Results 1 - 5 of 5
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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 | Radioman2 | 92324 | ||
bronx hulk: What I say here is in no way intended as a criticism of you personally. I mean no offense to you. I speak the truth in Christian love. You write: '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." Regarding Isa. 45:7, as long as you stick to one verse in one version and insist that the one valid translation is "create EVIL," then there is no way you could be wrong -- no way that anyone could convince you that your belief that God created evil is erroneous. "If you only have one Scripture on which to base an important doctrine or teaching, you are most likely to find, on close examination, that you have none." Grace to you, Radioman2 |
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3 | Who created evil? | Gen 3:1 | bronx hulk | 92329 | ||
RM2, I hear what you're saying. But I haven't found anything else that disputes that verse. I looked at the ones you listed and I couldn't see how they dealt with this topic. I did look in humbleness, not trying to automatically dismiss them because of what I've received for myself. Honestly, how could you argue against Is 45:7? Are we to assume that it doesn't mean what it says? You are right in saying that if I stick to one translation, it will be hard to be convinced otherwise. How many bibles are we supposed to use to get the translation that we feel is right? Everything in the KJV makes perfect sense to me and I've never found a contradiction. Are you not also doing the same thing by using your translation? So with that being said, let's put that aside. Can you comment on the other things I said in the last post? I'm really interested in what you have to say regarding the understandings I gave. I don't take things personally. I only want to find out the truth. I'm not in this for myself, but for God. So I'm not offended. I hope you are not either. All that matters to me is that our hearts are in it for God. That seems like the case to me. This topic does not "hinge on salvation" so it doesn't matter who is right here. I think this is a way to really search the scriptures deeper. You have already made me do that greatly. So your comments have helped me for sure. That's why I would like to see what you have regarding the other comments I made. If you don't want to go any further, that's fine. I'm having a great time studying this with you. God bless always, Sal |
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4 | Who created evil? | Gen 3:1 | Radioman2 | 92435 | ||
Sal: I am pleased to know that you and I can look past any disagreements and love each other as God's children! That's exactly how I feel. And I am happy to be received by you and to receive you as a brother. Agreement with me has never been a condition for friendship. :-) Sal: "Honestly, how could you argue against Is 45:7? Are we to assume that it doesn't mean what it says?" Radioman2: I do not argue against Isa. 45:7. The Bible always means what it says and says what it means. I just think that the KJV is not necessarily the most accurate translation of that verse. Nothing against the KJV. I've used it, loved it, respected it, memorized it and quoted it all my life. I still use it along with others. But no translation of the Bible is perfect or inerrant. The Scriptures are inerrant only in the original manuscripts. On the other hand, that does NOT mean that we do not have trustworthy translations (plural) of the Bible today. We do. Sal: "How many bibles are we supposed to use to get the translation that we feel is right?" Radioman2: There is ONE Bible, but many translations. I do not believe there is one and only one "right" translation of the Bible. How many translations are we supposed to use? As for me, I will use as many translations as I need to get at the full meaning of a Greek or Hebrew word or verse. (Sal, I need all the help I can get. :-)) Sal: "Everything in the KJV makes perfect sense to me and I've never found a contradiction." Radioman2: Neither have I ever found a contradiction in the KJV. Nor have I found a contradiction in any other translation of the Bible either, except for the New World Translation, which no one uses except the Jehovah's Witnesses. Sal: "Are you not also doing the same thing by using your translation?" Radioman2: No, I'm really not. That is because I'm not depending on only one version for a better translation of the verse in Isaiah. There are many other versions that do not use the word "evil" in Isa. 45:7. Even the New King James Version uses the word calamity: "I make peace and create calamity" (NKJV). In this thread, I would rather not get into a dispute over which translation is better or best. That is a separate topic that can be researched or discussed separately. Regarding the understandings you gave in your last post, without going into detail, let me just say that although I respect you and enjoy this interaction, I generally do not agree with your interpretation or understanding of this matter. If I answered your Note question by question, this would be the bottom line of each of my answers. Yet I do not want to discourage you from asking me questions. I always welcome any questions you may have. No, Sal, I am definitely not offended. Not at all. Again, I am happy that you and I can dialogue, even when we disagree. I have no interest in being right for its own sake. My goal, I think, is the same as yours: to keep my thinking aligned with what the Bible says and means. To do that it sometimes becomes necessary for me to make corrections in my thinking. I appreciate you because you have a refreshing outlook toward Bible study, discussion, and fellowshiping around the Word of God. God richly bless you is my prayer, Your brother in Christ, Radioman2 |
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5 | Who created evil? | Gen 3:1 | bronx hulk | 92630 | ||
Thank God for you! I'm glad that you took the time to answer the questions. You make alot of sense. Curtman gave a good answer to the different bible translations that I never thought about. I have one other question that was pointed out to me that I didn't even think of. When God placed the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil in the garden, that was before any transgression was made. When they ate the fruit, that's when they knew what evil was. Wasn't it God's tree that He made and put in the garden of Eden? Do you see where I'm going with this? Let me know what you think about that. I hope you don't think I'm beating a dead horse. I'm the type of person that is not satisfied until I get every last bit out of the Word. This has been an awesome study. Alot has come out of it. It branched out into different things and I think has really enriched my understandings in many areas. Thank you so much for your dilligence! I need good interaction with strong saints!! Be blessed my brother!! Yours in Christ, Sal |
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