“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” — Psalm 100:5 NIV

Every now and then someone comes my way who blames God for some evil thing that has happened to them. Their blame usually goes like this: if God was real then he wouldn’t have allowed whatever it is that happened to them. The truth is, God is not responsible for mankind’s evil against mankind. The Bible story from Genesis to Revelation explains how free-will agents choose a fallen angel’s lie and now the weeds grow with the wheat until the day of harvest when they will be finally separated forever.

God offers an abundant life while the devil intends to steal, kill, and destroy. Evil is not of God but of His enemy. God is good and is love, and this life is our chance to side with His faithfulness as His plan of redemption deliberately unfolds into what will be an Eden made new without evil, sin, or death. God cannot force good upon us and destroy the devil, lest He bolster the lies against His character.

Thankfully, God’s goodness is proven in His honoring of our free-will in the midst of evil and willingness to trust in His plan to perfectly restore good, forever.