Are some Sins greater than others?

We have all heard the term “sin is sin” right? In other words, whether one is telling a lie, or someone is committing murder it is all punished the same. Is that reasoning true? I would say generally yes. But, the Bible actually declares that some sins are worse than others and based on the offense will determine a person’s degree of punishment in hell.

In Matthew 11:20-24 we read the following: He (Jesus) began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

Here we see why the cities Jesus rebuked are going to receive a harsher judgment; because after seeing God in the flesh perform mighty deeds and preach mighty words, they refused to repent; change their mind regarding their sins. These things Tyre and Sidon along with Sodom never witnessed. Jesus is saying that the cities in which He performed mighty deeds would be judged harsher.

This is amazing when we consider how wicked Sodom was back in Genesis 18-19. The men there were homosexuals and there was not any righteous in the city save Lot and his daughters. God had to physically remove Lot, his wife and his daughters so that he could rain fire and brimstone on the city to destroy it (Genesis 19:23-25).

The cities of Tyre and Sidon were located on the Mediterranean coast. The destruction of Tyre is prophesied in extraordinary detail by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 26-28).

When Jesus was arrested by the Romans and handed over to Pilate by the chief priests; mainly the High Priest Caiaphas, Jesus declared to Pilate that, “the one that handed me over to you has the greater sin” (italics mine, John 19:11).

That statement made Pilate afraid, and from that point was determined to release Jesus. Now why would Jesus make that remark to Pilate? Those that handed Jesus over to Him witnessed his miracles and heard him teach so they were definitely without excuse for their sin. The more one knows, the more responsible and culpable that person is for what they know. Pilate’s culpability was less because he did not witness any miracles or hear Jesus teach, but he still committed a sinful act by condemning Jesus to death by crucifixion. 

Pilate was under extreme pressure to make the decision to destroy Jesus although he himself said three times, “I find no fault in Him at all!” (John 18:38; 19:4,7). That is why Pilate was determined to initially release Jesus. He did not want to be an accessory to the murder of an innocent man (whether Pilate believed Jesus was the Son of God or not), but was afraid of the crowds and released a robber named Barabbas who was an obvious convicted felon.

Pilate indeed committed a great sin, he released a son of Satan to the people who they accepted in exchange for the condemnation of the only begotten Son of God who they rejected.

Jesus said, “I come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive” (John 5:43).

Concluding, to know the truth and reject it is indeed a greater sin than someone being ignorant of truth altogether.

For it would been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them (I Peter 2:21).

The Dead Keep Dying!

                                                 

The reader may be asking, “why such a morbid title to an article?” Well I believe I can justify the title biblically. In a few words hopefully I can express why the title makes sense.

The Bible tells us in two passages in particular that we were (prior to salvation) dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13). What that means is that as a result of original sin, the human race was born dead and separated from God.  What? That small phrase is an oxymoron most readers are saying.  You would be correct. That phrase on the surface does not make any sense. How can we be dead and alive at the same time?

Well actually it is simple. We are alive physically, but prior to conversion, we are dead spiritually. Every human being that has or will be born is born with this terminal spiritual disease!

            

We need to be healed immediately. Well, what’s the cure?

Before I answer that question, let us explore some passages in scripture that I believe support this idea of the dead keep dying.

In Matthew 23:27-28 we read Jesus rebuking the Pharisees, “woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Jesus here gives a clear provocative illustration of the living dead. Those that were the most religious on the outside during his day were the one’s Jesus called dead on the inside, or in other words spiritually dead. If someone dies having never repented of their sins while alive, they will never see eternal life. This is a clear illustration of the dead keep dying.

Other passages that deal with this subject: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whom whose face the earth and heaven fled away. And there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15).

The Elder apostle John is describing the judgment of the world of the wicked dead at the end of this mortal life.  Everyone will be raised-resurrected from the dead to face judgment for the life they lived while on earth. Understand this judgment is not to determine if someone will enter heaven or not. All of these people are hell bound. When their life is played back before their eyes, they will know without a doubt why they are eternally damned. This is the most vivid picture of the dead dying in all of scripture.

