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Why Is There Evil?
With all the suffering and evil in the world, where is God? This can be an important question for Christians to grapple with. It is also a common accusation that seeks to undermine our faith. How should we respond to skeptics and comfort sufferers when questions about evil arise?
In this booklet, Dr. R.C. Sproul addresses the problem of evil, examining how Christians have wrestled with these questions through the ages. Together with them, we can have confidence in the God who is in control of this world and is working all things in it for our good.
The Crucial Questions booklet series by Dr. R.C. Sproul offers succinct answers to important questions often asked by Christians and thoughtful inquirers.
In this booklet, Dr. R.C. Sproul addresses the problem of evil, examining how Christians have wrestled with these questions through the ages. Together with them, we can have confidence in the God who is in control of this world and is working all things in it for our good.
The Crucial Questions booklet series by Dr. R.C. Sproul offers succinct answers to important questions often asked by Christians and thoughtful inquirers.
113 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 25, 2022
About the author
R.C. Sproul
695 books2,084 followersDr. R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian discipleship organization located near Orlando, Fla. He was founding pastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.
Ligonier Ministries began in 1971 as the Ligonier Valley Study Center in Ligonier, Pa. In an effort to respond more effectively to the growing demand for Dr. Sproul’s teachings and the ministry’s other educational resources, the general offices were moved to Orlando in 1984, and the ministry was renamed.
Dr. Sproul’s radio program, Renewing Your Mind, is still broadcast daily on hundreds of radio stations around the world and can also be heard online. Dr. Sproul produced hundreds of lecture series and recorded numerous video series on subjects such as the history of philosophy, theology, Bible study, apologetics, and Christian living.
He contributed dozens of articles to national evangelical publications, spoke at conferences, churches, and academic institutions around the world, and wrote more than one hundred books, including The Holiness of God, Chosen by God, and Everyone’s a Theologian. He signed the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and wrote a commentary on that document. He also served as general editor of the Reformation Study Bible, previously known as the New Geneva Study Bible.
Dr. Sproul had a distinguished academic teaching career at various colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and Jackson, Miss. He was ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 28, 2025
Undoubtedly one of the questions most pointedly directed towards Christians is this question and the short answer is that we do not know, but we do know that evil entered the world through sin. We don’t know why Adam & Eve necessarily chose evil in the garden, why natural disasters happen, why some perish and others remain, why the most wicked receive blessing and others face extreme affliction, but we do know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.
Thankfully, as Christians we have an answer for the flip side of this coin, namely why is there any good in this world? Because there is a most excellent and altogether good Creator. For the unbeliever, there is no answer to this question. Nonetheless, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever, and if we can trust in those few words we can say with the saints that all this evil we face is only a light momentary affliction preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
Thankfully, as Christians we have an answer for the flip side of this coin, namely why is there any good in this world? Because there is a most excellent and altogether good Creator. For the unbeliever, there is no answer to this question. Nonetheless, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever, and if we can trust in those few words we can say with the saints that all this evil we face is only a light momentary affliction preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
September 12, 2025
Really good book! Second read by Sproul. This is one of the most important questions that Christians need to grapple with, Sproul does a really good job nailing some of the major points. However I am only giving it a 4/5 because while he provides a great explanation and sound theology, I think this book should have been an extra 25 pages to explain more questions people might have such as “why natural disasters?” Overall though a really good read I highly encourage every Christian to read to grow in understanding so that we may best understand our Lord and praise Him.
October 20, 2025
Read this one with the kids. What I appreciate about Sproul is his ability to communicate philosophical ideas in a way that is easily understood. And here he comes down by giving some good things to think about but that ultimately, we can't possibly know all the reasons for all the "evil" that is in the world. But we can learn to think about it Biblically, and that is very helpful.
March 22, 2024
Short answer (things I’ve learned): we don’t know where evil came from, but God has a purpose for the entrance of evil in this world. The presence of evil points to the reality of good, which becomes the argument for the existence of God
He is sovereign. Although we may not know the origin, we do know the future: God will rid of every evil.
He is sovereign. Although we may not know the origin, we do know the future: God will rid of every evil.
