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The Epicurean Paradox Resolved

 Epicurean Paradox Solved: Why a Good God Allows Evil—and How He Overcomes It

The Epicurean Paradox is often aimed at Christianity with rhetorical force:

  • If God is all-powerful, He could eliminate evil.
  • If God is all-good, He would eliminate evil.
  • But evil exists.
  • Therefore, such a God does not exist.

But this argument conceals a false assumption: that evil’s existence is logically incompatible with a good, omnipotent God. That isn’t a philosophical conclusion—it’s a presupposition. And it ignores the deeper framework of Christian theism.

The Key Omission: Why Evil Exists

The paradox never pauses to ask why a good God might allow evil in the first place. It treats evil as a defeater of divine character rather than a possible condition of a greater good.


Scripture teaches that God desires relationship—not automation. Love must be freely chosen, or it’s not love at all. And that freedom, by necessity, includes the ability to rebel.

“God created man in his own image…” —Genesis 1:27

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” —Deuteronomy 6:5

Real love requires real freedom. And freedom implies the possibility of real evil.

God Is Logical, Not Contradictory

God is not arbitrary. He is omnipotent—but logically so. He cannot violate the inherent logic of His nature. He cannot force love without negating freedom. He cannot uphold justice while ignoring rebellion. He cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18) or deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).

Evil, then, is not a failure of God’s character—it is the cost of granting image-bearing creatures the capacity for real love.

But God Doesn’t Leave Evil Unanswered

In Jesus Christ, God enters the world of evil and absorbs its penalty. He offers a substitute—a way for justice to be satisfied and mercy extended. The cross is not God's way of overlooking evil; it is how He defeats it without destroying us.

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” —Romans 5:8

But Why Doesn’t God Save Everyone?

This is where the skeptic often pivots. “Fine,” they say, “but why doesn’t God save everyone?”

And here, humility must speak louder than speculation.

“I don’t know. But I trust the One who does.”

The God who spared not His own Son (Romans 8:32), who weeps at Lazarus’s tomb (John 11:35), who touches lepers and forgives murderers—that God has good reasons, even if He hasn’t revealed them all.

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God…” —Deuteronomy 29:29

Mercy Is Never Owed

God is under no obligation to save anyone. If He saves some, that is mercy. If He saves many, that is abundance. But if He does not save all, it is not injustice.

“So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” —Romans 9:16

We are not entitled to demand that God’s grace follow our rules. We are invited to bow before the One whose justice is flawless, whose mercy is undeserved, and whose love is made visible in Christ.


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