This is what the Bible calls the second resurrection (Revelation 20:6), and the second death (Revelation 20:14). The first resurrection happens prior to the Millennium. The tribulation martyrs (those beheaded for the witness for Christ Revelation 6:9;20:4) and surviving tribulation believers are part of this group. Old and New Testament believers (i.e. the Church) are raised at the rapture (I Corinth 15:51-58; 1 Thess 4:13-18). Those in the first resurrection are the redeemed for all time.

So back to the question, what is the cure for the dead to stop dying? Isaiah 53:5 states it perfectly, He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon 

Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

This cure all only benefits those who believe in the sacrificial atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. His death satisfied the Father’s wrath against sin. Jesus made full payment for the sins of mankind (Revelation 1:5b). 

God the Father punished Jesus for our sins.

Believing in Jesus is the only way to reverse the curse of sin which is death (Romans 6:23).

Then and only then will the dead stop dying and inherit everlasting life.

Can we tell if someone is saved or not?

This matter should be approached with love and respect for the person you are concerned about.

Since we are unable to see a person’s heart like God can, the only way we can possibly know if a person is truly born again is by primarily two things.

1.      Knowledge of the truth

2.      Conduct based on truth

Both have to be operating in a person’s life if they’re claiming to be saved. We can not obey God without a proper understanding of God through the pages of Holy Scripture.

If one is claiming to be saved then their lives should exemplify that claim or profession faithfully and consistently.

The following does not necessarily mean a person is saved:

      Attending Church

      Singing in the choir

      “Paying tithes”

      Speaking, praying in tongues[1]

      Getting water baptized

      Walking down the aisle

      Praying the sinner’s prayer

      Getting slain in the spirit (i.e. falling on the ground when someone lays hands on you for a supposed healing).

Folks like these are a dime-a-dozen. When they practice these things mechanically, traditionally and spiritless-ly every week, chances are these type of individuals do not truly know the Lord. Its religious externalism. The person is in the right place bodily, and may be close to genuine saving faith (like Judas Iscariot - the traitor), but has not repented of sin and implored the Lord for the forgiveness of their sins. Confession of one’s sins and being saved by grace through faith constitutes real regeneration and salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Other indicators that a person is not truly saved are if one denies the triune Godhead (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), deity of Christ, His sacrificial death for our sins, burial and resurrection,  Jesus being God in the flesh, His ascension into heaven, His bodily return and establishing of His eternal kingdom in the new heavens and new earth. Lastly and most importantly that He is the only way, truth, and life for all mankind (John 14:6).                                    

The aforementioned are Christian essentials and one HAS to believe all of them. Failure to adhere to all of these truths actually destroys our entire belief system and Christian world view.

For anyone to say they are saved and also believe there are many ways to God save Jesus Christ only is 1) immature in the Christian faith or 2) a liar and they can not be truly saved at all. That person(s) is deceived and blind.

On the opposite side, those that exercise the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control show that they are truly born again (Galatians 5:22-23). These virtues can only be produced by the Holy Spirit working in the life of a true believer. The Holy Spirit CAN NOT dwell in the soul of the unsaved. The Holy Spirit dwells only in those whom he has converted.

For the Christian this HAS to be a daily pursuit of life; the fruit of the Spirit.

Right before that Paul describes the works of flesh which he says are evident: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery[2], hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in times past, that those who practice (italics mine) such things WILL NOT inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 19-21).

            Translation, those that live ungodly PROVE they are not saved.

Of course any believer can and has engaged these sins, but these things CAN NOT be our way of life or we are can not say we are saved. We have to be grieved by this lifestyle, go to God immediately confess and cry out to God and ask Him to help us overcome those weak area(s) in our lives.

As a matter of fact the Elder John the apostle said that a truly born again person can not continue in sin because God’s seed[3] dwells within us (I John 3:9).

Contrast that with the false convert who will claim he/she is saved yet will live like the world.

That person is an obvious hypocrite thinking they can have the best of both worlds; the Church on Sunday, and the world the rest of the week.

I John 2:15 says, “love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. For whoever loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him”.

It does not get any clearer than that.

