Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Who created evil? | Gen 3:1 | bronx hulk | 92214 | ||
Radioman, You have some very interesting points here. I'd like to interject something not in a debating sense, but to see what your views are. In order for me to get your full answer, I'll need to give you how I view this. So it might sound like I'm attacking your understandings, but please brother, do not take it that way. I need to come to you with my full understanding so I can get yours. I hope you understand that. Here's what I've received from God on this matter: As you said the KJV in Is 45:7 states that "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create EVIL: I the LORD do all these things." To me that very clearly says that God created evil. As for your understanding given about sin. I agree whole heartedly on what you said. However, I don't think that sin and evil are the same thing. Sin is a transgression of the law. Evil (to me) is a state of being. i.e. Satan is evil. Further example: I sin and get drunk. Was I being evil? Did I have an evil heart? Not from how I view evil. Would I be evil if I delibrately tempted my brother into getting drunk, just so he would transgress? Yes, that would be evil. You quoted James 1:13 and 1 John 1:5. I don't feel that these scriptures override Is 45:7. They are simply giving a description of God. "Cannot be tempted by evil and does not tempt anyone" only means that evil has no power over Him and that He Himself will not try to get someone to transgress by tempting them. However, Evil, His creation, would tempt someone. "In Him there is no darkness" Still does not prove that He couldn't create evil. This just tells me that He Himself is not evil, but still could create it to serve His purpose. 1 Corin 14:33 says God is not the author of confusion. Again, I would have to say that Evil and Confusion are not the same. Evil is perfectly understandable if you gain enough wisdom. I'm not confused by evil or evil motives at all. They make perfect sense to me when I look at them from a spiritual mind. Not being the author of confusion means that God would not try to do anything that would be contradictary by any means. For example, put something in the Word that contradicts something else in the Word. Like saying that Jesus was a jew in one scripture and a muslim in another. Calamity is a form of confusion as far as I'm concerned. So how could you say the NAS bible's translation of IS 45:7 is any clearer? To me, that's a contradiction in scripture. How could He create calamity, but yet not be the author of confusion? I'm not going to get into different bible translations now, maybe at another time. Evil serves God, that is for sure. If Evil tempts people and God does not, the God would need something to do His "dirty work" so to speak. Consider this: God could have created us to be like robots to serve Him. But He didn't because He wanted our choice to serve Him be proof that we love Him. If there was no tempter (evil) then we wouldn't be faced with choices to serve Him or serve sin. Or sin wouldn't have a driver or method of pressure, if that makes sense to you. So God needed evil for His eternal plan. And as far as Genesis goes and "God saw that it was good"... That was the earth. The heaven mentioned is the atmosphere here all the way to outer space. Not the heaven where God is. That is a different heaven. God's Heaven was already created by this time. So was evil. So yes, the earth that He created WAS good. I still don't think that overrides IS 45:7. He created alot of good things. But He also created evil, just not in Gen 1. |
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2 | Who created evil? | Gen 3:1 | Morant61 | 92220 | ||
Greetings Bronx Hulk! May I interject my friend? Some words have different meanings in different contexts. In this case, the word 'evil' (KJV) is found in contrast to the word 'peace'. Thus, most commentators feel that God is saying that He brings either 'peace' or 'disaster'. Here is what Barnes Commentary says about this phrase: "And create evil - The parallelism here shows that this is not to be understood in the sense of all evil, but of that which is the opposite of peace and prosperity. That is, God directs judgments, disappointments, trials, and calamities; he has power to suffer the mad passions of people to rage, and to afflict nations with war; he presides over adverse as well as prosperous events. The passage does not prove that God is the author of moral evil, or sin, and such a sentiment is abhorrent to the general strain of the Bible, and to all just views of the character of a holy God." so, the context of Is. 45:7 is quite clear. God was working through Cyrus to accomplish His goals. It wasn't by chance or accident that death or life, properity or disaster occured, but it was the result of God's sovereign plan. So, I would agree with Radioman2 that 'evil' as we think of it, is not created, but that God does bring 'disaster' upon people as part of His will. I hope this helps! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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3 | Who created evil? | Gen 3:1 | bronx hulk | 92309 | ||
I think the problem I'm having understanding this is I'm not defining evil the same way as you and RM2. When God said He created evil, I think that means that He created Lucifer knowing full well that Lucifer would rise up against Him. Now I could be wrong about this, but doesn't it say somewhere in the word that God created the Angels to serve Him? That they don't have a choice in the matter? Heb 1:6 maybe? If He did that, then how could have Lucifer risen up against Him? The only explanation I could give is that He created Lucifer to do exactly what he did. Hence, created evil. Do you see where I'm hung up on this whole thing? Just like God created Pharoah just so He could use Pharoah to display his power Rom 9:17. Wasn't Pharaoh evil? Did not God create him for His good purpose? Now I'm not saying by any means that God is evil or immoral for doing that. God is God and can do what He wants. Our small minds cannot question His motives or reasons. We cannot or must not. We must accept what He does and that is that. That's why I'm fully comfortable in saying that God could have created evil while still being holy and perfect. God murdered, God destroyed, God tortured (plagues on Egypt). God has done many things that would seem wrong if you look at it from a carnal mind. Like I said in the beginning. It might just be the way we are defining evil that is separating our understandings. What do you think? And thank you for taking the time to study this issue with me. With the love of Christ, Sal |
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