E204 Q211 If God is good, why does He permit evil?

God created rational creatures free to love, obey, and worship him, but we have used our freedom to reject his love, rebel against him, and choose evil. Yet no evil can thwart God’s purposes, and he is able to use evil to bring about even greater good. (Genesis 6:5; Judges 2:19–23; Psalm 10; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Romans 8:18–28; Hebrews 2:8–18; Revelation 2:18–29) Support the podcast here

John Chrysostom

AD 407

When Paul speaks of “all things” he mentions even the things that seem painful. For if tribulation, or poverty, or imprisonment, or famines, or deaths or anything else should come upon us, God can change them into the opposite. For this is one instance of his ineffable power, that he can make painful things appear light to us and turn them into things which can be helpful. Paul talks about being called “according to his purpose” in order to show that the calling itself is not enough…. The calling was not forced on anyone, nor was it compulsory. Everyone was called, but not everyone obeyed the call.

Bede

AD 735

Our struggle against the vices has not been naturally implanted in us by God our Father and Creator but is proved to have befallen us from our love of this world, which we preferred to our Creator. For God made human beings upright, and they have involved themselves in endless questions, as Solomon bears witness. Hence James also says, “Let no one, when he is tempted, say that he is tempted by God. For God is not the instigator of evil, for he himself tempts no one. Each one, in fact, is tempted, drawn on and lured by his own concupiscence.”