I was asked this question and I wanted to add my response to the blog in case some others wanted to express an opinion on the topic. I was not complete in my response but brief, but still I think it is worth something, and the truth as well.
So here it is for your review:
Did God create Evil
A age old question which many people fall into the trap of trying to explain how a completely holy God who is without any shred of evil could or would create it. Some may say because He wanted man to have a choice to serve Him out of free will, but the scripture does not declare that. It is true man can choose, and so could the angels.
Scripture does not declare the angels to be without free will either. Psalm 103 shows us the angels were created to do His bidding, to listen to His voice and to fulfill His commands
Ps 103:20-22 20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. 22 Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion.NIV
But they had the choice to not do that, we know that Lucifer had pride, he did not want to submit to Gods commands, and he wanted to be like God. Pride…..
Isa 14:12-15 12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." 15 But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit. NIV
God created them, the angels to be able to make a choice about doing His will, and thus because of that pride entered into Lucifer. God did not create evil as we think of evil. God allowed the angels to have their own determination. Now once cast out of Heaven Lucifer because of his own nature developed into what we would call evil. Desiring to fight back against the action God took by casting him out.
Unlike man, angels cannot be redeemed by the blood of Christ.
Jude 6-7 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home — these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. NIV
These verse also shows us they abandoned their own home, they made the choice.
God allows man choice, God allowed the angels choice, but He did not create the evil as a source of choice. Lucifer was allowed to be prideful, God did not make him prideful, God did not create evil.
2 comments:
I have another one for you to ponder. Does God harden hearts or do we harden our own hearts by being disobedient and not listening? There is a verse about Saul, I can't think of the reference right now, but it says that God sent an evil spirit and Saul became mad. We read it from several versions and they all used the same verbage. Anyway, we need a more mature brain to wrap around it!!
Hi Rich,
I really enjoyed this devotional on evil and read it tonight. I want to read it again tomorrow and go deeper into Lucifer being called "The Morning Star" which is what Jesus referred to Himself as in 2 Peter and Revelation.
I know that Satan counterfeits everything Jesus does and that Lucifer was the name he was called in heaven and is now known as Satan. Another question the atheist are sticky on in insisting that the bible doesn't mention Satan in the OT. This is also a big one for the Jewish people on the thread.
I look forward to more!!
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