"The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3, ESV).
God didn't create evil but did make it possible for it to exist by virtue of giving the gift of free will to innocent sentient creatures and to Adam and Eve. Evil entered the human race via the Fall instigated by Satan. There are many who wonder why doesn't God eliminate evil; Robinson Crusoe answered that question to Friday: Why doesn't God get rid of you? The point is that God is in the process of doing something about evil--He made you and me!
God has no hands to help but ours; no mind to think with but ours; no voice to speak through but ours; and finally no heart to love through than ours. The dilemma of God being almighty and good poses the question of why does there seems to be no justice and why do the good suffer. First of all, there are no good people--we are not basically good, but evil in God's estimation. Second of all, why do good things happen to bad people, not why do bad things happen to good people? Without evil in existence, or its possibility we all would be automatons with no will of our own to choose to obey or disobey God freely.
God did give man a chance in the Garden of Eden and he blew it--Adam represented all of mankind and we would've done the same thing (the original sin prefigures all sin and is a denial of God's attributes one by one. The proverbial apple showed the entirety of the sin question: Adam rejected God's authority; he doubted His goodness; he disputed His wisdom; he repudiated His justice; he contradicted His truthfulness; he spurned His grace (source unknown).
Edengate, as it has been dubbed as the very first cover-up and God didn't hide from Adam, but Adam from God in shame, because he knew he had done something wrong and felt guilty. God cleansed their guilt and wiped it away by clothing them in skins. This was the prototype sin and we should all see ourselves as doing ditto. Adam sought his own goodness, delight, and wisdom, having rejected God's. That's the epitome of sin: man's declaration of independence from God!
When asking why do the good suffer, the real question should be why are they blessed? God gives man less than he deserves punitively. God is good and so there is a standard of Supreme or Ultimate Good (per Plato) and God is omnipotent, almighty, and plenipotent. God is also just, kind and good; so why do we suffer? There is an invisible conflict between good and evil (evil has been dethroned at the cross and Christ reigns), but the mop-up effort and consummation are in process. In the end, God will turn the wrath of man to praise Him (cf. Psalm 76:10).
In the meantime, we find ourselves in the enemy-occupied territory--the devil's turf or domain! We fight evil from the vantage point of victory, not for a victory--Christ already won the battle! Evil must exist and it's not the counterpart of God nor it's opposite, but a parasite and perversion of good (it couldn't exist in its own right).
Without God, there can be no evil or sin and without the possibility of evil, there can be no good expressed, for we only see and behold goodness in contrast to evil and sin. Someone said that one might ask: Do you see the evil and say "why?" Or do you see the good and say "why not?" We see good in light of evi; we have the opportunity for good with evil; we endure short-term evil for long-term good; realize that there can be no objective evil without objective good. In the final analysis, we must not lose faith in the fact that God will someday settle the score and mete out justice at Judgment Day; justice delayed is not justice denied! Soli Deo Gloria!
God didn't create evil but did make it possible for it to exist by virtue of giving the gift of free will to innocent sentient creatures and to Adam and Eve. Evil entered the human race via the Fall instigated by Satan. There are many who wonder why doesn't God eliminate evil; Robinson Crusoe answered that question to Friday: Why doesn't God get rid of you? The point is that God is in the process of doing something about evil--He made you and me!
God has no hands to help but ours; no mind to think with but ours; no voice to speak through but ours; and finally no heart to love through than ours. The dilemma of God being almighty and good poses the question of why does there seems to be no justice and why do the good suffer. First of all, there are no good people--we are not basically good, but evil in God's estimation. Second of all, why do good things happen to bad people, not why do bad things happen to good people? Without evil in existence, or its possibility we all would be automatons with no will of our own to choose to obey or disobey God freely.
God did give man a chance in the Garden of Eden and he blew it--Adam represented all of mankind and we would've done the same thing (the original sin prefigures all sin and is a denial of God's attributes one by one. The proverbial apple showed the entirety of the sin question: Adam rejected God's authority; he doubted His goodness; he disputed His wisdom; he repudiated His justice; he contradicted His truthfulness; he spurned His grace (source unknown).
Edengate, as it has been dubbed as the very first cover-up and God didn't hide from Adam, but Adam from God in shame, because he knew he had done something wrong and felt guilty. God cleansed their guilt and wiped it away by clothing them in skins. This was the prototype sin and we should all see ourselves as doing ditto. Adam sought his own goodness, delight, and wisdom, having rejected God's. That's the epitome of sin: man's declaration of independence from God!
When asking why do the good suffer, the real question should be why are they blessed? God gives man less than he deserves punitively. God is good and so there is a standard of Supreme or Ultimate Good (per Plato) and God is omnipotent, almighty, and plenipotent. God is also just, kind and good; so why do we suffer? There is an invisible conflict between good and evil (evil has been dethroned at the cross and Christ reigns), but the mop-up effort and consummation are in process. In the end, God will turn the wrath of man to praise Him (cf. Psalm 76:10).
In the meantime, we find ourselves in the enemy-occupied territory--the devil's turf or domain! We fight evil from the vantage point of victory, not for a victory--Christ already won the battle! Evil must exist and it's not the counterpart of God nor it's opposite, but a parasite and perversion of good (it couldn't exist in its own right).
Without God, there can be no evil or sin and without the possibility of evil, there can be no good expressed, for we only see and behold goodness in contrast to evil and sin. Someone said that one might ask: Do you see the evil and say "why?" Or do you see the good and say "why not?" We see good in light of evi; we have the opportunity for good with evil; we endure short-term evil for long-term good; realize that there can be no objective evil without objective good. In the final analysis, we must not lose faith in the fact that God will someday settle the score and mete out justice at Judgment Day; justice delayed is not justice denied! Soli Deo Gloria!
You read my post before editing, hope it wasn't hard to follow!
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