Bible in general (Archive 1)

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Bible Question: We have to take Ex 4:11 literally and your conclusion to the literal meaning is exactly the point I'm trying to make. God is sovereign and we have no idea how his plan/actions combine and effect the whole scheme of things.

Evil is not necessarily what we as humans always perceive it to be. Evil by definition is anything contrary to God.

Architect builds a building and people live in it everything is great. Then one day a man decides to commit suicide and plunges from the building. Do we say the architect created an evil building. No we say the man that jumped made a bad decision.

God didn’t create evil He just gave us the choice, to follow Him or not. If we chose not to, then it is us that is creating the evil.

The philosophical will respond that God by giving us the choice did by default create evil. And I guess in that sense we would have to say He did. But to have us "Free willed" beings that had a choice it was necessary.

However God never uses that evil to cause us to stumble. We view things evil that may not be. For instance a handicap at child birth. Ex 4:11 and John 9:3 both seem to say God has people born with handicaps, which seems very unfair when judged in the perspective of our physical life span. However when viewed in light of eternity handicaps may be advantages. Citing the example Charis gave of how a handicap has humbled him. We know humility carries additional rewards in eternity.

We have to hold tight to Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Bible Answer: I do not believe that God gave us free will. Free will is the motivating power that drives sin.

If God gave to man, namely Adam and Eve and all prodigy after, freewill to choose, surely freewill must be another name for disobedience of God's command and law. There is no mention in scripture that man has been given freewill to do what he likes; in fact just the opposite is the case. God didn't say, you can choose to obey or not, He gave an ultimatum, if you don't obey you will die. There is no choice in that, it is a command, and was the first and only law that God implemented. It is the spiritual law. If one sees disobeying God as freewill, then obviously we have an awful lot of freewill sinners. For not only is freewill another name for disobeying God, but is also another name for sin.

If one obeys, this first law God implemented for man, one has no need of any other laws, outside of that initial law. This law in the Garden was the first great law Jesus spoke of; to love God with all your heart, and have no other god's you obey; freewill makes a mockery of obedience, for it is another god which we obey, the god of self which is at enmity with God. For we are all carnal sold under sin. (Romans 7:14)

Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Therefore, because the pair in the Garden did not keep God's law, they were of a carnal mind, which is at enmity with God.