Q4. Why is there evil?

A. God gave us free will to obey and we did not. (Romans 5:12)

● Discussion Question: God put humans in the garden and asked them not to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree. We broke one of God’s only and simple commands. By creating the tree, God gave human beings the possibility to screw up by eating the fruit. Why did He even give us the chance by putting the tree there?

● Discussion Question: There has been a lot of evil as the result of free will. Do you think that free will is worth all of the evil?

● Discussion Question: We often think of evil as a philosophical problem (how can a good and all-powerful God co-exist with evil?) or a historical problem (there are evil events, such as the Holocaust or drunken drivers causing fatal wrecks), but how is it also a personal problem? Would you consider yourself as being a mostly good person or better than other people we would consider “evil”?

● Discussion Question: Would you give up your free will if it meant you always did the right thing? Would you take your friend’s free will it meant that from then on he would always do the right thing? What about that cute-girl-you’ve-been-crushing-on’s free will?

● Discussion Question: Look up and read Romans 5:12. What is the result of sin according to this Scripture?

● Discussion Question: In Isaiah 55:9 God says, “my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Is what’s evil to us good to God?

● Discussion Question: What was the most important idea you learned from this lesson? Is there anything you still don’t understand?

Application Question: Part of what it means to be made in the image of God is to represent Him here on earth. How can you represent God in your own life?