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The Problem of Evil in Genesis and Creation

The biblical account of creation in Genesis presents a world initially declared "very good" by God, yet it also introduces the origin of evil through the disobedience of humanity [10]. This narrative forms the foundational understanding of evil's presence in the world.

The book of Genesis, traditionally attributed to Moses, describes the creation of the heavens and the earth by God [6, 7]. God's powerful word brings the world into existence, demonstrating His supreme rule over all things [9]. The creation account emphasizes that humanity was made in God's image, intended to have dominion over the earth and to enjoy God's Sabbath rest [8, 11]. This initial state of creation is consistently affirmed as good, culminating in the declaration that it was "very good" after the creation of human beings [10].

However, the problem of evil emerges in Genesis 3 with the temptation and fall of humanity. The tempter is identified as the devil, appearing in the form of a serpent [13]. This "adversary," or satan in Hebrew, is understood as a spiritual being at enmity with God, capable of inflicting spiritual pollution [1, 4]. The devil is described as the "prince of iniquity" and the "real enemy of the human race," employing fraud and villainy to cause harm [14]. The serpent's subtlety is noted in the text [5].

Through the serpent's deception, Eve is tempted, and both she and Adam transgress God's command [15]. This act of disobedience, often referred to as the Fall of Man, is presented as the origin of sin and misery [2, 15]. As a consequence, humanity is separated from its original state of innocence. Adam's disobedience led to his posterity being "made in the image of Adam," born in sin, and described as "a child of wrath" [2]. The human heart became evil, the mind depraved, and understanding diminished [2]. John Calvin notes that this narrative teaches that Adam was not created for the miseries that afflict his descendants but fell into them by his own fault [12].

The consequences of the Fall extend beyond humanity. The serpent is cursed, doomed to crawl on its belly and eat dust [5, 15]. The ground itself is cursed, and death is introduced as a consequence [15]. This narrative establishes that evil is not inherent in God's creation but entered the world through the free will and disobedience of created beings, instigated by a malevolent spiritual force [13, 14]. The Son of God, according to 1 John 3:8, was manifested to destroy the works of the Evil One, indicating a divine response to this problem [3].

