Just Because God Didn’t Stop It Doesn’t Mean He Approved It. Let me explain....

Permission to choose isn’t the same as God’s approval—don’t confuse the two.

One of the most misunderstood concepts about God’s sovereignty is the idea that if something happens, God must have wanted it to happen. This leads many to blame God for the very evils He despises. But there’s a critical difference between God’s permission and His commission. Just because God permits something does not mean He commissions it.

Consider this—God permits people to build bars and nightclubs, but He certainly didn’t command them to do it. He permits people to curse His name, steal from others, commit murder, and even reject His Son, but He is not the one who instructed or approved of these actions. If we don’t grasp this distinction, we’ll begin to see God as the author of evil rather than the holy and just God who allows free will and holds all accountable for their choices.

Biblical Examples of Permission (to permit) vs. Commission (to approve/endorse)

• The Garden of Eden – Permission to Choose (Genesis 2:16-17) God permitted Adam and Eve to eat from any tree, including the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but He clearly commanded them not to eat from it. His commission was holiness and obedience, but He allowed them the freedom to choose. When they sinned, God did not say, “I planned for you to fail.” Instead, He held them accountable for their choice.

• Cain and Abel – A Choice to Rule Over Sin (Genesis 4:6-7) God warned Cain directly, saying, “Sin is crouching at your door; its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” God permitted Cain the freedom to choose, but He certainly didn’t commission the murder of Abel. Cain acted against God’s will, and judgment followed.

• The Crucifixion of Jesus – Evil Permitted, but God’s Purpose Prevails (Acts 2:23) Peter boldly declared, “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”  God’s foreknowledge and redemptive plan included Christ’s sacrifice, but the evil acts of the men who crucified Him were their own doing. God did not command their betrayal and cruelty; He simply used their free choices to accomplish His ultimate good.

• Romans 1:24-28 – God “Gave Them Up” When people stubbornly reject God, He permits them to walk deeper into their rebellion. Paul writes that God “gave them up” to their sinful desires—not because He willed their destruction, but because they insisted on rejecting Him. God’s will was always that they repent (2 Peter 3:9), but He will not force Himself upon anyone.

  
  

The Principle of Free Will

Deuteronomy 30:19 perfectly captures this principle:

“I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”

God presents the options clearly but never forces the decision. He permits the wrong choice but commissions only what is righteous and good.

God’s Commission Is Never Evil—It’s a Call to Rise Higher

God doesn’t send people into darkness—He calls them out of it. His commission isn’t a whisper into sin but a command to stand against it. He has made His desires crystal clear:

• “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

• “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)

When God commissions, it’s a charge to live bold, clean, and free. It’s a summons to walk in light, to break chains, to love fiercely, and to stand in truth when the world bows to lies. He never sends people to destroy—but to rebuild, to heal, to rescue, and to shine.

Satan’s Mission: Steal, Kill, and Destroy

The Bible leaves no doubt about the destructive nature of Satan. His mission is simple and relentless—he exists to ruin lives, distort truth, and ultimately lead people to eternal separation from God.

• John 10:10 makes it clear: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”  Jesus draws a stark contrast here—while He offers life, Satan comes only to take it away. Whether it’s stealing joy, killing hope, or destroying destinies, the enemy’s fingerprints are always on acts of destruction.

• In Hebrews 2:14, we learn that Satan held the very power of death until Jesus broke his grip through the cross: “…that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Death was Satan’s greatest weapon—until Christ stripped him of it.

• 1 Peter 5:8 gives us a warning that remains as urgent today as when it was first written: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Satan isn’t passively lurking—he’s actively hunting, looking for lives to consume, marriages to shatter, and faith to crush.

  
  

  

• Revelation 9:11 even assigns him a name that sums up his character: “And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.” Both names mean Destroyer. Destruction isn’t just what Satan does—it’s who he is.

• Finally, Revelation 12:9 reminds us that his greatest tool is deception: “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world…” From the Garden of Eden to the end of the age, Satan’s primary tactic has been to deceive humanity into choosing death over life.

Wherever you see destruction, chaos, and death—know this:

God did not commission it. But the enemy most certainly did.

So Why Does God Allow Evil?

Because without the power to choose, love would be nothing more than programmed obedience. Forced loyalty isn’t love—it’s control. And God doesn’t want prisoners; He wants lovers of truth and seekers of righteousness.

Yes, He permits evil—but only because He refuses to violate the very free will that makes real love possible. And here’s the beauty of it—even in what He permits, He promises redemption.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

God takes the chaos men create and turns it into a victory story for those who trust Him. Evil may have its moment—but God will have the final Word.

His Commission Stands: Rise Higher. Live Holy. Love Loud. And Never Settle for the Darkness He Called You Out Of.

Know the Difference

Don’t confuse the freedom God allows with the will He desires. He permits many things, but He commissions only what is holy. He never commissioned Judas to betray Christ, yet Judas chose betrayal. God didn’t commission Pharaoh to harden his heart, but Pharaoh repeatedly rejected God before his heart was hardened (Exodus 8:15).

Let’s stop blaming God for the sins of men and the work of the Devil. His command is clear: Choose life. Choose righteousness. Choose Christ. And when we do, we step into the life He commissioned us to live—full of His Spirit, walking in His goodness, and free from the bondage of sin and death.

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