This sounds like a tough question to respond to at first. Given that God is the all-powerful creator of everything (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 44:24), sin must be included, right? However, everything that God produced was deemed “good” (Genesis 1:31), and according to James 1:13, God detests sin. So sin could not have been created by God. Does this imply that sin was created by Satan? However, the Bible thus refutes the idea that sin is beyond God’s authority or control (Proverbs 16:4), which would occur if Satan created sin. So how do we resolve this paradox?
Incorrect question
The reason we’re confused is because the question itself is incorrect. “Sin” is not a “created” thing, like “stars” or “animals”; rather, “sin” is a wicked perversion of good things that God has made. For example, the sin of adultery is a twisting of the good created gift of marriage; the sin of pride is a corruption of a healthy self-esteem; and the sin of revenge seems tantalisingly close to a righteous zeal for justice. Sin is parasitic on the good desires that God created us to enjoy and fulfill. This is why our hearts can be seduced into sinning against God (Ephesians 4:22; James 1:14) – sin is tempting. Yet, because sin is not the way that God designed creation to work, sin, in the end, will never satisfy us (Jeremiah 2:13), but will only corrupt us (Genesis 6:11), and leave us ever craving for more (Ephesians 4:19).
Sinfulness of sin
The Bible calls this the very sinfulness of sin: taking a good thing God created and commandeering it so that, instead of bringing us life, it puts us to death (Romans 7:13). This is why sin is so evil: sin hijacks what belongs to God and turns it against Him. We see this in Satan’s strategy in the Garden of Eden: Satan slandered God’s character so that Adam and Eve would not trust God (Genesis 3:1-5), but instead disobey God and misuse His good creation (Genesis 3:6). Then, from Adam onward, sin and death spread to all humanity (Romans 5:12). We all have sinful hearts (Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:21-23), and if we’re honest, we’ll admit that our lives show that we each deserve the divine death penalty (Genesis 2:17; Mark 9:43-47; Romans 1:32).
The perfect solution
Yet, thanks be to God: “when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6)! The cross of Christ is the perfect solution to our need. It shows us that we, not God, are responsible for our sins – otherwise, Jesus would not have needed to die on our behalf (1 Peter 2:24). It also shows us that God hates sin and must punish it – otherwise, Jesus would not have needed to face God’s wrath (Mark 15:34). Finally, the cross also shows us that, while God is not responsible for our sin, yet in some mysterious way, God still remains in sovereign control over sin, having planned, from eternity past (Revelation 13:8), and having predicted in the Old Testament (Isaiah 53:4-6), that through the wicked work of Satan (Luke 22:3), Judas (Matthew 26:24-5) and his accomplices (Acts 4:27-28), God would bring salvation to the world through the death of His only Son (Revelation 5:9-10).
According to what Jesus stated, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the fullest; the thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” The good shepherd is me. A good shepherd gives his life in order to protect his sheep. (John 10–11).
