(The Purpose of Creation and the Glory of Christ)
Introduction
One of the most common questions raised by believers and unbelievers alike is this: If God knew that Lucifer would rebel and become Satan, why did He create him at all? Closely related to this question is another: If God knew that evil, suffering, sin, and death would enter the world, why create anything at all? These questions are often approached from the perspective of evil. The discussion typically focuses on suffering, free will, rebellion, and the consequences of sin. While these subjects are important, they do not necessarily address the deeper issue.
The question is not merely why evil exists. The deeper question is whether the existence of evil means that creation was not worth bringing into existence. I believe Scripture answers this question by directing our attention to two foundational truths.
First, the possibility of evil belongs to creaturehood because the immutable nature that belongs uniquely to God does not belong to His creatures. The possibility of departure is not evidence of a flaw in creation but a consequence of the distinction between Creator and creature.
Second, God created anyway because the glory He intended to share with His faithful creatures was greater than the evil that would oppose it. God’s purpose in creation was never defined by evil but by the glory He intended to reveal and share through His eternal purpose in Christ.
This article argues that creation should not be evaluated merely by the evil that entered it but by the purpose for which God created it. While Scripture fully acknowledges the reality of evil, it consistently directs our attention beyond evil to God’s wisdom, God’s purpose, God’s redemption, and ultimately God’s glory.
The Image of God and the Nature of Created Beings
Scripture teaches that mankind was created in the image of God: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness'” (Genesis 1:26).
I believe angels likewise possess a spiritual nature that reflects God’s image, though not in a physical sense. God is spirit, and therefore His image is not primarily material. The image of God is reflected in spiritual and moral capacities that distinguish angels and mankind from the rest of creation. Among all created things, angels and mankind stand apart because they possess moral awareness. They are capable of understanding, choosing, worshiping, loving, obeying, and rebelling. A stone cannot rebel against God. A tree cannot worship God. An animal cannot knowingly reject truth. Only a being capable of understanding good and evil can either submit to God or oppose Him.
This is why moral accountability belongs uniquely to angels and mankind. They were created with the capacity to recognize truth and respond to it. This capacity becomes important when considering the origin of evil.
The Nature of Evil
When Adam and Eve sinned, God said: “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:22).
This statement reveals something important about the nature of evil. Many people describe evil merely as the absence of good, much as darkness is the absence of light or cold is the absence of heat. While those analogies contain some truth, they do not fully explain moral evil. Evil is not merely a deficiency. Evil is opposition to what is true and good.
A lie illustrates this well. A lie is not merely the absence of truth; it is the rejection and contradiction of truth. It attempts to replace what is true with what is false. In the same way, evil is not merely the absence of good. Evil is the rejection of good and the opposition of what God has declared to be right.
Scripture consistently presents evil in this manner. Satan did not merely lack goodness; he opposed God. Adam and Eve did not merely fail to possess righteousness; they rejected God’s command. Humanity does not merely suffer from a shortage of goodness; it suppresses truth.
Paul writes that mankind “suppresses the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18) and “exchanged the truth of God for the lie” (Romans 1:25). That language is significant. Evil is not merely the absence of truth. Evil is the rejection of truth. If there were no God, there would be no ultimate standard by which anything could be called evil. Just as a lie depends upon the existence of truth, evil depends upon the existence of what is good.
For this reason, evil cannot be understood apart from God. Evil is not an independent reality. It is rebellion against reality as God has established it. It is the rejection of truth, goodness, and righteousness.
Why the Possibility of Departure Belongs to Creaturehood
This brings us to the heart of the question. Why did God create beings who could rebel? Many discussions begin with free will, but a deeper question must first be answered. Why does the possibility of departure exist at all? I believe the answer is found in the distinction between Creator and creature. The possibility of departure does not arise because God made a mistake in creation. It arises because creatures are not God.
To understand why evil became possible, we must first understand what it means to be a creature. God alone possesses a perfectly immutable nature. Through the prophet Malachi, God declares: “For I am the LORD, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). James likewise describes Him as: “The Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). These qualities belong uniquely to God. Isaiah likewise records God’s words: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
The reason man can sin is not that he knows good and evil. God also knows good and evil. The difference is not knowledge but nature. God knows good and evil, yet He does not depart from what is good because His nature is perfectly holy, righteous, and immutable. Man likewise knows good and evil, yet he can depart from what is good because he is a creature and not the Creator. The immutability that belongs uniquely to God does not belong to His creatures. For this reason, the possibility of departure belongs to creaturehood itself. The possibility of sin, however, should not be confused with the necessity of sin. To say that creatures possess the possibility of departure is not to say that they must depart.
Creaturehood does not make sin inevitable. It makes sin possible. This distinction is important because it preserves both the goodness of God’s creation and the responsibility of His creatures. God created beings capable of remaining faithful to Him. The possibility of departure existed because they were creatures and not the Creator, but the choice to depart was their own.
Therefore, evil cannot be attributed to a defect in God’s creation. The possibility of evil arose from the nature of creaturehood, but the reality of evil arose when creatures chose to depart from what is true and good. The possibility of evil, therefore, is not evidence of a defective creation. It is evidence of the distinction between God and everything He has made.
God’s Answer Before Creation
If God knew that creatures could rebel, why proceed with creation?
Because God already possessed the answer before creation began. The appearance of evil did not surprise God. The rebellion of angels did not force Him to devise a new plan. Human sin did not place Him into a crisis. Before the foundation of the world, God had already purposed the role His Son would fulfill in overcoming sin and reconciling creation to Himself. Peter writes that Christ was: “Foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Peter 1:20). Likewise, Paul teaches that believers were chosen in Christ: “Before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). And again: God “saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9). These passages reveal that God’s answer existed before creation itself. Christ was not an emergency response to sin. He was part of God’s eternal purpose.