July 3, 2026
Para el Autor R. C. Sproul: Dios ha permitido y ordenado en el curso de la historia (el mal) para un propósito mayor y que manifiesta Su gloria y Su justicia, aunque a nosotros, ello nos cueste procesarlo desde nuestra finitud. 4.0/5.0
June 26, 2026
What a conglomerate of topics! This booklet essentially combines the discussions of “What Does It Mean That God is Sovereign?,” “Does God Control Everything?,” and “Can I Have Joy in my Life?”. It’s a good one!
—-
Quotes:
“If God is moral, if He is righteous, we can demand that God create the best of all possible worlds.” -7
“When we choose, we always choose according to our strongest inclination, our strongest desire.” -11
“To see that something is potentially good, and to consider and desire to eat something that is good and then taste it, is not wrong. Jesus was hungry in the wilderness. There was no problem in Jesus' being hungry and desiring food; there was no sin in that. There would be sin only if He acted on that desire. But if He desired to disobey God, that would be a sin. If I sit around desiring to do something that is intrinsically evil, then I've already sinned inwardly. That's where this becomes very complicated. We can see how Adam and Eve would consider the fruit to be beautiful and appetizing and to desire it, but their desire for the food came into conflict with their desire to please God.” -13
“What inclined him to freely choose that? There's no satisfactory logical explanation for the sin of Adam.” -15
“Though I don't know or fully understand the origin of evil, I do know the future of it. I do know that it has been overcome and that God will rid this universe of all moral evil, physical evil, and metaphysical evil, as we grow up into the fullness of Christ and inhabit a new heaven and a new earth, where there will be no more crying, no more sin, and no more death.” -34
“What I found out is that you are never safe. I wasn't safe when I thought I was safe. But I also found out, paradoxically, though not contradictorily, that I am always safe. That is to say, from a human perspective, we are never really safe, but from a divine perspective, if your life is in the hands of God, you are always in a situation of perfect safety.” -43
“The Christian needs to go deeper and look behind the temporal causes of this world and see the invisible hand of God's providence.” -44
“We simply wait on the Lord. That's the promise of God. That's why we’re not to avenge ourselves, because God has promised to make right everything that is not right now.” -54
“What should amaze us is that God spares us for any amount of time. What should surprise us is not the manifestation of His justice but the manifestation of His mercy, for unless we repent, we will all likewise perish.” -61
“We have a tendency as Christians to presume on grace, to think somehow that God is obligated to be gracious to us, and we forget what grace is.” -63
“And the first woman of Uz [Job’s wife] now is reduced to sitting next to her husband on a hill of dung, while everyone in the city mocks them. Will she stand by her man? Will she be the helpmate that God had created her to be? Will she bring consolation to her husband when he is afflicted with disease and his flesh begins to rot away?” -69
“‘Job, look at who I am. Job, you can trust Me.’” -73
“There is no injustice in His providence.” -82
“That's the real test of the Christian life: To what degree are we able to trust God for tomorrow?” -88
“I would say: ‘Lord, if You're going with me, let's go. What do I have to fear if You're here?’ But my fear is that He doesn't really mean it, that maybe as soon as I step foot in that valley, He’ll leave.It's hard to put our trust in the promise of God's presence when we cannot see it.” -90
“That's what we do with the providence of God. We have expectations of God, and when He doesn't meet our expec-tations, we are offended and we start looking for someone who will meet our expectations. This happens because we don't pay attention to what God promises.” -100-101
“Romans 8:28 teaches that for those who love God, there is no such thing ultimately as a tragedy. And for those who despise God, there is no such thing ultimately as a blessing.” -107
—-
Quotes:
“If God is moral, if He is righteous, we can demand that God create the best of all possible worlds.” -7
“When we choose, we always choose according to our strongest inclination, our strongest desire.” -11
“To see that something is potentially good, and to consider and desire to eat something that is good and then taste it, is not wrong. Jesus was hungry in the wilderness. There was no problem in Jesus' being hungry and desiring food; there was no sin in that. There would be sin only if He acted on that desire. But if He desired to disobey God, that would be a sin. If I sit around desiring to do something that is intrinsically evil, then I've already sinned inwardly. That's where this becomes very complicated. We can see how Adam and Eve would consider the fruit to be beautiful and appetizing and to desire it, but their desire for the food came into conflict with their desire to please God.” -13
“What inclined him to freely choose that? There's no satisfactory logical explanation for the sin of Adam.” -15
