Does God Create Evil? — Misinterpreting Isaiah 45:7 by Atheists, Skeptics, and Other Religions | From Darkness To Light Ministry

One of the most controversial and misunderstood verses in the Bible is Isaiah 45:7, where God says,

“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” (KJV)

At first glance, this verse seems to imply that God Himself creates evil — a statement that atheists, skeptics, and even adherents of other religions have frequently used to attack the goodness of the biblical God. However, as we will see, this interpretation comes from a misunderstanding of the Hebrew language, the literary context, and the theological framework of Scripture.

This article aims to unpack what Isaiah 45:7 truly means and why the claim that “God created evil” is a distortion of the biblical message.

1. The Common Accusation: “If God Creates Evil, He Is Not Good”

Atheists and skeptics often use Isaiah 45:7 as an argument against the moral character of God. The reasoning usually goes like this:

• Premise 1: The Bible says God is good and loving.
• Premise 2: The Bible (Isaiah 45:7) says God “creates evil.”
• Therefore, God is not truly good or moral.

This is often followed by emotional or philosophical questions such as:

• “Why would a loving God create suffering?”
• “If God created evil, isn’t He responsible for all the pain in the world?”
• “Doesn’t this make God the author of sin?”

However, the flaw in this argument is the assumption that the English word “evil” in Isaiah 45:7 means moral evil (like sin, wickedness, or wrongdoing). To understand the verse properly, we need to go back to its original Hebrew meaning and historical context.

e-Sword Software: Isaiah 45:7

2. Understanding the Hebrew Word “Ra” (רַע)

The Hebrew word translated as “evil” in Isaiah 45:7 is “ra” (רַע).
This word, depending on context, can mean several things:

• Moral evil or wickedness (e.g., Genesis 6:5)
• Calamity, disaster, distress, or judgment (e.g., Amos 3:6; Jeremiah 18:11)

SDA Bible Commentary on Isaiah 45:7

In Isaiah 45:7, the meaning clearly points to calamity or disaster, not moral evil.

Modern translations make this clearer:

• NIV: “I bring prosperity and create disaster.”
• NASB: “I make well-being and create calamity.”
• ESV: “I make well-being and create calamity.”
• CSB: “I bring prosperity and create disaster.”

The contrast in the verse itself — “peace” vs. “evil” — shows the parallelism in Hebrew poetry. In the same way that “light” contrasts with “darkness”, “peace” (shalom) contrasts with “disaster” (ra).

Thus, God is not saying, “I create moral evil,” but rather, “I am sovereign over both prosperity and calamity.”

In a 1978 article in Ministry Magazine titled ‘Does God Create Evil?’ author Otto H. Christensen (retired pastor and professor) states that the Hebrew term ra‘ used in Isaiah 45:7 ‘is never translated “sin,” but always as something bad, unpleasant, or objectionable.’ He concludes that while God sets up the framework of cause and effect in the universe, and thus authors the system in which ‘evil’ in the sense of disaster can occur, He did not create moral evil (sin).[1]

3. The Context of Isaiah 45

Context is everything. Isaiah 45 is part of a prophecy where God speaks to Cyrus, the Persian king whom He would use to deliver Israel from Babylonian exile. The chapter emphasizes God’s absolute sovereignty — that there is no other God beside Him, and He alone controls both blessing and judgment.

Let’s look at Isaiah 45:5–7 together:

“I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the LORD, do all these things.” (NIV)

The purpose of the passage is not to define the nature of evil, but to declare God’s universal control over history and human events.
When nations rise and fall, when peace or disaster occurs — it is not due to other gods, fate, or chance, but the sovereign hand of God.

4. God’s Sovereignty vs. Human Sin

There’s a big difference between God allowing or using evil and God creating moral evil.

• God permits moral evil for a time (human sin, rebellion, injustice), but He does not cause it.
• He can use evil actions to fulfill His good purposes (see Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28).
• God may also send calamity (ra) as judgment or discipline for sin — as in the Flood, the plagues of Egypt, or the Babylonian exile — but this is not moral evil; it’s righteous judgment.

As the prophet Amos declared:

“When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?” (Amos 3:6)

This means that God remains in control even in times of judgment or suffering — He allows calamity for justice, correction, or divine purpose, but never as a result of moral corruption in Himself.

The Bible consistently affirms God’s moral perfection:

• “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)
• “His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)
• “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:3)

Thus, to claim that God “creates evil” in the moral sense would contradict the entire witness of Scripture.

5. Atheists and Misinterpretation

Many atheists quote Isaiah 45:7 from the King James Version without studying the Hebrew semantics or the context.
This is a common example of proof-texting — taking a verse out of context to make it say something it doesn’t.

For example:

• Richard Dawkins, in The God Delusion, famously calls the Old Testament God “the most unpleasant character in all fiction,” but he does not cite Isaiah 45:7. Many online skeptics, however, use this verse to support his portrayal.
• Internet skeptics and anti-Christian forums regularly claim, “The Bible says God created evil,” yet they rarely examine the original Hebrew or historical meaning.

However, this approach fails to apply basic hermeneutics. A responsible reading recognizes that the word “evil” (raʿ) in Isaiah 45:7 refers to natural or circumstantial evil—calamity, disaster, or judgment—not moral wickedness.

6. Other Religions and the Dualism Error

Certain religious worldviews, like Zoroastrianism[2][3] and some strands of Hinduism[4], teach a dualistic[5][6] universe — a constant struggle between a “good god” and an “evil god.” For example, Zoroastrianism emphasises the cosmic conflict between Ahura Mazda (the source of all that is good) and Angra Mainyu (the destructive spirit of evil).”[7]

“Similarly, in Hindu mythological thought the opposition between Devas (gods/forces of order) and Asuras (forces of disorder or chaos) reflects a deep‐seated duality of good versus evil.[8][9]
“And in the broader study of religions, dualism is defined as the idea that two independent principles (good vs evil) exist side by side.

Isaiah 45 directly rejects this idea.
God declares that He alone is the source of all reality, both light and darkness, peace and calamity — not because He is both good and evil, but because He is sovereign. There is no rival deity responsible for disaster or darkness.

In other words, the verse is a statement against dualism, not a support for it.

7. Why God Allows Calamity

If God is good, why does He create or allow calamity at all?

There are several biblical answers:

1. Judgment for sin — as seen in Noah’s Flood or Sodom (Genesis 6–19).
2. Discipline for His people — “Those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines” (Hebrews 12:6, See Prov. 3:11,12).
3. To bring about greater good — “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20).
4. To reveal His power and glory — as seen in the Exodus or the Cross.

Even calamity, therefore, serves God’s redemptive purposes in history.

8. Conclusion: God Does Not Create Moral Evil

Isaiah 45:7, when read properly, teaches not that God is the author of sin, but that He is the Lord over all things, including what humans call “good” or “bad.”
He brings both blessing and calamity according to His wisdom, justice, and purpose.

To say “God creates evil” in the moral sense is a misinterpretation that ignores:

• The Hebrew meaning of “ra” (calamity/disaster)
• The context of Isaiah 45 (God’s sovereignty over nations)
• The character of God revealed throughout Scripture (holy, just, and loving)

In the end, God’s justice and goodness are never in conflict.
As the Apostle Paul reminds us:

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Even in calamity, God is not the source of evil — He is the Redeemer who can turn darkness into light, pain into purpose, and judgment into mercy.

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