If God Why Evil?

This is the number one objection to God's existence. Dr. Zacharias does a great job explaining how an all good and Holy God exists and yet evil exists also.

Dr. Ravi Zacharias  makes a great point in that even the question demonstrates that there is a moral standard to which they are using to condemn the actions of evil. Many times the atheist will bring up the actions of God in the OT and go into a rage about how awful and cruel God is.

The well known and outspoken atheist Dr. Richard Dawkins in his book the "God Delusion" says:

“Yahweh: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unplesant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser, a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

Where is Dawkins getting this standard to judge the actions of God as being wrong?  If there is no moral standard then it is just mans opinion that rape is wrong.  How do we say Mother Teresa was good and Hitler was bad unless we have a transcendent standard that is outside of both of them?

The standard is Gods very character and nature. When looking at my neighbor we nay think we are pretty good. However we are not going to be judges based on how we do compared to our neighbor but rather how we do compared to God!

We are told:

       Mathew 5:48
"You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

2 Samuel 22:31 

"As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him."

Deuteronomy 32:4
"He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he."

We are judged by God's Holy standard which is perfection. The real question is not do bad things happen to good people but why does God allow so many good things to happen to bad people?  

Dr. Vodie Baucham gives us some insight on the correct way the question should be answered:

When we realize the problem is man and not God, we see that we are not owed anything and are deserving of God's wrath and judgement and yet in his grace chooses for himself and elect chosen people (Ephesians 1:3-14).    

Next time someone asks why does God allow bad things to happen to "good" people? Ask them whose standard are you using to determine whether someone is "good" or bad"?    Man's or God's?

Secondly point out to them that they are using a standard outside of themselves to be able to know the way things "ought" to be!  C.S. Lewis pointed out that you when drawing you do not know a line is crooked unless you know what a straight line is.  You do not know something is wrong unless you know what is right.

In closing we are told that God has supernaturally created us with the knowledge of right and wrong but sadly men suppress the truth in unrighteousness:

  (Romans 1:18-23 ESV)

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things."