THE CHILDREN’S STORY CORNER:

PERMISSION OF EVIL

If you read the newspapers or look at the news on TV, you know that there is much evil going on in the world these days. Do you ever wonder why these awful things happen? Why can’t things get better? Well, there is a reason and it is that Satan is being permitted to rule this “present evil world.” Ephesians 2:2, tells us that ”the prince of the power of the air (another name for Satan) now works in children of disobedience.”

The sad story of the permission of evil began a very long time ago, back in the Garden of Eden. God had told Adam he would die if he ate of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve was curious about that tree and Satan, through the serpent, told her she would not die if she ate of it, but that it would make her wise. Though they did not know what death was yet, because they had never seen it; they did know what God had very clearly told Adam.

The Bible tells us that Eve, being deceived, ate of the fruit and then she offered some to Adam. Now Adam knew better. He was not deceived, but he also had no experience with sin or death either and thinking that Eve would now be taken away from him, he did not want to be without her so he also ate some. Immediately, they both felt guilty and hid when the Lord came to talk to them as He usually did.

Satan tempted Mother Eve because he wanted to be worshipped, being very jealous of God. By lying to Eve, he introduced sin and death to them as well as to all mankind born after them. But God is able to bring good even out of things that are evil, and He knew that there was no better way to teach mankind about how sinful evil is, and what terrible things it causes than to have man experience it.

Why didn’t God just change His penalty you may ask? Would you trust anyone who doesn’t keep their word? God’s character is made of Justice, Wisdom, Love, and Power. He could not do anything that is not in harmony with all four of His attributes. Justice would not allow it. But His Love designed a marvelous plan that provided for the payment for sin by Jesus’ death on the Cross for all of our sins, and also provided for the blessing of all mankind in the coming Kingdom when Jesus will rule the world as King. I’ll tell you more about that at another time.

Your Aunt Vivien