Doug wrote:...And more disturbingly, there are those who profess to believe in the God described in the Bible who want to argue that God did not create sin. They confuse Create with Commit. If God is God, then He most assuredly did Create sin. Just as he created everything else including pain, suffering and misery. The central question is WHY. God knew before He created anything what would happen, when it would happen and why it would happen....
So before creation God knew man would fall, sin and fail. God knew of the pain and the misery His creation would cause. God destroyed His creation but saved just enough of it to start the process again. Now we have the option of being saved through Jesus. And my question still is - What is there here on earth for a saved person to live for?
Doug,
We did answer your questions. Are you trying to indict God for creating evil? Or build on the presupposition that since evil exists then God either cannot exist or he does not care? Re-read my post again: Can you answer the questions posed?
I suggest you read
Psalms 145 sometime soon as it reveals things about God's Character...
First God is slow to anger…
Psalms 145:8 - "The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."
Next, he respects whom he made and provides things to sustain life for both the just and unjust...
verse 9, "The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made."
God satisfies the desire of every living thing
Verse 16, "You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing."
This is indeed profound. This means he honors his gifts — such his gift of life and shows respect for the independent decisions they make. Here are a few other points the bible makes about God's character: His Gifts and calling are irrevocable. He honors his word and keeps it, and makes sure what he speaks and wills is carefully arrived at without any violation to His own integrity by not violating his own gifts given to whom he made.
You sound like you would like God to be strict, arbitrary, one that denies liberty in whom he created with intelligence just to avoid foreknown evil. This would mean the god you prefer would be one who favors automatons to relate too and love. Devoid of feelings, living in bliss, unable to think on their own, unless programmed (hardwired) to love God.
How could that be just to, “
God, who's ways are justice, a God of faithfulness, God who is without iniquity, Who is just and upright to all…?” Deu 32:3-4
To fashion one in an unjust way that denies the ability to reason and think independently is not just. How could God be just and loving if he denies such gifts? How could God all powerful be all powerful if He denies himself to work through all things to arrive at a preordained goal without any violation to His own integrity proven by not violating His own gifts given to whom he made?
Even though he created beings that have intelligence and exercise reason independently does not prove he created evil even when foreknowing the outcome. Sin remains the creature's own doing — own creation.
Can human beings create? As a reflection of God we were fashioned under, we have a limited ability to create. Even the angelic beings God made have limited ability to create. If then, create, then who created sin?
You imply, that since God created such beings, God created evil due to foreknowing; again, this does not impugn nor prove God guilty of creating sin. It proves “The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” That he is just and fair allowing his created beings the ability to do as they desire.
What's God afraid since He is all powerful? He will work through all things perfectly and thus rid sin and evil justly and more flawlessly without any violation to His own integrity proven by not even violating His own gifts given to whom he made. You and I are incapable of doing this. The world we design violates others everyday.
So God is in the process of containing evil, stopping it justly, rightly, perfectly, without perverting justice and equity to anyone and Himself. This is a slow process and why
Psalms 145:4 states: “
One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”
God is slow to anger and being slow to anger does not mean he never gets angry. He slow from one generation to another explaining patiently to each who he is.
From this --
Pslam 145:20, “
The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.”
Regarding the type of destruction, Ecclesiastes 3:14 gives a clue:
Ecc 3:14, “
I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.”
The destruction is not non-being as that violates the gift of Life God gives. He will never revoke his gifts — he is true to his word. This speaks of the destruction that brings ruin and shame without end as that is what one desired more than the love of God.
Psalms 145:21, “
My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.”
So there you have it. The Lord who is leading us to His desired goal arrived at without any violation to His integrity proven by not violating his own gifts given to whom he made. Now that is perfect!
Deu 32:3-4, “
God! "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he."
Listen to Elihu in
Job 34:10-12, "
Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong. 11 For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him. 12 Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice”
Lastly, you asked — what does a saved person to live for? Here is you first clue:
Rom 8:29, “
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers…”
This takes time and involves a process of...
...Becoming Born again and indwelt by the Holy Spirit as we cannot save ourselves nor cleanse ourselves — only the Lord can. He will transform one who believes in him in due time into what he originally intended them to be without any violation to His integrity proven by not violating his own gifts given to whom he made. Now that is perfect!
Note Revelations 21 and 22
Are you really born again?
I ask this question wherever I speak —
Are you certain of heaven without any doubts?
Bible quotes not cited from the ESV
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