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NASB | 1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 John 5:19 We know [for a fact] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] lies in the power of the evil one [opposing God and His precepts]. |
Bible Question:
Like many through the ages I have considered the question of where evil came from. I have read a bit on it in and out of scriptures but I have found no answer to this question. Why was Satan evil? How did it get in the universe at all? Can anyone help? |
Bible Answer: Dear wordsmith; Since I see others have addressed your question quite well, I am merely going to add comments, concerning the origin of evil. In Norman Geislers book - Chosen But Free (Second Edition) pages 22-23 is the following text. "the power of moral free choice entails the ability either to choose the good God designed for us or to reject it. The latter is called evil. It is good to be free, but freedom makes evil possible. Free will is good in itself, but entailed in that good is the ability to choose the opposite of good, which then makes evil possible. If God made free creatures, and if it is good to be free, then the origin of evil is the misuse of freedom. This is not hard to understand. We all enjoy freedom to drive, but many abuse this freedom and drive recklessly. Yet we should not blame the government that gives us the license to drive for all the evil that we do with our cars. Those whose irresponsible driving kills others are responsible for what has happened. Remember: the government that gave us the permission to drive has also informed us to drive safely. Likewise, God is morally accountable for giving the good thing called free will, but He is not morally responsible for all the evil we do with our freedom. Solomon said it well: "This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes" (Eccl. 7:29). In brief, God made the fact of freedom; we are responsible for the acts of freedom. The fact of freedom is good, even though some acts of of freedom are evil. God is the cause of the former, and we are the cause of the latter." Blessings to you New Creature |