Did God create evil?
God did not create evil. He created everything good, and gave creatures genuine freedom. Evil came when creatures used that freedom to turn away — but even then, God is great enough to weave it into a redemptive plan.
Genesis 1 closes with God seeing everything he had made and pronouncing it "very good." There was no evil in creation as it left God’s hand.
Evil is not a thing God made; it is goodness twisted — love that becomes lust, courage that becomes cruelty. It entered through the rebellion of free creatures, not by divine design.
And yet, as Joseph said of his brothers’ wickedness, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good." God does not author evil, but he is sovereign over it, and at the cross he turned the worst evil into the world’s salvation.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.