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NASB | James 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | James 4:7 So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. |
Subject: another hypothetical, applied ethics |
Bible Note: Your objection is noted and illustrates why considering hypotheticals can be instructive. I did not intend to imply that Satan was the source of evil, I meant only to offer an incentive for selfishness, which is always present in every situation we face. I agree that our disobedience is the reason for the Fall, yet in order for our choice to have meaning, there must be a real alternative for us to choose over God. We can choose life with God or without Him and by definition, life without God is evil and wicked. In line with your position, in Matthew 15:19, Jesus said evil deeds spring from our hearts. Yet, from whence that evil came to be in us is a mystery. We acknowledge that God's nature is not compatible with evil, yet also we acknowledge He is supreme. Fortunately, the origin of evil is irrelevant to its reality for us and to the fact we must reject it. Finally, while heaping insults upon his head is biblical, Proverbs 25:22, I submit that is not only reason to render aid. I cite Exodus 21:24, which limits revenge to be proportionate to the offense. Yet, in Matthew 5:39, Jesus tells us to submit to the offense and not retaliate at all and in 5:44, He instructs us to love our enemies. In the case of rendering aid to enemies, the OT would have us do kind deeds so that we may heap burning coals upon their heads, but Christ updates that by having us act out of love for them. Parable |