C.S. Lewis called human free will and our ability to choose good or evil, as the risk that God thinks is worth taking. Indeed God can be connected to the occurrence of evil in the world. By creating us free – he allows the possibility. God cannot possibly desire or cause evil – yet does he not have some responsibility. God could have made us less free, or not free, or perhaps hold back our hand if we were to choose evil.
As a result of creating us free – God puts his own good name on the line. The existence of evil in the world always has been and will always be the greatest argument against belief in God. It troubles people – particularly good people - who have tried their best to do God’s will – then they find themselves the victim of some great moral evil. All of a sudden, God seems indifferent to their suffering – despite their life long devotion.
This is a risk that God thinks is worth taking. He risks the marring of this beautiful world, he risks his beloved children suffering, he risks his good name because he can be connected to it. He does this because the good of even one person turning to God and returning God’s love with free will is more valuable than the whole world. And, even more so – a person who turns away from evil and receives God’s forgiveness has become a co-worker with God – defeating evil. In doing so we bring about goodness and turn more souls to God than those who are lost by evil.
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