Why Does God Allow Sin?

Since God is righteous and perfectly within his right to condemn sinners, why does he allow sin? He hates it but why doesn't he deal with it directly?

God has always given humanity a choice to follow him or the Devil. We saw that clearly demonstrated in the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had only one commandment to obey but they chose to rebel.

Joshua 24:15 (KJV) demonstrates that choice is a gift from God. "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Choice also lets God's grace have greater effect. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:20 (KJV),  "Moreover the law entered, that the offence  might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more  abound:"

But the Lord won't let sin go on unpunished forever. Check out what Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 1:8 (KJV). "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:"

But does God cause sin to happen? No way! Paul explains who really is at fault for sin. He wrote in Galatians 6:7 (KJV), "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for  whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." In other words, what goes around comes around.

The Lord also lets bad things happen to his people for a good cause. Paul knew this well when he wrote in Philippians 1:12 (KJV)  "But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;"

But must we wait until Christ's return for wickedness to be punished? There are times when sins are punished in this life. Look at what God said in Deuteronomy 32:35 (KJV). "To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste."

These are but a few of many scriptures which show that God makes use of sin but he isn't the cause of it. I'll be writing more on this subject in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? One reason many people give for rejecting the Lord is because he seems not to do anything about all the evil in this world. How reassuring it is that NOBODY will get away with continual wickedness all through their lives.