Paradox # 6

The Presence of Good and Evil

Romans 8:18-25

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. In the ESV edition of the Bible our section is referred to as “Future Glory.” The lead verse for this section has the phrase “the sufferings of this present time.”
8. Paul acknowledges the presence of evil yet points to the future when the glory of God is revealed.
9. Without explanation, Paul goes on to the fact that we eagerly long for the ultimate intention of God.
10. Indeed, and the why and how is not expressed, but that our world, and ourselves, have been subjected to “futility” and that we exist in the “bondage to decay.”
11. Our God who loves the world, who created us in His image, allows us to live in the presence of evil.
12. No Bible author glosses over the reality of the condition we face. Indeed we do “groan” over our circumstance.
13. Though Satan is not equal with the Creator God, still that hideous strength is allowed to exist and exert demonic power. The fact of this is plain, and again, without explanation or apology. Full disclosure one might say.
14. We await full adoption as the children of God. Paul even states, “For in this hope we are saved.” Only the redeemed of the Lord have this outrageous hope, and biblical hope is not a wishing.
15. Our waiting is done patiently. Every generation of believers hopes for the soon fulfillment of the great promises of God, which is only natural. See Genesis 3:15 on this point.
16. After all is said, either in Scripture or by Christians throughout our history, we still do not fully understand why the God who so loves the world, allows the presence of evil.