Concluding, it is important that we are not so quick to judge a person’s spirituality or lack thereof. Unless you spend quality time with a person and monitor their behavior, we have no right to judge them based on a few encounters. However, if you see consistent, ongoing pattern of wickedness when you know someone has been exposed to biblical truth and refuses to submit to it, that person MUST examine themselves to see if they are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). The aforementioned is the way we take a person’s temperature; the word of God. It would be a loving thing to pull them aside and warn them about their deviant behavior. You have concern for their soul and that is a good thing. Pray with and for people like that.  They may have started off the right way, but have been horribly sidetracked because of other ungodly things; deceitfulness of riches, cares of this present world (Matthew 13:22).

Jesus preaching on the sermon on the mount said this, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and these things (i.e. things we need and desire) will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Saved people seek God’s direction everyday. Unsaved people do not unless they are in trouble and need God to bail them out.

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[1] Click on the following to read my articles on tongues:

http://gospelofrepentance.blogspot.com/2011/10/speaking-in-tongues-part-i.html

http://gospelofrepentance.blogspot.com/2011/10/speaking-in-tongues-part-ii.html

http://gospelofrepentance.blogspot.com/2013/07/has-gift-of-tongues-ceased-second-look.html

[2] The greek word is pharmakeia where we get the English word Pharmacy which deals

with medicines. This word also deals with mind altering drugs, getting high. This word

Also deals with those involved in witchcraft, the occult and magic which pagans often engaged

Themselves in.

[3] Seed is the Greek word sperma. In this context the seed is the permanence of the life of God within

The believer. As a result of such permanence the child of God can not live anyway they want. The life

Of God within will bring about a righteous conviction of sin and drive us to genuine repentance. The child

Of God does not make excuses for their sins, they run to God and repents of them with the intent to forsake

Them with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Bible Inspiration and Inerrancy

What does the Bible means when it says it is inspired? It is not simply saying that it is encouraging which of course it is; Biblical inspiration means God through the agency of the Holy Spirit is the author of scripture. Man did not write the Bible. This is where most people will disagree and say, man did write the Bible! No, man recorded what God commanded them to write. The word of God is NOT the invention of man. Even those who recorded the scripture will attest to that.

2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God of may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The word inspired in the Greek language is the word theopneustos which means God-breathed. God placed His words in the mouths of the Biblical writers so that they only recorded what the Lord commanded. Paul who wrote 2 Timothy did not take credit for what He wrote. In fact in I Corinthians 14:37 Paul said what I write to you are the commandments of the Lord (italics mine).

Jesus Himself said the words He spoke were not of His own authority (John 14:10b). Although Jesus was/is God in the flesh, He humbled himself while on earth did and spoke only what His Father commanded Him (John 8:29).

In Jeremiah 1:9 it says, “Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, behold I have put my words in your mouth.” (Italics mine). This ordination of Jeremiah by the Lord gave the prophet divine authority to speak in the name of the Lord.

Peter recorded these words in his second letter, “ For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God as they were moved or carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).

In the Old Testament we read these words, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:7-9).

Notice within these three verses the writers refer to the law, testimony, statues, commandments as the Lord’s, not men. If one reads the entire 119^th Psalm, the writer celebrates God’s word in an acrostic using the entire 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

In Proverbs 30:5-6 we read, Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

Here the writer affirms the truthfulness of God’s word and warns severely those who would tamper with it. God’s words are perfect so no editing of any kind is ever necessary. What God originally said is what He meant. It is our responsibility to understand and relay the truth as He originally transmitted to the writers of scripture; Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Peter, Paul, James, John, et al.

One of the proofs of the inerrancy and inspiration of God’s word is fulfilled prophecy. It has been reported that about 27 percent of God’s word is prophetic. There are over 300 prophecies that have been fulfilled regarding Christ’s first coming. These prophecies were not written after the events occurred. Scientific dating proves this from the manuscript evidence that has been discovered.

Another proof that the Bible is God’s word is the unity the scriptures. The Bible was written from approximately 1400 B.C.-100 A.D. A period of least 1500 years, penned by around 40 different authors on three continents from various walks of life. Moses was a lawyer and judge, Joshua a military leader, David a shepherd, a psalmist, a musician and then a king. Daniel a prophet and exile in Babylon and Persia, Matthew a tax collector. Peter and John fisherman, Luke a doctor, Paul a Pharisee and tentmaker.

