1) We talk about God as being all powerful, but a clearer definition is that God is simply an expression of His will. More precisely, EVERYTHING that God says, does, or creates is simply an expression of His nature. God cannot say or do anything that contradicts His nature (i.e. God cannot lie, because lying is contrary to who He is). I guess one can then say that God is indeed limited by His very nature.

2) What is good/evil? A simple definition is that anything that reflects the nature of God is good, while something contrary to the nature of God is evil. During the creation account in Genesis, we see that everything that God created was good. Man, being the crown of His creation, was in fact very good! The latter indicates that the more a thing reflects the nature of God, the “gooder” (if I can use this word) the thing is.

With the above explanations, I’d like to go back to the original question of why did (does) God allow evil to exist?

As Navin already stated, this is a consequence of God’s will. The bible declares that Adam/Eve were made in the image of God, created in the likeness of God. Adam was called the Son of God. Sonship is a term to denote the earthly manifestation of a heavenly Father. Said another way, man’s dominion over the earth is simply a consequence of our Father’s dominion in heaven. Adam was created in His Father’s image, thus must posess those attributes of the Father, one of which being dominion. So God could not create man in His own image, without actually giving him dominion over the earth.

Sidetrack #1: The only attribute of God that was NOT given to man was that attribute that allows man to determine good from evil (forbidden fruit). Only God can accurately express that which reflects His nature. But because this is needed for man to properly rule the land, God put His spirit in our spirit to guide us. In the last days, He has also given us the Holy Scriptures. But these “tools for guidance” require man to submit his understanding of truth to what God has declared. This is why the bible says that without faith, it is impossible to please God.

Okay, so the reason for man’s free will is established, but lets go back to evil… Man has the propensity to commit evil, because we have free will. Although God has provided guidance for us to rule the land correctly, we still have dominion to rule the way we see fit. Thus when we rule in a way that is contrary to God’s nature, evil is the consequence.

Sidetrack #2… Althought the original creation (Adam) was very good, it did lack one very important provision — that is, a provision for evil. Because God’s nature is contrary to evil, He cannot dwell within the midst of it. His word (His nature) requires that evil be eradicated (punished). This may sound bad, but in reality, it is very good, as it is the only way for God to dwell amongst His people. Dealing with evil is simply an expression of God’s love for us — His desire to be with us. So Adam’s transgression (eating the forbidden fruit) had to be dealt with. This is precisely why Christ came to earth to suffer for the sins of mankind. This beautiful work fulfilled the requirement that sin be punished, so God could reconnect with mankind.

Summarizing the point… Evil will exist in the earth until mankind receives a full revelation of God’s nature. It is this revelation of truth that allows us to do only what we see our Father do (in heaven). In this day, evil will no longer exist in the world. I continue to pray… “May thy will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven…”

yes, limited freedom is no freedom at all. Just think about it. Either you are free or you are not. You can’t be free and still be restricted. When I read this statement from your post - “Imagine living in such a world were all your acts are controlled by a supreme being from outside of this world.”…it reminded me of the film - ‘The Truman Show’. When I saw that movie, I thought to myself, how terrible it is to have all your actions controlled. It actually is so tragic! It finally brings such a joy and relief when Truman finds out the door to freedom from that artificial world.

Well, free will is a gift of God. He has given us a choice to love Him or reject Him. He obviously does not want to force us into loving Him because forced love is not love, its molestation!

Evil and pain raise questions in life but faith brings the answer. If we choose to have faith in the JUST, FAITHFUL and LOVING character of God, we will find solace, peace and hope in Him.