Sources

  1. Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Demon — In the Gospels generally, in (James 2:19) and in Reve 16:14 The demons are spoken of as spiritual beings, at enmity with God, and having power to afflict man not only with disease, but, as is marked by the frequent epithet "un-clean," with spiritual pollution also. They "believe" the power of God "and tremble," (James 2:19) they recognized the Lord as the Son of God, (Matthew 8:29; Luke 4:41) and acknowledged the power of his name, used in exorcism. In the place of the name of Jehovah, by his appointed messengers, (Acts 19:15) and looked forward in terror to t”
  2. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Fall of Man, The — By the disobedience of Adam -- Ge 3:6,11,12; Ro 5:12,15,19. Through temptation of the devil -- Ge 3:1-5; 2Co 11:3; 1Ti 2:14. Man in consequence of Made in the image of Adam. -- Ge 5:3; 1Co 15:48,49. Born in sin. -- Job 15:14; 25:4; Ps 51:5; Isa 48:8; Joh 3:6. A child of wrath. -- Eph 2:3. Evil in heart. -- Ge 6:5; 8:21; Jer 16:12; Mt 15:19. Blinded in heart. -- Eph 4:18. Corrupt and perverse in his ways. -- Ge 6:12; Ps 10:5; Ro 3:12-16. Depraved in mind. -- Ro 8:5-7; Eph 4:17; Col 1:21; Tit 1:15. Without understanding. -- Ps 14:2,3; Ro 3:11; 1:31. ”
  3. I John “I John 3:8 (BBE) — The sinner is a child of the Evil One; for the Evil One has been a sinner from the first. And the Son of God was seen on earth so that he might put an end to the works of the Evil One.”
  4. Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Satan — The word itself, the Hebrew satan, is simply an "adversary," and is so used in (1 Samuel 29:4; 2 Samuel 19:22; 1 Kings 6:4; 11:14,23,25; Numbers 22:22,33; Psalms 109:6) This original sense is still found in our Lord's application of the name to St. Peter in (Matthew 16:23) It is used as a proper name or title only four times in the Old Testament, vis. (with the article) in (Job 1:6; 12; 2:1; Zechariah 2:1) and without the article in (1 Chronicles 21:1) It is with the scriptural revelation on the subject that we are here concerned; and it is clear, from this si”
  5. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Serpents — Created by God -- Job 26:13. Characterised as subtle -- Ge 3:1; Mt 10:16. Called crooked -- Job 26:13; Isa 27:1. Unclean and unfit for food -- Mt 7:10. Infest Hedges. -- Ec 10:8. Holes in walls. -- Am 5:19. Deserts. -- De 8:15. Produced from eggs -- Isa 59:5. Cursed above all creatures -- Ge 3:14. Doomed to creep on their belly -- Ge 3:14. Doomed to eat their food mingled with dust -- Ge 3:14; Isa 65:25; Mic 7:17. Many kinds of poisonous -- De 32:24; Ps 58:4. All kinds of, can be tamed -- Jas 3:7. Were often enchanted or fascinated -- Ec 10:11. Dangerous t”
  6. Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Genesis — (origin), the first book of the law or Pentateuch, so called from its title ia the Septuagint, that is, Creation . Its author was Moses. The date of writing was probably during the forty-years wanderings in the wilderness, B.C. 1491-1451. Time .--The book of Genesis covered 2369 years,--from the creation of Adam, A.M 1, to the death of Joseph, A.M. 2369, or B.C. 1635. Character and purpose .--The book of Genesis (with the first chapters of Exodus) describes the steps which led to the establishment of the theocracy. It is a part of the writer's plan to tell u”
  7. Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 1 (introduction): Genesis 1:1 THE CREATION OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. (Gen 1:1-2) In the beginning--a period of remote and unknown antiquity, hid in the depths of eternal ages; and so the phrase is used in Pro 8:22-23. God--the name of the Supreme Being, signifying in Hebrew, "Strong," "Mighty." It is expressive of omnipotent power; and by its use here in the plural form, is obscurely taught at the opening of the Bible, a doctrine clearly revealed in other parts of it, namely, that though God is one, there is a plurality of persons in the Godhead--Father, So”
  8. Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 1:1: 1:1–2:3 These verses introduce the Pentateuch (Genesis—Deuteronomy) and teach Israel that the world was created, ordered, and populated by the one true God and not by the gods of surrounding nations. • God blessed three specific things: animal life (1:22-25), human life (1:27), and the Sabbath day (2:3). This trilogy of blessings highlights the Creator’s plan: Humankind was made in God’s image to enjoy sovereign dominion over the creatures of the earth and to participate in God’s Sabbath rest. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth: This statem”
  9. Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 1:3: 1:3-13 In the first three days, God formed the chaos into a habitable world. 1:3 Then God said: Nothing in ch 1 is created apart from God’s powerful word (cp. Ps 33:6, 9). • “Let there be . . .” and there was: God’s command enacted his will to create the world. God is not a part of creation or limited by it; he is the supreme ruler over everything (cp. Neh 9:6).”
  10. Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 1:31: 1:31 The Creator declares his work good seven times in ch 1; following the creation of human beings, God declares it all very good.”
  11. 1 Corinthians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Corinthians 11:7: 11:7 man is made in God’s image: See Gen 1:26-27.”
  12. CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 7.7: corruption of human nature; to teach us that Adam was not created to those multiplied miseries under which all his posterity suffer, but that he fell into them by his own fault. In reflecting on the number and nature of those evils to which they are obnoxious, men will often be unable to restrain themselves from raging and murmuring against God, whom they rashly censure for the just punishment of their sin. These are their well-known complaints that God has acted more mercifully to swine and dogs than to them. Whence is this, but t”
  13. Genesis (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Genesis 3:1: We have here an account of the temptation with which Satan assaulted our first parents, to draw them into sin, and which proved fatal to them. Here observe, I. The tempter, and that was the devil, in the shape and likeness of a serpent. 1. It is certain it was the devil that beguiled Eve. The devil and Satan is the old serpent (Rev 12:9), a malignant spirit, by creation an angel of light and an immediate attendant upon God's throne, but by sin become an apostate from his first state and a rebel against God's crown and dignity. Multitudes of the angels fell; but th”
  14. CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 7.6: real enemy of the human race, the contriver of all evils, furnished with every kind of fraud and villainy to injure and destroy. Therefore, though the impious make a noise, there is nothing justly to offend us in this mode of speaking by which Moses describes Satan, the prince of iniquity, under the person of his servant and instrument, at the time when Christ, the Head of the Church, and the Sun of Righteousness, had not yet openly shone forth. Add to this, the baseness of human ingratitude is more clearly hence perceived, that wh”
  15. Genesis (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Genesis 3 (introduction): Satan, by means of a creature here called the serpent, deceives Eve, Gen 3:1-5. Both she and Adam transgress the Divine command, and fall into sin and misery, Gen 3:6, Gen 3:7. They are summoned before God, and judged, Gen 3:8-13. The creature called the serpent is degraded and punished, Gen 3:14. The promise of redemption by the incarnation of Christ, Gen 3:15. Eve sentenced, Gen 3:16. Adam sentenced, Gen 3:17. The ground cursed, and death threatened, Gen 3:18, Gen 3:19. Why the woman was called Eve, Gen 3:20. Adam and Eve clothed with skins, Gen 3:21.”
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