Sovereignty, Sin & Suffering

I recently read a chapter in a book dealing with the sovereignty of God in light of sin and suffering in the world. The author chose to lean heavily on God's sovereignty and dominion to the point in which God ordained and ordains all things, good and evil. "Everything He does is for His glory, and He is completely sovereign over everything that occurs."

This perspective led into the following statement, with which I take great issue:

"God always employs Satan to God's end, to serve God's people. 

God uses Satan to produce godliness in us too..." 

Is God the employer and Satan the employee, giving orders and Satan carrying them out? (I thought Satan was God's enemy who acts out of rebellion...)

God controls Satan like a puppet? Is God creating His own drama, first creating the problem and then providing the solution?

Is God, then, the source of evil if God can devise and ordain evil? How can God be both evil and good?

Is Satan on par with the Holy Spirit, working in us to produce holiness and godliness in God's people?


In making this statement, the author is so intent on protecting the ultimacy of God's sovereignty that she defiles His character - for she paints a picture of a god who is abusive, manipulative, controlling and the source of evil. A god like this cannot be trusted or loved, let alone be worthy of praise.

Upholding God's sovereignty to the point of defiling His character leads to dangerous, destructive and unbiblical theology.

There is a very big difference between saying God ordains or creates evil, sin and suffering and saying that God allows it. I choose to lean more heavily on upholding God's character in line with the faithful witness of Scripture and letting there be mystery and tension around the understanding of God's sovereignty in light of the presence of sin and suffering in the world.

God is sovereign, yes. God is over all and has dominion over all creation. However, in His sovereignty, God chooses to allow the presence of sin in the world through human freewill and agency; God chooses to allow Satan to have dominion on the earth and to work against God's will; God chooses to allow the existence of darkness; God chooses to allow us to be tempted and tested and tempered by suffering and pain. Why? We cannot fully know. But we do know that in His sovereignty, God is able to use the sin, evil, suffering, brokenness for our good and for His glory. He is able to bring beauty from ashes.

And we also know that at times God also chooses NOT to allow these things. God works through the Holy Spirit to fight the sin in us; God battles against His enemy Satan - through Jesus has already conquered Satan and will finally and fully destroy him in the end of time; God shines light into the darkness; God provides a way to escape temptation and brings relief from our trials; God brings healing and ends suffering; God binds the broken and brings reconciliation: God protects his people and puts a shield over them. And we place our hope in the promise that one day, God will finally and fully push back the darkness and put and end to all evil, sin, pain and suffering. And in that day, God will reveal the fullness of His glory.


(Quotes come from pg.148 and 150 of Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson. I actually really love the rest of this book, but cannot agree with them in their presentation of God in their discussion of sovereignty and suffering.)