Why did God create the world knowing that bad things would happen?

By Pastor Bill

Recently, one of the kids at Kids Club asked a remarkably perceptive question. At times, God grants children curiosity and spiritual insight beyond their years. And it leaves us in awe. What follows is my attempt to answer that question in a way that children might understand – with some Scripture added as annotation.

This is a very big question that people have asked for a very long time. Imagine a little boy standing on the beach with a bucket, looking at the ocean. Could he put the whole ocean in his bucket? No, that’s impossible. But he could fill his bucket up with some real ocean water. In the same way, we cannot understand everything about God and His plans. God knows way more than we do. But the Bible gives us some true and helpful answers. We don’t need to make up our own answers. Instead, we can trust what God tells us in His Word. And even when something is hard to understand, trusting God helps us stay calm and at peace.

First, the Bible says that God knows everything. That includes what has already happened, what is happening now, and what will happen in the future. And because God is perfectly wise and perfectly good, He always plans the best thing to do. God is never confused and never makes mistakes. So, yes, it’s true, God did create the world knowing that bad things would happen.

Second, God made the world good, and people made wrong choices. God made the world, and everything He made was good. God made people to love Him and to love one another. And God made people able to make real choices. They could obey God, or they could disobey God. Sadly, people chose to disobey God, and when they did, sin and sadness came into God’s good world. But God is never surprised. Even before people sinned, God had a loving plan to rescue His people and make things right again. People are responsible for the wrong choices they make. But overall, God is always in control, and He uses even bad things to bring about His good and wise plan.

Third, God had a rescue plan from the beginning. God’s great plan is to rescue people and fix His broken world. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus. Jesus came to forgive sins, defeat evil, and make everything new again. The cross was not an accident or a backup plan. It was planned from the beginning. God never does bad things, but He is so powerful and wise that He can use even bad things to bring about good, especially the good of saving His people.

So why did God create the world, knowing bad things would happen? Because God’s forever plan is bigger and better than stopping all bad things right now. From the very beginning, God planned to send Jesus to rescue sinners and make His glory known. One day, God will stop all evil forever. All sadness, pain, sin, and death will be gone. The world will be made new, and nothing bad will ever happen again. It’s not surprising that we don’t understand everything because we are not God. God’s plans are deeper than the deepest ocean. But we can trust Him because we know this is true:

• God is always good and always wise.
  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever (Psalm 100:5)
  Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! (Romans 11:33)
• God loves His people and keeps His promises.
  God [showed] his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)
  God is not human, that he should lie (Numbers 23:19)
• God has a happy ending planned, where nothing will ever be broken again.
  Behold, I am making all things new (Revelation 21:5)
  [God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4)
  No longer will there be anything accursed (Revelation 22:3)

Pastor Bill