This study guide is meant to be used as a simple tool to help your small group dive deeper into God’s word, nurture conversation, and draw your group nearer to Christ. As a leader, begin your group in prayer by asking the Holy Spirit to lead your discussion.

Have you ever asked the question: ‘Why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?’

You know you have thought it and maybe someone has even asked you the question,

“HOW CAN A LOVING AND ALL-POWERFUL GOD EXIST, IF SO MUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING OCCURS IN THE WORLD?”

MORALITY AND EVIL POINT TOWARDS GOD

C.S. Lewis came to realise the moral standards that we use to identify and condemn evil actually prove that God exists!

For example: Discuss the following logically sound line of reasoning:

1. If God does not exist, then objective moral values do not exist.
2. If objective moral values do not exist, then evil does not exist.
3. Evil really does exist!
4. Therefore, objective moral values exist.
5. Therefore God exists.

Therefore, objective moral values exist.

1 WHY WOULD GOD ALLOW EVIL?
GENESIS 3:1-24

Here’s the reason God allows evil to exist:
• Love can only be genuine if it is based on freedom of choice.
• God took a big risk in giving us freedom of choice, but because He wanted us to be able to love Him out of our choosing, we were also given the freedom to do just the opposite and choose evil.
• God could have eliminated our ability to do evil by not giving us the option to choose; however, this would have turned us into emotionless robots.
• As we see the real consequences of evil, we can truly understand why God has always warned us to avoid it completely.

2 OUR CONTRIBUTION
ISAIAH 59:2 & ROMANS 3:10-18
Unfortunately, we have all contributed to the problem of evil in the world.
• “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” Romans 3:23

3 THE ORIGIN OF EVIL
ISAIAH 14:12-14 & REVELATION 12:7-9
The Bible tells us how evil, pain and suffering started.
• The highest angel in heaven, who was called Lucifer, became ambitious and thought he could take God’s position in the universe.
• Lucifer secretly started to lead other angels to doubt God’s goodness and love.
• Finally, Lucifer became Satan and led an open rebellion against God.
• Satan led the first human beings, Adam and Eve, to doubt and distrust God.
• Jesus has warned us Satan’s goal is to destroy us..

4 THE HAPPY FUTURE AWAITS
JOHN 14:6
Satan seeks to destroy us. But, Jesus has already won the victory in the battle between good and evil through His death on the Cross:
• Jesus entered our world and experienced our pain so that He could demonstrate His love for us.
• Jesus gives us forgiveness and freedom.
He takes the guilt and shame that Satan uses to pull us away from God. Romans 10:11, 1 Peter 2:6
• The day is coming when Jesus will put an end to all evil, pain and suffering in this world.