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NASB | 3 John 1:11 ¶ Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 3 John 1:11 ¶ Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but [imitate] what is good. The one who practices good [exhibiting godly character, moral courage and personal integrity] is of God; the one who practices [or permits or tolerates] evil has not seen God [he has no personal experience with Him and does not know Him at all]. [1 John 3:6] |
Bible Question: If God created everything, and evil was found in Lucifer,then does it follow that God created evil? If God did not create evil,then who did? And does it then follow that God is not the creator of everything? |
Bible Answer: Cephas: No, God did not create evil. Who did? No one did. To reason that if God did not create evil, then He is not the creator of everything is a new and strange kind of logic I am not familiar with. The Bible specifically says in plain English that God IS the Creator of everything that was created. Nowhere does the Bible say or imply that evil is a created thing. "Evil originates not from God but from the fallen creature. I agree with John Calvin, who wrote, "'It is helpful, I think, to understand that sin is not itself a thing created. Sin is neither substance, being, spirit, nor matter. So it is technically not proper to think of sin as something that was created. Sin is simply a want of moral perfection in a fallen creature. Fallen creatures themselves bear full responsibility for their sin. And all evil in the universe emanates from the sins of fallen creatures. "For example, Romans 5:12 says that death entered the world because of sin. Death, pain, disease, stress, exhaustion, calamity, and all the bad things that happen came as a result of the entrance of sin into the universe (see Genesis 3:14-24). All those evil effects of sin continue to work in the world and will be with us as long as sin is.'" For further study see: Jay Adams, The Grand Demonstration (Santa Barbara CA: Eastgate,1991). Copyright 2000 Grace to You |