Their words never contradicted each other, Why? Because the original author was God the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). God is of course incapable of error. Since He is perfect, anything He does is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

Another proof for the inspiration and inerrancy of scripture is the overwhelming manuscript evidence. There are over 24,000 manuscripts on the New Testament alone in existence! Just by way of comparison, the next closest manuscript evidence for any other literature dug up through archaeology is Homer’s Iliad written around 900 B.C. There are 643 copies in existence which are 95% accurate. The time between when the original was written and the first copy discovered was about 500 years. Compare that with the New Testament which was written from around A.D. 50-100 A.D. (James being the first book and Revelation being the last), and the first copy being discovered around 130 A.D. A period of less than 100 years!

What this tells us is that the copies we have in our hands are trustworthy and accurate for the copies are not far removed from the originals (in time difference) which most likely no longer exist. The copies are 99.5% accurate which is amazing! The amount in question comprises only one half of 1% of the N.T. text![1]

Because we have so many copies, it makes the process of textual criticism that much more effective in determining what the Bible writers said.

Non biblical writings also support the scriptures. A Jewish historian by the name of Flavius Josephus who was not a Christian lived during the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 wrote in his antiquities regarding Jesus, “At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man [if indeed one ought to refer to him as a man]. For he was a doer of startling deeds, a teacher of people who received the truth with pleasure. And he gained a following both among many Jews and among many of Greek origin. [He was the Messiah-Christ.] And when Pilate, because of an accusation made by the leading men among us, condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him previously did not cease to do so. [For on the third day he appeared to them again alive, just as the divine prophets had spoken about these and countless other marvelous things about him.] And up until this very day the tribe of Christians, named after him, has not died out.” [2]

There are those that will insist despite all the mountains of evidence proving the existence of the Bible with all the manuscript evidence, its internal and external evidence that is not God’s word. One would need even more evidence to disprove the Bible claims and to date no one has done so and no one will be ever able to do so. If critics want to contest the accuracy of the scriptures then they MUST also contest the accuracy of the writings of Homer, Julius Caesar, Plato and Aristotle. Since critics accept those non-biblical documents regardless of whether they are accurate or not, then it’s only fair they trust in the reliability of the Biblical documents based on the methods of textual criticism.  The word of God has far more documents to cross reference for accuracy than any other ancient writing. God’s word will abide forever for God Himself is everlasting.

The Bible is God’s word. First God Himself said His word is true. Secondly, archeology supports its historicity and reliability. Thirdly Its internal witness proves it among the various authors. Fourthly, non-biblical evidence supports it. Fifthly, textual criticism confirms it. Sixthly, fulfilled prophecy proves the Bible is God’s word.

 

 

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[1] Only the original autographs are inspired and inerrant. However the Bible translations

We have are trustworthy and accurate. Variants from the original have to do with spelling, word

Order, punctuation. No essential doctrine of the Bible has been effected through the copying process.

[2] Antiquities of the Jews (18:63–64)

Did Jesus die for every Sin?

Seems like a silly question? It is not and I will explain why. There are those that believe Jesus died for all sin except the sin of unbelief. If that is true then sin abounded greater than grace which is the antithesis of what Romans 5:20 says, “where sin abounded grace abounded all the more”.

This passage and so many others lets us know that Jesus died for every sin we will ever commit including the sin of unbelief. Logically speaking if Jesus didn't die for our unbelief, then we have to 1) conclude that unbelief is not sinful. Or 2) we have to believe that Jesus died for only some of the sins of men.  

            

       These two arguments present an interesting dilemma.

If Jesus did not die for someone’s unbelief that means that none of that person’s sins has been atoned for by Jesus. What good would it do for a person to have all their sins forgiven and still die in unbelief? He (Jesus) either died for all of yours sins or none of them, no middle ground. If all of a person’s sins have not been forgiven, then that individual is on her or his way to hell until they repent of their evil ways.

It would have been illogical for God the Father to send Jesus to the earth to die for only some sins and not all of them.

The argument presented by many would be, Christ did die for all the sins of all men. Christ died for the whole world right? So why are not all men saved? The reply would be, because not all men believe! Is not unbelief a sin Christ died for as well? Why do some believe Christ covered all sin under the blood except unbelief? Makes no sense.

So we are back at the original argument, why don’t some men believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ? Answer, because their sins have not been forgiven – none of them!

