mikeOfChrist

Also true, but I had allways believed God teaches us a lot thru the Holy Spirit -but still wants us to "wrestle" or "Strive" with Him -to prove how deep our commitment is ---because apart from "Salvation," which is a free gift, I had allways also believed God wants us to grow in Character as people as well, even in some ways thru our striving ----and if our particular "striving" involves doing so with God's word, just a little, apart from other oportunities as well ------( maybee I am wrong, Ohhh there's a surprise ), But I had allways thought it provides an oportunity for us to deepen our relationship with God, while growing in character, and had never meant it as a bad thing, to "Strive" with God's word, ----to not only prove, who is approved, but also for our growth?????????????

But You guys know Me, and thus, if a Crow can make it a five mile trip, in a straight line, as the Crow flies: I at least have to make it a one hundred and five mile trip, with a few detours in there as well, on top of that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

smellycat

character is good,we don,t want to be one mind like satan,s drones who talk without thought,and do as told from others without finding out why or if we should.rebeling aggainst the world is what i,m good at.

JCepc

All humans are born with an animal nature. The modern versions of the NewTestament calls that nature sinful. The Apostle Paul uses the term 'sinful-nature' over a dozen times in his letters, but mostly in the book of Romans.

Satan's sinful nature is a spiritual representation of our sinful nature (I love me, who do you love)? You see, we all were given a freewill which God can not violate and still call Himself a God of love. Love cannot force anyone to do good/love against their will.

Why were we given a freewill? Because it was necessary for us to choose God's ways wihile we still were in the control of our sinful human nature. And by choosing God instead of obeying our sinful nature, we in the stroke of a decision can/will now live to please God through Christ, through faith.

God had to permit evil in order to allow us to make a choice. And no, God cannot control evil at this time without taking away our freewill, since evil has its earthly origin with us humans, even though it is inspired by the devil.

And yes, God does, at times, use evil to His advantage, especially in the Old Testament. When He said to the nation of Israel "I will send a nation more wicked than yourself to come and destroy you." In that case, The Lord was using evil to fulfill His good purpose.

And no, God never creates evil per se, since He is a God of love, again, although He may us it to our and His advantage.

Boanerges

Isaiah 45:7 (King James Version



I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

He'sMyLord

I believe you will find that God created the destroyer to work havoc.

take a look at Isaiah 54.



I ponder on these facts at times. God doesn't make mistakes. He always knows what He is doing. He orchestrates all things to work together for good. I trust Him fully.

Can anyone agree with trusting Him no matter what He does & no matter what he allows?

I must admit that I don't always understand it all though. I trust Him but can't say I've always got it figured out.

Alecs

I believe that God created neither death nor suffering nor evil. Evil has no hypostasis or existence as such. Evil is the absence of good; death is the absence of life. Evil is the alienation of the created being who has estranged himself from God; it is the degeneration of an essence which was created good. The sinner dies, not because God slays him in punishment so that He might revenge Himself on him -- for man cannot offend God, nor does God experience any satisfaction at the death of a man -- the sinner dies because he has alienated himself from the Source of Life. God is not responsible for evil, nor is He its cause. Neither is God blameworthy because He created man's nature with the possibility of alienating itself. If He had created human nature without free will, by this imposed condition He would have rendered the created intelligent being purely passive in nature; the creature would simply submit, not having the possibility of doing otherwise, since it would not be free. However, God wished that, after a fashion, we too should be His co-workers in His creation and be responsible for our own eternal destiny. God knows in His infinite wisdom how to transform the causes of evil into that which is profitable for man's salvation. Thus God uses the consequences of evil so as to make roses bloom forth from the thorns; although He never desired the thorns, nor did He create them in order to use them as instruments. He permitted these things to exist out of respect for our freedom. Thus God permits trials and sufferings without having created them. When suffering comes upon me, I must receive this as an unfathomable proof of His love, as a blessing in disguise and without feeling indignant, I must seek out its significance. As for temptations, I must avoid them, and for the sake of humility, beseech God to spare me from them, even as our Saviour teaches us in the Lord`s Prayer: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Yet, in all trials, temptations, and sufferings, we conclude our prayer as did the Saviour in the garden of Gethsemane: "Not My will, but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42).

Boanerges

Yet the scripture declares He did:
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

If there were no evil, no good an bad there would be no choice to make.

Jehovah Nissi

Yet scripture also says to hate it:
Psalm 97:10 "You who love the LORD, hate evil!..."

Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate."

Amos 5:14-15 "seek good and not evil, that you may live: So the LORD God of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken. Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate. It may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph."

If you read Genises Chapter 1, you'll find out that everything God created "He saw that it was good." Why would God create something and then tell us to hate it?

In Mark 7:21-23 we see that evil comes from the heart and defiles a man...So If God created evil, He created it to defile man because Jesus said that is what evil does. But God dosn't want us defiled. He wants all of us to come to repentance of that evil that defiles us (2 Peter 3:9).

I'm with Alec on this one...Evil was never created...it was perverted from Good because the devil can't create anything...all he can do is pervert what God has allready created and God created everything and saw that it was good...not evil.

Walking in Victory,

J

__________________
2 Tim. 4:2 "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."

2 Corinthians 2:14 (AMP) "But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ's victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere."

"Church is not a pleasure boat, it is a lifeboat." (Rinehart Bonky)

Compel them to come in so that the Fathers house may be filled!!!! (Luke 14:23)

smellycat

God created angels.then God created humans.the angels lusted after humans.so there sin was first.1 even challenged Gods seed with cain.giants grew etc from angels.God flooded the earth and perged his deciet.noah came from seth and followed God.the serphant infected the air.which has never changed.Jesus came after many lies,to tell truth.read Jesus because his words are your life eternal.

Boanerges

I simply trie to believe what the scripture says:
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

You can feel free to disagree with me on this though- much love in Christ, Larry.