And this will we do, if God permit. — HEBREWS 6:3

There are many verbs in the Old Testament that are translated in the causative sense in the King James Version. But the original verbs are in the permissive sense. Let’s look at a few of them so you can understand what I’m saying.

In Isaiah 45:7, God said, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.” Does God create evil? No. If you know your Bible well enough, you know that the Bible doesn’t teach that. Well, this verse said that He does.

If God creates evil, then that would make God a devil. The Bible teaches that the devil is responsible for all that’s evil. God may permit evil, but He doesn’t create it. And when you understand, as Dr. Robert Young pointed out, that the verb is in the permissive sense rather than in the causative sense, you’ll see that God doesn’t cause evil. He merely permits it.

Let’s look at another verse of Scripture. Amos 3:6 says, “Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?” Again, if God commits evil, then He has no right whatsoever to judge man for sinning. But God does not commit evil.

You see, this verse says, “Shall there be evil in the city, and God has not done it?” Has any evil happened in the town in which you live? Has anyone killed anyone else? Has anyone robbed a store? Well, yes, of course. Did God do it? This verse said He did. But you know that can’t be right, because God didn’t do it Himself and He didn’t commission anyone to do it. He didn’t commission anyone to go out and rob a store or burn down a building. No, God does not do evil. He only permits evil. There is a vast difference between permission and commission.

Confession: God doesn’t create evil. He only permits it. Because I have a free will, I can choose to obey God or I can choose to go against God. I choose to follow God and enjoy all of His many benefits.