Critics often accuse God of being evil based on biblical accounts where He commands destruction or directly causes death. They point to the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Canaanite conquest, and individual judgments as evidence that the God of the Bible is immoral, violent, or evil.
Note: For broader questions about why evil exists in general, see our page on If God, Why Evil? This page focuses specifically on whether God's actions make Him evil.
Before examining specific cases, we must establish the proper foundation for moral judgment. If God exists and is the source of moral law (Divine Command Theory), then His actions must be evaluated by His own perfect nature, not by fallen human standards corrupted by sin[1].
When examining cases where God acts as judge, several biblical principles apply:
• Creator's Authority: As the Creator of life, God has the absolute right to determine the length and circumstances of earthly existence[2]
• Perfect Justice: God's judgments are always perfectly righteous, based on complete knowledge of human hearts and actions[3]
• Mercy Within Judgment: Even in acts of judgment, God provides opportunities for repentance and shows mercy to the righteous[4]
• Temporal vs. Eternal: Physical death is not the ultimate evil—separation from God for eternity (spiritual death) is far worse[5]
• Protection of the Innocent: In His perfect knowledge and nature as the Judge of all the earth, God ensures that innocent children who die go to His presence[6]
Rather than showing God to be evil, these biblical accounts reveal His perfect character:
• Perfect Holiness: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty" - God cannot tolerate sin indefinitely (Isaiah 6:3)[7]
• Perfect Justice: "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice" (Deuteronomy 32:4)[8]
• Perfect Love: "God is love" - His judgments flow from love for righteousness and the innocent (1 John 4:8)[9]
• Long-suffering Patience: "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9) - God's delay is an act of mercy[10]
The greatest proof that God is not evil is found in the cross. Rather than destroying humanity for sin, God sent His Son to bear the judgment we deserved: "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). The cross is the ultimate intersection where God's perfect justice and boundless love meet[11]. The same God who judges sin also provides salvation from that judgment[12].