"the problem of evil"

I've thought about this recently. It's a really old question posed by philosophers to Christians about the nature of God. "If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, then why does He let evil continue in the world?"

I don't profess to know the only answer, but I believe that the reason evil continues is because it is us that the whole Great Controversy between Christ and Satan is centered on. That's right, us as in humans. Because free choice is given to us, we cannot help but be afflicted by our indwelling sin (also known as the law of sin). Human nature is desperately wicked. That is something we cannot argue with. There is not one day that goes by for a person not walking in the Spirit whereby sin is committed in some form. This also means Christians in general. Christians don't automatically walk in the Spirit upon conversion. The conversion experience isn't what empowers us to forsake every sin permanently. Conversion is just when we make a decision for which path we want to follow in.

It is because of the wicked nature of humans that evil abounds. We're self-destructive. God cannot impinge upon our free choice because it would mean that He is being an unjust God. If you read the beginning of Job in the Bible, the accusation Satan has against God is that it's because His protection is there that Job does not rebel against Him. With our case in general, it's the same thing. Satan's accusations are that we're faithful to God only because He blesses us and protects us constantly from each other. God is actually fighting for our case. Because if He is deemed an unjust God, He no longer has a right to bring us to Heaven to live with Him.

That's my current take on this, and it's not my final stance. As I learn more, this will change.