I am right now re-reading through what I think is on my top 5 book list–C. S. Lewis’, Mere Christianity.  So, I’m sure that several upcoming blogs will have to do with more of Lewis’ thoughts than with my own.  In book II, Ch. 3, Lewis takes up the question of, “Is this state of affairs [our evil world] in accordance with God’s will, or not?”  After all, how can anything happen that is outside the will of an all-powerful being?  Lewis’ basic answer is to point us to common human relationships to find a possible answer. 

Lewis reminds us how Mom sets up the same scenario with the kids.  She tells the children that she wants their room picked up of all the clutter at the end of each night, but tells them that she won’t stand there and hold their hands while they clean.  She wants them to learn to keep it orderly on their own.  But then one night she goes upstairs to find it in total disarray.  As Lewis writes, “She would prefer the children to be tidy.  But on the other hand, it is her will which has left the children free to be untidy.”  He goes on to say, “You make a thing voluntary and then half the people do not do it.  That is not what you willed, but your will has made it possible.”  Likewise, something can be in accordance with God’s will in one way and not in another.

I think a helpful way to talk about it is to distinguish between God’s will and God’s desire (I hope I’m not making distinctions that aren’t really there).  While I can say that it is not God’s desire for there to be rampant human rebellion (sin), it does seem to fall within his will to allow human hatred of Himself. 

God designed a world in which human freedom is the cause of great evil.  So, we may ask, “Wouldn’t it have been a better world for Him to have left out free will?”  No.  Because, while freewill is the cause of evil, it is also the only cause of great moral good.  Most people of all faiths & philosophies recognize that the greatest good/virtue in the world is love.  Yet, love can only exist where it is allowed to come forth uncoerced.  The same goes for all other moral actions (self-sacrifice, forgiveness, charity, honesty).  A world without free will–and therefore no possibility of evil–would also be a world without moral goodness.  And finally, how could we say this sort of world would be “better” than ours?  For, “better” would seem to imply that there would be more goodness to it.  Yet, as soon as we remove free will, we just as quickly cross out “good.”

Truly, the great Mind behind not only our universe, but also our own intricate souls, is infinitely loving toward you and me.  God’s will allows us to sometimes struggle, much as a Drill Sargeant does to his new boot camp enlistees.  And it may not be recognized by the young Private until after leaving boot camp that the Drill Sargeant’s desire for him or her was to become a good soldier.  Likewise, God’s desire for us is to become a certain kind of person–one who looks like his Son (what the Bible calls ‘sanctification’). 

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of Cod and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:17, NIV).