                                              Who sins have been forgiven?

The Bible answers that question. In Matthew 1:21 it says Jesus came to die for the sins of His people (italics mine).

In John 10:28 Jesus says He gives eternal life to His sheep (italics mine). In this same chapter in vs. 25-26 He tells the Jews that they do not believe in Him because they are not part of His flock.

In John 17:2 Jesus declares He grants eternal life to all those who the Father gave to Him.

In Ephesians 5:25 says that Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her. In verse 30 of the same chapter it says the Church is the body of Christ.

It is crystal clear that Christ came to die for all the sins of His elect, the chosen by God the Father to the Son.

The way this is done is that when Jesus died for the sins of the elect, they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and drawn to the Son by the will of the Father (John 6:44).

It is all of grace by God to save the elect. The unwilling chosen sinner will becoming willing by the power of God (John 1:12-13).

The harsh reality one must face is that those who believe that all men sins have been paid for are sadly mistaken. If all sins have been paid then all would believe and everyone would go to heaven.

What this means is that those who will never believe have chosen not to believe and will eternally perish. I must reiterate, none of their sins are forgiven. They are under God’s wrath (John 3:36).

In the final analysis it goes like this, those who refuse to believe and repent PROVE that none of their sins were atoned for.

Those who believe PROVE that all of their sins were atoned for.

What is Bible Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is the science of biblical interpretation. The word hermeneutics comes from the Greek word hermeneuō means to translate or interpret the message. A derivative of this word is also in Greek mythology. One of the Greek gods was named Hermes the messenger of the gods with the winged feet. In Roman mythology the god is Mercury. The DC comic book character "The Flash" was birthed through these two gods.

When applying hermeneutics certain laws have to be followed in order to come to the correct meaning of the biblical text.

The first method of interpretation is the literal method. The Bible is like any other book. When reading it, we are to read it literally. We should never spiritualize or allegorize any text thinking there is some hidden meaning.[1] Of course the Bible deals with symbolism that is representative of something or someone else, but by in large we are to take the Bible literally. It means what it says, and says what it means.

The second method is the historical, grammatical, and contextual method of interpretation.      

To get to the meaning of text often times require knowing the history of the time in which we read in scripture. We should never interpret scripture to fit modern times. The Bible is an ancient collection of books so we have to transport ourselves back in Bibles times. If we can discover what was happening during the particular time in which we are reading, it will aid us in coming to a right conclusion regarding a book and the matter(s) under discussion. Some resources that will support us in our efforts would be like a Bible Almanac and/or a Bible dictionary that gives us insight into the culture and background of ancient Biblical times.

To better understand the grammar of the Bible it is good to have a Hebrew and Greek expository dictionary and lexicons to give us meaning of words. What a word means in English may not mean the same thing in the Hebrew and Greek. It is also important to know the different tenses, moods, participles and proper voice modes when reading a text.

Context is absolutely critical to understanding God’s word. Often times to understand one verse, we need to read the verses before it which leads to reading the chapter and ultimately reading the entire book to get the flow of thought the writer is conveying to his audience.

A third method of interpretation I would suggest to use would be the synthesis method or the internal method.            

What I mean is that the whole of scripture is a parallelism. The best interpreter of scripture is scripture. The scripture is its own internal witness.  Since the Holy Spirit is the invisible author of all of it (2 Peter 1:21), He saw fit to record numerous OT prophecies with NT fulfillments showing a beautiful woven synergism between the two testaments and their authors. One would be in Zechariah 13:7 which say, “Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.” This prophecy was fulfilled in Matt 26:31 and Mark 14:27 when the disciples forsook the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane upon His arrest.

The passage of scripture that perfectly describes hermeneutics is 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study [be diligent] to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

In summation here are the three steps to proper hermeneutics:

           

            Read the text

            Explain the text (i.e. Exegesis)

            Apply the text

A failure to practice these methods in your approach to scripture will leave you lacking, and will have you ashamed because you failed to rightly handle God’s holy word.

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[1] When someone divorces a verse or thought from its proper meaning

and inserts a foreign meaning it is called Eisegesis

If God is so loving why is there Evil and Suffering in the World

Why don’t we make the question more compelling, “since God is so loving why is there so much evil in the world?”

