorrow, we have a Savior who had a plan from the very beginning to rescue us from this terrible predicament. Shortly after Adam and Eve had sinned, Christ spoke to the serpent, the devil, saying, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Gen. 3:15, NKJV).
Here is contained the wonderful promise that Jesus would come to this earth, and that while He would endure suffering, sorrow, and even death for our sake, He would rise again and crush the serpent’s head.
Yes, my dear brothers and sisters, one day, all sin, suffering, and sorrow that we know so well will be put to death. There will come a day when God Himself “will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4, NKJV).
I long for that day to come, and I am sure you do, too. Praise God that we have this hope. Jesus is coming soon! I invite you to pray with me just now.
Father in Heaven, we thank you for the marvelous plan of salvation which you originated at the very beginning of time, even before the creation of this world. A time when you, the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit convened and came forward with the plan of salvation, where Jesus Himself would offer his life for each of us, and that he would rise again and offer us his grace and salvation. We ask that you will help us to keep looking to Jesus, so the pride will not enter into our hearts, and that we will give God all the glory. And we do that right now. Lord, we look forward to Jesus soon coming when all of the results of sin will be put away ultimately, and we will be part of a perfect world, a perfect universe throughout eternity. All because of what Jesus has done for us. In Christ’s name, we ask it. Amen.
Long Title: The Great Controversy: The Origin of Evil
Thumbnail Title: Answering an Age-old Question
Description: Join Pastor Ted Wilson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as he dives into part two of chapter 29 of The Great Controversy by Ellen White.
In this episode, he answers several age-old questions, including, “If there is a God, why is there evil in the world? Why is there so much suffering? Where did evil come from?”
🔗 To learn more about the origin of evil, read The Great Controversy by Ellen White at https://greatcontroversyproject.org/ and join us next week for more.