TCR 490 - Free Will in Spiritual Matters

TCR 490

. . . unless freedom of choice in spiritual things 
had been given to people, 
not people, 
but God 
would have been the cause of evil, 
and thus God would have been the creator 
both of good and of evil. 
But to think that God created evil is abominable. 
Because God gave people 
freedom of choice in spiritual things. 
He did not create evil, 
neither does He ever inspire any evil into a person, 
for the reason that He is good itself, 
and that good is omnipresent, 
continually urging and importuning to be received; 
and even when not received, 
He does not withdraw; 
for if He were to withdraw, 
a person would instantly die, 
indeed, would lapse into non-entity; 
for a person's life, 
and the subsistence of all things 
of which he consists, 
are from God. 
God did not create evil, 
but evil was introduced by the person himself, 
since a person turns the good 
which is continually flowing in from God into evil, 
whereby he turns himself away from God 
and toward himself; 
and when this is done, 
delight in good remains, 
but then becomes delight in evil; 
for unless a delight seemingly similar remained, 
a person could not continue to live; 
since delight constitutes the life of his love. 
Nevertheless these two kinds of delight 
are diametrically opposite to each other; 
but a person does not know this 
so long as he lives in the world; 
but he will know it after death 
and will have a clear perception of it, 
for then delight of the love of good 
is turned into heavenly blessedness, 
while delight of the love of evil 
is turned into infernal horror.