Why Did God Allow the Holocaust, According to GotQuestions?

The Holocaust is one of the darkest tragedies in human history. The murder of six million Jews, alongside countless others, raises profound questions about God’s sovereignty, human evil, and the meaning of suffering. Many people ask why God allowed the Holocaust, and GotQuestions.org attempts to answer this difficult question. Their approach reflects their broader theological commitments—emphasizing human free will, God’s mysterious providence, and an evangelical but often dispensational perspective on Israel.

1. GotQuestions.org’s Basic Answer

GotQuestions.org presents several core ideas when addressing the Holocaust:

• Human sin and evil: The Holocaust is explained as the product of human depravity and rebellion against God (Romans 3:10–18). Evil rulers like Hitler are cited as examples of how sin corrupts entire nations.

• God’s sovereignty: They affirm that God remains sovereign even in suffering, though His purposes may remain hidden (Isaiah 55:8–9).

• Free will: GotQuestions emphasizes that God permits human beings to commit great evils because He has given them free will. Intervening at every turn would negate this gift.

• Israel and prophecy: The Holocaust is sometimes framed as part of Israel’s ongoing suffering in history, yet also as a backdrop for God’s future plans for the Jewish people.

This combination reflects their typical evangelical approach, mixing comfort in God’s providence with dispensational assumptions about Israel’s role in history.

2. Strengths in Their Approach

GotQuestions.org does provide several helpful points:

• Acknowledging the depth of evil: They do not minimize the Holocaust or explain it away. They rightly identify it as a consequence of radical human wickedness.

• Affirming God’s sovereignty: Even when reasons remain unclear, they remind readers that God remains in control, a truth found throughout Scripture (Psalm 103:19).

• Rejecting simplistic answers: They caution against shallow explanations that would trivialize the suffering of millions.

These affirmations keep their response within the bounds of biblical orthodoxy.

3. Weaknesses in Their Explanation

However, GotQuestions.org’s answer has significant weaknesses:

1. Overreliance on free will

   • Their heavy appeal to free will reflects more of a modern evangelical framework than a historic Reformed one.

   • Scripture never presents free will as absolute but always under God’s sovereign decree (Proverbs 16:9; Acts 2:23).

   • By framing the Holocaust primarily as a byproduct of human freedom, they risk minimizing God’s providential purposes.

2. Dispensational assumptions about Israel

   • Their answers often frame the Holocaust in terms of preparing for Israel’s modern restoration.

   • This outlook reflects dispensationalism’s insistence on a rigid separation between Israel and the Church, a view foreign to historic Reformed theology.

   • In covenant theology, the Holocaust is understood within the broader context of human rebellion and God’s redemptive plan in Christ, not merely as a piece of modern prophetic fulfillment.

3. Neglect of the early church’s theology of suffering

   • The early church read suffering not only as judgment but as a mysterious participation in Christ’s afflictions (Colossians 1:24).

   • By not engaging these deeper spiritual perspectives, GotQuestions.org reduces suffering to either punishment or preparation for prophecy.

4. Biblical Ways of Framing the Question

The Bible itself provides richer ways to think about why God allowed the Holocaust:

• The mystery of evil: Job’s suffering reminds us that God allows things beyond our comprehension, but His purposes are always just (Job 1:21; 42:2–3).

• God’s sovereignty in history: Acts 17:26–27 teaches that God determines the times and boundaries of nations—even tragedies fit within His plan to bring about His glory.

• Suffering as testimony: Scripture often shows how suffering, though horrific, can bear witness to God’s justice and mercy (Romans 8:17–18).

• The cross as the ultimate parallel: The Holocaust points us back to the ultimate innocent sufferer, Jesus Christ, whose death looked like defeat but accomplished redemption.

5. How Reformed Theology Responds Differently

A Reformed and covenantal perspective would affirm God’s sovereignty without overplaying free will or narrowing suffering into dispensational categories:

• God ordains all things: Even evil acts fall within God’s providence, though He remains unstained by sin (Genesis 50:20; Acts 2:23).

• Christ as the true Israel: The Holocaust cannot be read as simply part of a separate Jewish destiny; Christ embodies Israel, and all God’s promises are fulfilled in Him (2 Corinthians 1:20).

• Suffering within covenant purposes: Believers and unbelievers alike experience suffering, but God uses it to refine, to judge, and to point to the hope of new creation (Romans 8:20–21).

• Liturgical and spiritual depth: Unlike modern evangelicalism, the historic church emphasized prayer, lament, and sacrament as means of enduring and interpreting suffering.

This richer theological framework does not diminish the Holocaust’s horror but situates it within God’s eternal plan in Christ.

6. The Gospel in Light of the Holocaust

The Holocaust raises the question of whether God is present in unimaginable evil. The Gospel answers yes. On the cross, Christ bore the full weight of sin and death. He entered into human suffering and injustice so that He might conquer it through resurrection.

The Holocaust stands as a chilling testimony to the depths of human sin, but also a reminder that no evil can ultimately frustrate God’s redemptive purposes. The resurrection of Christ guarantees that one day every tear will be wiped away and every injustice will be judged (Revelation 21:4).

Conclusion

So why did God allow the Holocaust, according to GotQuestions.org? They emphasize human free will, God’s sovereignty, and prophetic purposes for Israel. While these explanations contain truth, they are shaped by dispensational leanings and lack engagement with historic Reformed theology and early church perspectives on suffering. A fuller biblical response acknowledges God’s mysterious sovereignty, sees Christ as the fulfillment of Israel, and finds hope in the Gospel.

In the end, the Holocaust remains a deep mystery of evil—but one that drives us back to the cross, where God Himself entered into suffering to redeem His people and establish His everlasting kingdom.

Bible verses related to Trajedy

• “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” (Psalm 103:19)

• “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

• “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)

• “For those who love God all things work together for good.” (Romans 8:28)

• “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10)

• “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

• “If we endure, we will also reign with him.” (2 Timothy 2:12)

• “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)

• “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed.” (Romans 8:18)

• “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 21:4)