There are varying reasons why people ask this question. Some ask the question with an unthankful, irreverent, angry attitude toward God. They think they can demand an answer from God as if the Lord is obligated to answer them. I believe others ask the question out of sheer fear of God. They are genuinely disenchanted and confused about what the Lord is apparently not doing – why He allows all this suffering to continue.

Then there are others, those that are Christians who want to trust God but have no idea why He is delaying His judgment with all the wickedness going on everyday; and the Lord sees it all, at one time!

            

Most of the world see the ongoing wars, the poverty of people and especially young children, the disease, senseless murders, the rape of women and children, dope dealing, drug abuse, gangs, the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer, the good dying young, the evil living the good life and dying old, corrupt government and wonder, “what in the world is going on? Why doesn’t God put an end to it – like right away, right now?!”

            Does God care about what is going on? Where is the justice in all of this?

The question is valid. Does the Bible provide the answer regarding evil? I believe it does.

                                              Where does evil come from?

Skeptics and critics of God have said since we as Christians believe the Bible, and God created all things according to Genesis 1, then He MUST have created evil for evil is a created thing right?

Let’s think about that for a moment. In Genesis 1:31a it says, “and God saw everything He made and behold it was very good  (italics mine).

Verse 31 gives us an insight into what God thought about His creation. God said it was very good. Since evil is never good, God CAN NOT be the creator of it.

At this point the skeptic is going to object and say, “then the Bible can not be true if God created all things and evil is not a thing. What about Isaiah 45:7 where God says, “ I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I the Lord do all these things.”

As an aside, a message I recently heard said that it is amazing how critics who DO NOT believe the Bible will search the Bible (they do not trust) for scriptures to discredit its veracity and prove their case.   

           

              

        Interesting.

The word evil in the Hebrew is the word Ra. It appears 663 times in the KJV. 431 it is translated as evil. The other 232 times It has a variety of meanings which some are: "wicked," "bad," "hurt," "harm," "ill," "sorrow," "mischief," "displeased," "adversity," "affliction,"  "calamity," "grievous," "misery," and "trouble”. Contextually the writer/prophet Isaiah is not talking about moral evil, but physical evil, disaster, or calamity upon man for the wickedness he has committed on the earth. Isaiah is contrasting ideas of natural phenomena in verse 7; light-darkness, well being-calamity. The Lord is the one that makes these things happen.

Isaiah in chapter 45 is also predicting the coming of Cyrus, a Persian king who God will use to release the Hebrews from captivity to return to the destroyed land of Jerusalem to rebuild it. Cyrus released the captives to go to their homeland in the year 538 B.C. (Ezra 1:1-10).

The only version that uses the word evil in this passage is the King James Version which originated in 1611. The translators did not use the best word in verse seven. Once again understanding the context is the key to arriving to the correct meaning of the verse. Poor hermeneutics by the critics and skeptics has caused many to believe that God created evil when He could not have. Moral evil is antithetical to God’s very nature. God does however cause physical disaster and calamity to befall man as a judgment due to his wickedness (e.g. the Flood of Noah, Genesis 7:1-24).

So since God is not the creator of evil for evil is not a thing, but a wicked disposition and rebellion towards God. Evil is the absence of good just like dark is the absence of light and as blindness is the absence of sight. Where does evil come from? As I mentioned  in my article “Is God a fatalist and where does evil come from?”  Some scholars would say evil originated with man when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden. What I can say is that when evil invaded man’s soul, that evil nature passed down to every human being born afterward up until now. In other words, that is where human evil originated. We find in Ezekiel 28:15 and Isaiah 14 that evil was found in Lucifer (now the devil and Satan). So we see here that evil was cosmic-celestial before it was earthly. I believe we can be confident that evil existed before man because Satan rebelled before man was created. All the angels were created before the creation of the heavens and the earth (Job 38:7). This would include Satan who was a cherub (Ezekiel 28:14).

                                       

Since God created man and knew man would become evil does not that make God responsible for the evil men do?

This is another common question but the answer is no. Although God knew man would choose evil over good that does not mean we can lay the blame for man’s wickedness at God’s doorstep. For instance, if someone buys a knife and stabs and kills people who are you going to blame the knife company or the knife owner? You have to blame the knife owner because he misused the knife and did evil things with it. The knife company cannot be held responsible for how the killer used the knife. The knife is neither good or bad; its neutral. Just like he used the knife for evil, he can also choose to use it for good like cutting fruit or opening boxes.