For this reason, Scripture presents Christ as central to both creation and redemption. Paul writes: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth… All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). John likewise declares: “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3). Paul further teaches that God’s redemptive work was: “According to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:11). The One through whom all things were created is also the One through whom all things are reconciled. God knew the possibility that existed within creaturehood, yet He also knew the solution that existed within His own eternal purpose. Therefore, God did not create recklessly or without foresight. He created with full knowledge of both the problem and the solution.
Why Create At All?
The question ultimately leads to a deeper question. Why create anything at all?
The answer is found in the nature of God Himself. John simply states: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). God did not create because He lacked anything. Before creation existed, God was already complete. He did not need servants. He did not need worshippers. He did not need companionship. Nothing can be added to God’s perfection. Yet love is, by its nature, self-giving. Love desires to share itself.
If nothing had ever been created, there would be no creatures capable of receiving God’s goodness, participating in His fellowship, or sharing in His glory. Creation exists because God’s goodness is not merely something He possesses; it is something He desires to share. God created angels and mankind to share in His glory. When a creature truly perceives the greatness, holiness, wisdom, and goodness of God, worship naturally follows. Worship is not merely an obligation imposed upon creation. It is the proper response to seeing God as He truly is.
This is why Scripture repeatedly presents God’s glory as the ultimate goal of His work. Creation was never merely about existence. It was about fellowship. It was about participation in God’s goodness. It was about sharing in His glory.
God’s Glory Is Greater Than Evil
No amount of rebellion can diminish the goodness of what God intends for His faithful creatures. No amount of evil can alter God’s desire to share His glory with those who remain loyal to Him. Evil may oppose God’s purpose, but it cannot overcome it. If evil were capable of overturning God’s purpose, then God’s purpose would not be great enough to justify creation. But God’s purpose is not threatened by evil. His glory is greater than evil. His wisdom is greater than evil. His love is greater than evil.
The question, therefore, is not merely whether evil exists. The question is whether the eternal glory God has prepared is greater than the temporary reality of evil. From God’s perspective, the answer is yes. This principle is illustrated in the life of Christ Himself. When Jesus began teaching His disciples about His coming suffering and death, Peter objected and declared: “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (Matthew 16:22).
Peter’s reaction is understandable. He loved the Lord and could not bear the thought of seeing Him suffer. His attention was fixed upon the betrayal, injustice, humiliation, and death that awaited Jesus. Yet Jesus saw something Peter did not. Beyond the suffering stood redemption. Beyond the cross stood salvation. Beyond death stood resurrection. For this reason, Jesus rebuked Peter, saying: “You are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23). Peter viewed the situation through the lens of immediate evil. Jesus viewed it through the lens of God’s eternal purpose. Peter saw the suffering. Jesus saw the salvation that would come through it. Peter saw the cross. Jesus saw the redemption of mankind. Peter saw the evil that stood before Him. Jesus saw the glory that lay beyond it.
This same contrast often appears in discussions about creation. Many people look at creation and focus exclusively on the evil that entered it. They see sin, suffering, death, and rebellion and conclude that creation was not worth bringing into existence. In many ways, this is to view creation through Peter’s perspective rather than Christ’s. Peter was not wrong about the reality of suffering. The cross would indeed involve suffering, injustice, and death. What Peter failed to see was the purpose that lay beyond it. Likewise, Scripture does not lead believers to deny the reality of evil. Evil is real. Suffering is real. Death is real. But the Christian faith does not lead believers to deny the reality of evil. Rather, it leads us beyond it to the greater reality of God’s purpose.
Just as Christ looked beyond the suffering of the cross to the redemption that would be accomplished through it, believers are called to look beyond the evil that entered creation to the purpose for which God created it. Creation must not be evaluated merely by the evil that entered it but by the purpose for which God brought it into existence and by the glory He intends to share with those who faithfully belong to Him.
Conclusion
The Christian answer to the problem of evil is not ultimately found in Satan but in Christ. Satan reveals the possibility of departure from God. Christ reveals what creaturehood was always intended to become. In Jesus we see a man who knew good and evil, was tempted in every way as we are, yet never departed from the will of His Father. He did not remain faithful because He lacked knowledge of evil. He remained faithful because He perfectly loved, trusted, and obeyed God.
In Him we see that creaturehood does not require rebellion. The possibility of departure belongs to creaturehood, but Christ demonstrates that faithful submission to God is also possible. More than this, Christ reveals God’s purpose in creation itself. Before the foundation of the world, God knew both the possibility of rebellion and the glory that would be revealed through His Son. He knew the cost of redemption, yet He also knew the inheritance that would be shared with those who faithfully belong to Christ.
The question, therefore, is not whether evil entered creation. The question is whether God’s purpose in Christ is greater than the evil that opposed it. Scripture answers with an emphatic yes. The cross was greater than the betrayal that led to it. The resurrection was greater than the death that preceded it. The kingdom of God is greater than the rebellion that opposed it. And the glory to be revealed in God’s faithful people is greater than the suffering of this present world.
For this reason, believers are called to view creation through the lens of Christ. In Him we see God’s purpose. In Him we see God’s wisdom. In Him we see God’s answer to evil. And in Him we see the glory for which creation was brought into existence. The Christian faith does not lead us away from the reality of evil; it leads us to Christ, in whom God’s purpose for creation is fully revealed.
Sault Ste. Marie