Can God Change?

There are numerous places in the Bible where it appears God changes his mind, but that is against what scripture teaches us. Malachi 3:6 tells us the Lord does not change. Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever. That should bring tremendous relief to us as believers. Why? Because all the promises of God will remain true forever.

Now, I want to look at some accounts where it “appears” God has changed his mind and try my best to explain the text we are examining.

In Genesis 6:5-7 we read that “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (emphasis added).

And the Lord regretted or was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the earth, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them” .

Why would God regret creating man when he knew what man would do before he laid the foundations of the earth? From the language it seems like God was caught off guard regarding man’s wicked behavior; it appears God was shocked by man’s evil. Was he? Not at all. Rather the writer of Genesis, Moses is writing from the perspective of God with human emotion and experience. He is writing in what is called the Anthropopathic mode. Human characteristics are being attributed to God.

So in the final analysis, God did not change his mind regarding creating man for everything God made was very good (Gen 1:31), rather he regretted and was sorry how man degenerated in his wickedness. Another proof that God did not change his mind is by virtue of the fact that he saved eight souls in the flood and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen 7:23;9:1).

Jonah and the Ninevites

God commanded the reluctant prophet Jonah to preach one message to Nineveh, “Arise, go to Nineveh that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me” (Jon 1:2).  Jonah initially disobeyed, boarded a ship in Joppa to flee 2200 miles west to Tarshish (believed to be in the region of Spain) from the presence of the Lord (he thought). We know the story,  he was thrown off the ship into the sea, swallowed by a great fish where he was three days, and three nights (vs.17).

Once Jonah prayed and thanked God in the fish, the creature belched and spit Jonah out on dry land (Jonah chapter 2).

God came to Jonah a second time and commanded him to go to Nineveh and preach this warning from the Lord, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he (the king) issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he said he would do to them, and he did not do it (Jon 3:1-10).

I want to examine three things here. First, the only recorded sermon we have of Jonah is only seven words! That’s right, seven words, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” Jonah had to travel three days and 600 miles just to deliver these seven words to a nation and city that he hated.

What this tells me is that he was committed to declaring God’s truth in enemy territory.

The second thing that is very important to point out is the import of Jonah’s seven-word sermon was enough for Nineveh to believe God and repent in sackcloth and ashes. This type of behavior was an expression of extreme grief and anguish in ancient times. One would take off their clothes, but on garments of humiliation, usually with fasting and implore God for mercy and forgiveness. That is what the king of Nineveh and every citizen of the city did even as it was proclaimed and published.

They even made the animals fast and wear sackcloth (Jon 3:8).

It took only seven words for Nineveh to get the message that God was warning  them of their evil. Why else would they proclaim a city wide fast and call out mightily to God?

And third, did God change his mind regarding the evil he determined against Nineveh? No. God did not change at all. Rather, Nineveh repented which meant God was able to express his loving kindness and spare them instead of destroying them. God always forgives those who genuinely repent and judges those who refuse to repent when given numerous warnings to do so. God always remains constant in his perfect character.

Had Nineveh refused to repent, they would have been destroyed in 40 days as the prophet Jonah declared. 

Why was Saul chosen as King?

Therein lies an interesting question. We know that because of Saul’s disobedience in not utterly wiping out the Amalekites he was rejected as king of Israel (1 Sam 15:26). We read in the same chapter that God declares to Samuel that he “regretted that he made Saul king for he has turned from following me” (vs. 10).

Didn’t God know Saul would rebel before he chose him as king? Yes. The answer is because God wanted to. Saul despite his wickedness Saul was God’s anointed (1 Sam 24:6).  God made a sovereign choice although it caused the Lord grief when Saul turned his heart away from the Lord.

It is very important to understand that when God said he regretted or was sorry he chose Saul as king over Israel, he didn’t change his mind regarding his choosing as some may think when reading this text. Rather, God was sorry for the wickedness of Saul manifested in his persistent disobedience of the Lord’s commands. How can a leader who is a minister of God (whether they know it or not) be unrighteous and lead God’s people in the ways of sin? That man is a disgrace to the nation, and to God who established his kingdom in righteousness.

Proverbs 16:12 says this, “It is an abomination for kings (or any elected official for that matter) to commit wickedness, for a throne is established by righteousness.”

