It is a terrifying question—one that makes most Christians squirm:
Does God cause sin?
Scripture’s answer is not soft, but it is clear.
“Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.”
—Psalm 115:3 (LSB)“Who is there who speaks and it happens, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good go forth?”
—Lamentations 3:37–38 (LSB)“Yahweh has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil.”
—Proverbs 16:4 (LSB)
God does not merely allow sin. He ordains all things that come to pass, including sin. Not as a passive observer, but as the sovereign author of the story, ruling every molecule and every decision, even evil ones.
But Scripture is equally clear: God is not the author of sin.
“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”
—1 John 1:5 (LSB)“For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil does not sojourn with You.”
—Psalm 5:4 (LSB)
So how do we hold both truths?
Because Scripture does.
God ordained that Joseph be sold by his brothers. Their motive was sin. God's motive was salvation.
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to do what has happened on this day, to keep many people alive.”
—Genesis 50:20 (LSB)
God ordained the greatest evil in human history… the crucifixion of Christ. And He did it “by His predetermined plan.”
“This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death.”
—Acts 2:23 (LSB)“For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus… to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.”
—Acts 4:27–28 (LSB)
The text does not say God merely allowed wicked men to crucify Jesus. It says He predestined it. It was His will, His plan, His decree. And those who did it were still guilty.
God ordains sin without being sinful. He decrees the fall of man, the betrayal of Christ, the rise of tyrants, and the horrors of Babylon, not because He delights in evil, but because He alone can ordain evil for the sake of good.
“You meant evil... but God meant it for good.”
That’s not God turning a bad situation good. That’s intentional, premeditated sovereignty over sin itself.
God is not reacting. He is reigning.
Semper Reformanda
Many object:
“If God ordains sin, then He must be guilty of sin!”
They may cite James 1:13:
“God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”
Or Habakkuk 1:13:
“Your eyes are too pure to see evil, and You cannot look on trouble.”
Some use these texts to argue that God cannot even will for sin to occur, or else He would be impure.
But these verses don’t say God is unaware of evil or incapable of using it, they say He is not tempted by evil and does not do evil Himself. There is a massive difference between willing sin to occur and committing sin directly.
James does not deny God’s sovereignty over evil, he affirms God’s moral separation from it. God ordains the fall of Satan, the betrayal of Judas, and the crucifixion of Christ but never as one who delights in sin or commits it Himself.
This is the mystery:
God’s will includes evil, but His nature excludes evil.
He decrees sin, but He does not sin.
He governs every act, but He is guilty of none.
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”
—Romans 11:36 (LSB)
Truth That Withstands
The Bible plainly teaches that God ordains all things—even sin—without being the author of sin. To deny this is to deny His sovereignty. To misrepresent it is to stain His holiness. But to uphold both, as Scripture does, is to fear Him rightly and worship Him truly.
God is sovereign over evil—never a servant to it. And every sin He ordains, He ordains with a purpose more righteous than we can comprehend.