“Though I don't know or fully understand the origin of evil, I do know the future of it. I do know that it has been overcome and that God will rid this universe of all moral evil, physical evil, and metaphysical evil, as we grow up into the fullness of Christ and inhabit a new heaven and a new earth, where there will be no more crying, no more sin, and no more death.” -34
“What I found out is that you are never safe. I wasn't safe when I thought I was safe. But I also found out, paradoxically, though not contradictorily, that I am always safe. That is to say, from a human perspective, we are never really safe, but from a divine perspective, if your life is in the hands of God, you are always in a situation of perfect safety.” -43
“The Christian needs to go deeper and look behind the temporal causes of this world and see the invisible hand of God's providence.” -44
“We simply wait on the Lord. That's the promise of God. That's why we’re not to avenge ourselves, because God has promised to make right everything that is not right now.” -54
“What should amaze us is that God spares us for any amount of time. What should surprise us is not the manifestation of His justice but the manifestation of His mercy, for unless we repent, we will all likewise perish.” -61
“We have a tendency as Christians to presume on grace, to think somehow that God is obligated to be gracious to us, and we forget what grace is.” -63
“And the first woman of Uz [Job’s wife] now is reduced to sitting next to her husband on a hill of dung, while everyone in the city mocks them. Will she stand by her man? Will she be the helpmate that God had created her to be? Will she bring consolation to her husband when he is afflicted with disease and his flesh begins to rot away?” -69
“‘Job, look at who I am. Job, you can trust Me.’” -73
“There is no injustice in His providence.” -82
“That's the real test of the Christian life: To what degree are we able to trust God for tomorrow?” -88
“I would say: ‘Lord, if You're going with me, let's go. What do I have to fear if You're here?’ But my fear is that He doesn't really mean it, that maybe as soon as I step foot in that valley, He’ll leave.It's hard to put our trust in the promise of God's presence when we cannot see it.” -90
“That's what we do with the providence of God. We have expectations of God, and when He doesn't meet our expec-tations, we are offended and we start looking for someone who will meet our expectations. This happens because we don't pay attention to what God promises.” -100-101
“Romans 8:28 teaches that for those who love God, there is no such thing ultimately as a tragedy. And for those who despise God, there is no such thing ultimately as a blessing.” -107
December 1, 2025
Excellent little book which does not avoid the real questions around the character of God and the problem. Sproul acknowledges that we cannot answer these questions in every case and, therefore, gives no glib answers.
Every Christian should read this book.
It is an outstanding resource to give anyone asking questions about God and evil.
Every Christian should read this book.
It is an outstanding resource to give anyone asking questions about God and evil.
April 10, 2026
Great book.
I liked it, it would help you understand a little about the problem of evil.
"God has an ability to order a universe in which He uses evil for perfectly pure and holy purposes, which we will see fully only in glory."
I liked it, it would help you understand a little about the problem of evil.
"God has an ability to order a universe in which He uses evil for perfectly pure and holy purposes, which we will see fully only in glory."
July 27, 2026
This book offers a hard truth about who God is and the natural ramifications of his holiness. I was challenged and encouraged, and by the culminations of Dr. Sproul's arguments, I left encouraged and thankful to be counted as a follower of Christ.
April 9, 2025
hard to read
June 30, 2025
Excellent book - well worth a read…
November 20, 2025
Classic Sproul. A short pamphlet dealing with the hardest question for Christianity, the problem of evil.
January 11, 2025
This is the best of the crucial questions series as far as I’ve read. R.C. Sproul masterfully addresses one of the most challenging questions in theology—why a good and sovereign God allows evil to exist. In his signature style, Sproul balances intellectual rigor with pastoral sensitivity, making profound theological concepts accessible to readers of all backgrounds. He provides a biblical framework for understanding evil without diminishing God’s holiness or sovereignty, offering clarity and comfort in the face of life’s most perplexing realities. This concise work is both thought-provoking and faith-strengthening, a must-read for anyone wrestling with this timeless question. Highly recommended!
March 17, 2024
The Good Fight
Overcoming evil with an abundance of Good through the Word of God is imperative in our daily living. Evil is overcome by not allowing cruelty to happen while we stand by watching
Overcoming evil with an abundance of Good through the Word of God is imperative in our daily living. Evil is overcome by not allowing cruelty to happen while we stand by watching
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews