Reflection: Our challenge is to live with purity in an impure world – and that’s no small task. It is, however, a vital one. Why? Because evil poses a direct challenge to God. The Old Testament prophet, Habakkuk, says bluntly that God ‘cannot tolerate wrongdoing.’ He will not accommodate evil in any way. All lies, pride, cruelty and lack of empathy will be killed off… and I’m rather glad of that.
Today’s verse raises an important question – one all of us have asked at some stage. It is this: If God cannot tolerate wrongdoing, why does he allow it to exist?
The short answer is:
- God’s final judgement of evil is a certainty. All things will eventually be made right (Revelation 21:1-4).
- Jesus understands what we have to go through. He wept (John 11:35) and allowed himself to be crucified to pay the price for our sins. He also knows what it’s like to be tempted (Hebrews 4:15-16).
- The possibility of evil has to be a reality if we are to have free will to accept God’s lordship, or not.
I hope that helps.
Prayer: Dear Father, I love the beauty of your character. You are the final definition of what is “good” and I delight in that. Thank you that you have already ordained how things will end… and that good wins.