On the other hand on the issue of morally committing evil comes under the rubric of God Himself declaring by His law for creatures what constitutes good and evil. If God has not declared that it is evil for Him to be the ultimate cause of all things, including what we call evil, then who art thou O man to question God? Shall the clay rise up against the Potter and say why have you ordained reality this way? In brief, if God has done it, we would do well to learn with Brother Job to keep our mouths shut and to repent in dust and ashes.
If we embrace any other way of thinking we immediately run into some form of dualism with its Ying and Yang giving good and evil as equipoised perfectly against one another. This was the ancient religion of the Manicheans who believed the push-me, pull-you of good and evil would never be resolved. Augustine, by God’s grace, was delivered from this errant religion.
Now of course, that God is the ultimate metaphysical cause of all things does not mean that man can say in a twisted impersonation of Flip Wilson,
“The deity made me do it.”
Man must remember that though God is the ultimate cause of all things that we remain responsible to God for our lusts and sin and as we don’t know what God hath ordained for any of us (Christians) we would do well to believe that God has ordained for us (Christians) righteousness as opposed to believing that God has ordained for us to follow our wicked lusts. So, we must continue to resist the Devil (God’s agent — see Job) and flee to God. We must be convinced that in His providence God is going to keep us from being sifted by the evil one (His agent).
Hey. I am a long-time reader and your post on God’s sovereignty really challenged me.
Some of these are ones I answered myself, but they led to bigger questions and more speculation.
Does God allow evil? Yes.
Why? For his glory.
Is that wrong? No.
God is not limited by evil to demonstrate his Glory. Thus is it for our benefit to show us who God is? I *think* so.
Since God gave choice to Adam & Eve between good and evil (Evil defined as the absence of God) does that mean that he is responsible for evil’s presence? *Yes?* How could he not be?
If God wasn’t responsible for the ultimate causation of evil, that means someone else would be. And he would not be sovereign. And that is a scary thought.
If the answer to that ^ is God not being responsible, the following question occurs.
How could he control what he did not create?
Thus, did God create evil? Even if he is not of it?
Is that evil? God declares it is not. But how is that possible?
Is it evil for God to demonstrate he is God? No.
Is it wrong for him to create something not of him (evil) to show that he is God?
Is create even the right word? Maybe not. But only using the word “allow” dodges the question.
Or… Big or…
Is evil even created? Has evil (The absence) of God always existed for eternity?
I don’t think we are told directly told in the bible how evil ultimately came to be. But we know that: 1 John 1:5 “God is Light, in Him, there is no darkness at all.”
Some of these things I cannot answer. And God has not made clear to us how these things function, and we may never understand. But like you said, it is our duty to be at peace with what God has told us for sure and no more.
If you don’t mind. I’d appreciate it if you would provide your perspective on some of the questions I posed.
Thanks.
Hello Justin,
Thank you for responding. I think that, overall, you are on the right track.
I would only warn against seeing evil as eternal. That would put us in the situation of the ancient Manicheans who held to a dualism comprised of good vs. evil. This is the Eastern notion of the Ying and the Yang. It shows up in any number of Gnostic cults. Scripture, does tell us that God creates Evil;
“I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me, there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; 6 That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, 7The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these,” (Isaiah 45:5-7).
“And the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” (Exodus 4:11).
“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” (Amos 3:6).
On the other hand we must tread lightly here for we have other scripture that teach that God is pure and that He cannot approve of the evil men do that is a violation of His command.
“The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He,” (Deut. 32:4).
“Thine eyes are too pure to approve evil, and Thou canst not look on wickedness with favor,” (Hab. 1:13).
We cannot let go of man’s moral responsibility in this matter. Though God reigns over all, men remain responsible for their moral evil and God does not look with favor upon men who violate His precepts and who thus do evil. As men we are responsible to God’s moral law.
Finally, we need to keep in mind that God appointed upon Himself an evil so great that all other evil pales in comparison. He appointed unto Himself, in the incarnate 2nd person of the trinity the great wickedness of the Cross. St. Peter can even say,
23 This man (Jesus of Nazareth) was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
It is just that the evil of the Cross had an end that demonstrated the magnificence of God.
Let me know if you have more questions or observations Justin.
May the Lord Christ be with you
Pastor Bret