26th April 2026 Question box

[q] OK, tonight’s question:

Why didn’t God just kill Satan first so the world would be perfect?

Good question. I mean it’s a hypothetical; there’s lots of things that God could have done, and we’ll never know exactly what would have happened if things were different… But this is a question worth asking, because Satan has caused a lot of pain and suffering in this world.

Maybe I can start off my answer by reading you a short story that I wrote:

[clears throat] “Once upon a time there was a family. And they lived happily ever after. The end.”

It’s a happy story, but not a very satisfying story. See, satisfaction in life does not come just from everything being smooth and easy. Meaningful joy actually comes when there is relief after hardship. That’s why people play sport isn’t it? Sport is hard and painful, but there is a satisfaction that comes when you persevere through difficulties to win that trophy.

In the same way God’s great story is not a story of everything being consistently perfect:

• It’s a story which involves loss and recovery.
• Its story which involves fall and redemption.
• It’s a story which involves pain and relief.
• It’s a story which has cross and resurrection right at the centre.

It’s the hard way to do things, but it would appear to be the most satisfying way in the end. And as much of a mess as Satan has caused, the ending to the story that God has planned is far better. As it says 2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” See our hope is that one day the world will be perfect. But in the process of doing things the hard way, God reveals and shares glory. He shows us who he is: He shows that he is patient, gentle, holy and overflowing in love. I mean, how do you know if love is serious if it never costs anything? And so, our hope is to share in the eternal glory of a God who didn’t just show himself more powerful than Satan, but also more loving.

So thanks for that question.

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This question was originally answered in our evening service on 28 December 2025. I’ll aim to post another question and answer next week. You can read about how our question box works here.