Did God Create Evil and Sin?
The above question may arise when one considers the many awful misdeeds and catastrophes that occur in our world today. God created this world, right? Is this state of confusion and immoral behavior what God intended as the Supreme Creator of everything? If God didn't create evil, then how did it come to exist?
There are simple answers to these questions such as "Everyone has the right to choose, so evil comes from our free will" or "Evil is just the absence of good, just as cold is the absence of heat". These reasons are valid in their simplicity, and I accept them as being true. However, as I studied this topic a little bit more, I came upon a few truths that deepened my understanding of God's creation and His goodness. I wanted to emphasize two of these truths.
Truth No. 1: God did not create the world out of nothing (ex nihilo).
Truth No. 2: Law is beneficial and necessary, and good and evil are natural consequences of law.
These truths help us come to the understanding that God did not create evil directly. Evil came about as a necessary consequence resulting from God's creation of all that is good and from His implementation of an eternal plan for our benefit. The purpose of God's plan is to elevate His children to a higher level of experience and happiness.
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Truth No. 1: God did not create the world out of nothing (ex nihilo).
The scriptures say that God created all things (Colossians 1:16; 2 Nephi 2:14). That would lead one to think that, if He created everything, He must have created evil as well. But even though evil exists, God is not the author of evil. In 1 Timothy 4:4 it says, "For every creature (creation) of God is good." One can understand how evil came to exist when one accepts that God did not create the world out of nothing.
God did not create everything out of nothing, or in theological terms, God did not create the world ex nihilo. Modern-day revelation rejects this idea of creation ex nihilo, declaring that God is a great Organizer, and His Creation is a bringing together of existing matter to create something new, instead of making something appear out of nothing (Abraham 3:24). Besides agreeing with scientific principles of the conservation of mass, this principle is an important preface to the argument that God did not create evil.
The first chapter of Genesis gives an account of God's creation of our world. In Genesis 1:3-4 it says:
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
In this account, God creates the light, and then divides it from the darkness. This act of division occurs several times throughout the creation narrative, between light and darkness, day and night, heaven and earth, the water and the land. And throughout the narrative God declares repeatedly "that it was good" (Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21). What God creates is good, in contrast to the disorder that God separates from his creations. Thus God cultivates the good and pushes off the bad; He does not create evil, but separates it from his wonderful creations, which are integral to our earthly experience and happiness.
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Truth No. 2: Law is beneficial and necessary, and good and evil are natural consequences of law.
God is often referred to as a King and a Judge, and central to God's occupation is the establishment of law. Laws and commandments are God's way of orienting His children as to how they can progress in this life. He said in Isaiah 51:4, "For a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people." His law serves as a directing light to help all humanity develop spiritually and temporally. Laws are a great gift that God gives to His children, a gift that gives life purpose and direction. This is because laws are a standard to be fulfilled, and obedience to God's laws results in positive experience in this life. Without law as a standard for improvement, positive experience is not possible (See Alma 42:12-24).
Christ said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). How can something be perfect if there is no standard to measure it by? This principle is important in understanding God's goodness: God is good because He fulfills law. If there were no law to delineate good and evil, then good and evil would not exist, and therefore God could not be good. In Alma 42:13 it says, "the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God". If the law were removed or even just diminished, God's greatness and glory would fade. Therefore, it is necessary for God to establish law. Good and evil are products of law. Good is the fulfillment of the law; evil is the neglect of law.
Law is necessary for our eternal progression, giving us choices to be better. Like the rungs of a ladder, each law provides proper footing whereon individuals may either ascend towards heaven or descend to hell, according to their own free will and choice.
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There is much more that I could say about this topic, but there is a limit to how much I can write in one blog post. However, I rejoice in this small opportunity to express my gratitude for God's perfect plan. I know that God's creations are good and His intents are for our benefit, despite all the evil we must face in this mortal existence. We can rest knowing that God "doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world" (2 Nephi 26:24).