Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the LORD God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, "Can it really be that God has said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" [Rev 12:9-11] |
Subject: Enter the Dragon! |
Bible Note: Thank you, Jensen, 2) The weakness of analogies is that they can be extended beyond the purpose of the author. So is the case here. Paul's point in Rom 9 is that the thing made has no say in what it is or the purposes the potter has for it. That's the extent of his analogy. You've taken the potter and put him in a community of other men. This extends the analogy into areas that Paul does not extend it. To so extend it would put God into a community of gods. In Paul's analogy God is the potter and EVERYTHING else are the things made. So there is no one else to harm. He makes what he wants to make for the purpose he wants to make them. The things made have no say. And in the case of God, there is no one else in his community (there are no other gods) to harm with his vessels. 3) We're of one mind here! But of course you see that this has implications on the first question. 4) Again, we walk together, but again be mindful of the implications! 5) Although I don't share you view of science, your explanation does not hold water. The buckets in this case are spiritual not physical. So even if physical bodies are affected temporally by gravity, pure spiritual beings cannot be. If what you offered is SCIENTIFIC proof, it is proof that applies to the physical reality only, because that is all the reality with which science can deal. 1) Not all evil is sin, because not all evil is moral. The evil that destroyed the World Trade Center towers was moral. The evil of floods, earthquakes and volcanoes is amoral. So it is with the “good” creation. As I explained to Steve, I think it was Steve, this also is not a moral good. God created light on the first day and esteemed it good. Morally good? No, light is amoral! It was good in that it was exactly the way God wanted it to be, and he was pleased with it. So it was at the conclusion of the sixth day; it was all very good. But this is all beside the point, because we are talking about a creature who IS morally evil! Would it be contrary to God's goodness (moral and otherwise) for him to create a wicked creature? The implications of your answers to 3) and 4), with which I agree, is no. To answer to your question, did God in fact create Satan as such; I can give the politically discrete answer of saying that the Scripture does not make that point explicit, but it would not be contrary to the goodness of God if he had created Satan evil. Peace, Lionstrong |