Is evil necessary?

Dear Pastor -

I'm a teenager in my senior high. I'm just wondering whether evil is necessary so as to occasion grace. Come to think of it, aren't we to be saved just because there is evil? And isn't evil therefore necessary?

Linda.

Dear Linda,

Your question is one which all of us need to ponder – whether evil is necessary so as to occasion grace.

Which came first? Grace or evil? Grace came first. When God created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden it was a grace action.

Grace means unmerited favour. God prepared everything and gave it to man free. He was only responsible to take care of the garden.

When Satan introduced evil, man became a sinful being. From then on no amounts of work would please God.

In fact grace is more essential than ever before to live a Godly life. God took the initiative and dressed man with animal skins (man had covered himself with leaves that were going to dry by the end of the day) – an act of grace.

Evil is not necessary at all. When God does away with evil as it is written in the book of Revelation 21, grace will still be there.

Heaven is a place by God to those who put faith in His Son Jesus. It is a place of grace because we do not deserve to inherit such a place.

Graciousness is part of God’s character. This character trait is revealed to man through creation and redemption at the cross and in future it will be revealed at man’s glorification to eternity.