Another example is when someone gets behind the wheel drunk and kills a family and smashes his car into a pole ruining the vehicle. Is this the manufacturer and dealership’s fault the car is destroyed or the driver’s? We all know it’s the driver’s fault the car is destroyed and the family is dead due to his drunkenness. Another case of  someone misusing an item for evil reasons. The offender has  to be held responsible for his actions.

In like manner God cannot be blamed or held responsible for man’s evil just because He created Him. Man chooses to do evil strictly of his own volition.  God does not make man sin.  God loves  man and gives him the opportunity to choose good or evil just like in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:17).                                                                                                                                                                                         

Moses in Deuteronomy said these words, “See I have set before you today life and good, death and evil[1], in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statues, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that  I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:15-19).

Every human being on earth are faced with choosing either good or evil all the days of their lives. That is just the way it is.

                                      Will God ever rid the world of evil?

The answer to the question is yes. God will one day destroy evil. Most of the world is anxious and desire that evil be destroyed now. In response to that statement in getting rid of evil now would be cataclysmic. Here are a few reasons.

1. If God got rid of evil now we would no longer be human; for we would no longer have the ability to choose between good and evil.  We would only do good by default and not by a willing choice. We would be robots, and not free moral agents. Since when do we desire to have our freedom of choice taken away? Hear anyone march on capitol hill lately saying, “DOWN WITH FREEDOM!! WE DON’T WANT CHOICES ANYMORE!! No, the opposite is true. We fight for our freedoms, through demonstrations, the voting booths, and writing to our congressional leaders demanding the choices we desire.

So, removing evil now actually removes our ability to choose which takes away our freedom. Without the ability to choose, we can no longer love anyone willingly. A world devoid of love is a planet with six billion artificial intelligences.  A very cold and dark place.

2. A second and more somber reason God does not eradicate evil now is His love for mankind. Although man has long ago turned its back on God, God desires that man repents and comes to the knowledge of the truth (Ezekiel 18:32; 2 Tim 2:1-4). God actually believe it or not is showing extraordinary mercy by allowing evil to continue so that more people can repent of their sins and be saved. Evil in this sense is working according to God’s plan for all things (including evil) is working out for good (Rom 8:28).

2a. If God destroyed evil, this world be empty of all humanity. It would just be a world of trees, plants, water and land mammals, and insects. Why? It is our fault that evil exists in the world. Since Adam sinned evil has now persisted for over 6,000 years. If God destroyed evil now, He would have to wipe out every human being on the planet. Why? Because moral evil resides in every human being. We are the cause of evil, disease, poverty, wars and ultimately death are the effects.

Fortunately there is a happy ending to this morbid drama. I said in the beginning of this section of the article that evil will be destroyed. Listen to Revelation 21:4-5, “And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

The period in which the apostle John is speaking is the eternal state . This is after the seven year tribulation, the second coming of Jesus Christ, the Millennium (i.e. 1,000 years of peace on earth), and the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20). At this point all the unsaved have been cast into the Lake of Fire with the Devil, the beast, and the false prophet, and the unholy angels. At this point in history time is no more.

Concluding when we sin, we are reminded we are evil by nature. And each time we are not wiped out by God, we should praise Him for once again He is extending mercy toward us when we deserve punishment. 

Next time either you reading this article or someone you know asks the question if God is loving or real why does evil exists? Remember 1: evil and suffering is man’s fault not God’s. Number 2: If God decided to get rid of evil now, countless people would not have the opportunity to respond positively to the gospel message, repent of their sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. God in His holy righteous justice (without any mercy), would send millions of soul straight to hell which they deserve.

In this sense evil for now has to exist for it when it is manifest in us and God withholds His judgment, it displays His transcendent mercy. Something we undeservedly receive everyday.

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[1] Here we see once again God giving the children of Israel a choice. In order for a choice to be present, there has to be  an opposing option(s). If only good existed, we would not have the ability to choose which means we would not have free will. To love God or hate him or anyone we encounter has to involve freewill choice.