The problem of evil will never be fully solved this side of eternity. Yet the Christian faith offers a response that neither denies the horror of suffering nor surrenders to despair. It proclaims a God who is sovereign over evil, present in suffering, and victorious through Christ. The cross stands as the ultimate answer: here is where evil was at its worst, and here is where God’s goodness was most clearly revealed.

Few questions are as pressing and as difficult as the problem of evil. If God is all-powerful and all-good, why is there so much suffering in the world? When we think about a national-shaking event like the assassination of Charlie Kirk, for many evil challenges the very foundations of our faith. Maybe you have wrestled with this question, and you are not alone. Many people have wrestled with this question for centuries. Yet, the Christian faith offers a response that strengthens faith amid these confusing times.

Have you thought something like this? Heard a friend or family member ask a question along these terms?

If God is good and sovereign, He would have stopped Charlie Kirk from being murdered.

The foundation of faith, wondering why God did not stop it from happening, is shaken, and many will end up saying, “Well, God must not be sovereign or good.”

This reasoning is compelling at first glance, but that conclusion overlooks the deeper purposes of God revealed in Scripture.

Evil and the Sovereignty of God

The Bible does not shy away from the reality of evil. From the fall of Adam and Eve, all throughout our Bibles, evil is portrayed as both real and destructive. Yet, at the same time, Scripture affirms that God is sovereign over all things, including evil, without ever being its author (James 1:13).

Joseph’s words to his brothers capture this tension: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good”(Gen. 50:20). Human intentions were wicked, but God’s providence overruled them for good. Similarly, Peter declares that Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God,” even though lawless men were responsible for crucifying Him (Acts 2:23). Evil is never outside of God’s control, yet He remains perfectly holy.

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