MacArthur on the Origin of Evil

Philosophers struggle to explain the origin of evil. One thing is certain: God is not its author, creator, or efficient cause. Everything He created was good. Evil was no part of His creation. Who then created evil? No one. Evil is neither substance, being, spirit, nor matter. It is not a created thing. It is simply a want of moral perfection in moral agents who were originally created sinless. Evil has no existence apart from fallen creatures.

God, although absolutely sovereign over all things, is not the author or instigator of sin. He did not concoct sin, encourage it, sanction it, condone it, approve it, or otherwise countenance it. But He created moral agents with a capacity to make moral choices, and they fell (in Calvin’s words) by their own evil intention.

Although sin is no part of creation, neither is it something that sneaked in and caught God by surprise. Sin was not something that thwarted the plan of God; rather, it was part of God’s plan from the beginning. He had a good purpose in allowing it, but still He was neither the instigator nor the author of His creatures’ evil deeds. Rather, He made them moral agents and gave them freedom to act, and they fell into sin by their own choice.

Evolution offers no explanation for the human dilemma, much less any solution to it. Why is human existence fraught with so many moral and spiritual problems? Evolution will never be able to answer that question. In fact, pure naturalistic evolution cannot account for anything that is moral or spiritual.

Scripture says we were made in the image of God but are fallen creatures, born with an inclination to sin. We inherited our sinfulness from Adam. When he sinned, he plunged the whole race into a helplessly fallen state of bondage to evil. That, in a nutshell, is the doctrine known as “original sin.”

Evidence of the sinfulness of our race is all around us. It is published in the daily newspapers, it is shown to us on the evening news, and it is writ large in human history. No one in all our acquaintance is sin-free. Most of all, if we’re honest with ourselves, some of the most persuasive proofs of our hopeless depravity are presented to us by our own consciences.

Adapted from The Battle for the Beginning: The Bible on Creation and the Fall of Adam by John MacArthur