Post by James Blankenship on May 7, 2012 12:26:42 GMT -5
If God created everything (directly or indirectly), he also created evil. So is God partially evil?
Everything in the world supposedly comes from God. You can't just throw out all the bad things. I'm sure Christians will claim that we created evil or that Satan rebelled and choose to be evil, but the choice was provided by God. The idea was provided by God.
Everything in the world supposedly comes from God. You can't just throw out all the bad things. I'm sure Christians will claim that we created evil or that Satan rebelled and choose to be evil, but the choice was provided by God. The idea was provided by God.
Ok, before I get to directly answering the actual question, let me start with what this person says here:
Satan rebelled and choose to be evil, but the choice was provided by God. The idea was provided by God.
This is where I see this statement having a double meaning.
In the years that I had been on Yahoo Answers:Religion & Spirituality, I have seen every conceivable way atheists/non-believers will try to trip those of us who actually HAVE that personal relationship with Christ, up.
The Biblical way to answer this statement, would be that God INITIALLY created this world with everything that was needed.
Look at these verses:
classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gen%201:1-31&version=NIV
Note especially verse 31 here:
Genesis 1:31 (New International Version)
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
God's very nature makes it impossible to do anything that is against His nature.
God, by His very nature is good, so that what He initially created had to be good. And note that Scripture says VERY GOOD, which indicates the very nature of the one who created it.
Then this person says this:
I'm sure Christians will claim that we created evil
No. We are not God that we can create ANYTHING from nothing, the way that God created EVERYTHING from nothing.
Adam & Eve CHOSE to disobey God, & evil was the consequence of that choice.
Than this person says this:
Satan rebelled and choose to be evil, but the choice was provided by God. The idea was provided by God.
Not entirely correct.
The simple fact that Satan WAS able to CHOOSE to rebel was given to Him, & all the other angels by God.
But here is where atheists/non-believers will try to trip up us who DO know Christ:
(Note how this is worded here):
The idea was provided by God
The way this is worded, makes this "seem" that God gave Lucifer the idea to rebel against Him.
This is a lie.
God gave Lucifer the choice whether or not to follow Him, (since Lucifer couldn't rebel against God if he DIDN'T have the freedom of choice!)-but the IDEA to rebel was all Lucifer's.
Why would God create a being, & then give that being the idea to rebel against Him?
That is not what choice, (free will) is.
Free will is the ability to choose.
But WE make the decision what to do WITH that choice.
God doesn't force us to do anything, as I explain here:
solascripturaalone.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=evil&action=display&thread=4&page=1
and here:
solascripturaalone.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=choice&action=display&thread=11&page=1
Just as Lucifer was given the CHOICE to rebel against God, so too are we. Just as were Adam & Eve given the CHOICE, ( & consequences as as well), are given the choice whether of not to obey or disobey God.
God didn't give us the thought to rebel.
We CHOOSE to.
Atheists/non-believers will also try to trip up us Believers up this way:
So is God partially evil?
Did God REALLY create evil?
Atheists/non-believers are so fond of accusing those who actually KNOW Christ, of "cherry-picking": from Scripture, when they are doing the exact same thing, with this verse:
Isaiah 45:7
King James Version (KJV)
7I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Initially, yes it DOES look like God says this.
But is that what it really means, in CONTEXT of what Scripture says?
No.
Let's take an analogy:
A man creates a super-duper toaster, that, if the instructions are followed, will toast the bread better than any other toaster.
But someone buys the toaster, & DOESN'T follow the instructions, & their house burns down because they DIDN'T follow the instructions.
It was no different with God & Adam & Eve.
Everything that God created in the beginning WAS perfect, as seen here:
Genesis 1:31
King James Version (KJV)
31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
God's instructions to Adam & Eve were:
Yes-you may eat the fruit off any tree
No-you may NOT eat of that one tree.
Just like that man who didn't follow the toaster instructions, neither did Adam & Eve.
And what happened-Evil entered the world.
Now, the man who CREATED the toaster, wouldn't accept responsibility for that person, who didn't follow the instructions, because it wasn't His fault that that person didn't follow the instructions.
God DOES accept the responsibility for what His CREATION had become.
Isaiah 45:7 is not saying that God CREATED evil, but that He IS accepting responsibility FOR the creation of His which BECAME evil-by not following the instructions.
By God's very nature, He CANNOT create evil, because there is no evil in Him.
And that is why Christ Jesus NEEDED to die & rise again-to fix the mistake that God's CREATION had done-Not what GOD had done!.
Is God liable for the evil that Satan & man became?
NO.
Satan & man CHOSE to become evil-nowhere in Scripture did God EVER force anyone to do anything.
We ultimately have no one to blame but ourselves for anything that happened since creation.
James