Saul started out well. God was with them. As indicated by the fact that God’s Spirit was with him (1 Sam 10:7-11). He was victorious in his military campaigns against the nation’s enemies; the Ammonites (1 Sam 11:1-11). The Philistines, the Moabites, the Edomites, and against the Kings of Zobah (1 Sam 14).

Sadly after this is where Saul began his epic decline as God’s servant, the nation’s leader, and king.

God through the prophet Samuel gave Saul one directive; to totally destroy Israel’s enemies the Amalekites. God commanded him to destroy everything that breathes, men and women, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey (1 Sam 15:1-3). God commanded them to be wiped off the face of the earth. Why? Remember God said to Abraham, “I will bless those that bless you, and I will curse those who curse you” (Gen 12:3). The Israelites were the descendants of Abraham through his son Isaac and through Isaac’s son Jacob (who’s name was changed to Israel Gen 32:28). 

The Amalekites were ancient enemies of Israel – all the way back when they left Egypt (Ex 17:8-16). After defeating Amalek, God decreed that he would blot out Amalek from under heaven. As a matter of fact, God had Moses write the decree in a memorial book saying that he promised to destroy them.

Well, that time had finally come, and God commanded Saul to be his executioner. This command was a holy edict that God decreed some four hundred years before and had to be carried out. For Saul to disobey God’s command was to disobey the Almighty himself. The rejection of this holy command was to reject God himself.

  What did Saul do wrong?

First, Saul spared some of the people. Scripture does not tell us how many. How do we know this? Because we find out later in the book that David fought against the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 30:16-20 when Amalek took David’s and his armies’ family hostage. Had Saul obeyed God’s command and totally destroyed Amalek, this would not have happened.

Second, when Saul was rebuked for his disobedience, he was not contrite. He blamed it on his army saying that they took the animals to sacrifice to God. He also spared the king of Amalek, Agag which was also an act of disobedience.

Third, like all of us at some point in our lives when we have done wrong, Saul defends his wrong doing by saying he did obey the voice of the Lord (1 Sam 15:20-21).

Verse twenty-one is interesting. Why? Because Saul determined for himself those things he declared were “good” This short-sightedness tells the writer the Saul was a weak and deficient leader. 

Disobedient and stubborn, just like the people he ruled. Saul was a man after Israel’s rebellious heart. 

Whereas David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14).

Just like Israel rejected God as their king, God rejected Saul as king (1 Sam 8:7;15:23,26).

After this the Bible says the Holy Spirit departed from Saul, and God sent and evil or distressing spirit to torment him (1 Sam 16:14).

It gets worse from the point the Lord departs. Saul becomes I believe mentally disturbed. He is obsessed with killing David because he knows David will become king one day in his place (1 Sam 18:11;19:10,15).

The end is that Saul had become totally apostate and consulted a medium regarding how the battle against the Philistines would fare (1 Sam 28). Why did Saul do this? Because the Lord had departed from him and refused to heed Saul. As a matter of fact Samuel (from the dead)[1] said that Saul was God’s enemy (1 Sam 28:16). Had Saul truly repented of his disobedience, God would have listened to him, and he would not have degenerated to the point where he would have to seek counsel from a witch which was forbidden in Israel and is forbidden today (Lev 19:31).

Saul’s tragic end is he is wounded on the field of battle and his sons are killed. Saul doesn’t want to die by his enemies the Philistines so he draws his sword and commits suicide (1 Sam 31:4).

The wages of sin always end in death (Rom 6:23).

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[1] Consulting the dead was forbidden in Israel. However, God allowed Samuel to talk to Saul beyond the grave. This is the only time in scripture where this occurs. The witch did not expect this to happen. When she realized God (not her) brought up the spirit of Samuel, she was literally terrified to death and knew that is was Saul who had made this request (1 Sam 28:12). Mediums consult with demons or familiar spirits who impersonate the dead, they do not actually bring up the dead themselves.

Which Is More Loving?

I recently had the privilege of reading two books. The first book the author referred to himself as a “Moderate Calvinist”. He believes in an unlimited atonement. As a reminder, those that believe and teach and unlimited atonement position believe that when Jesus died on the cross, he atoned for the sins of everyone that will ever live for all time. No one is left out. The second book is a rebuttal against the first one.[1] The author of the second book states that the atonement of Christ is limited to the elect or chosen by God before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4).

Both views are compelling, and both appear to be supported by scripture. But, which view is correct, the unlimited view or the limited view?

If you believe that Christ died for all men for all time, then you by default believe that he knowingly died for those who will go to hell and pay the penalty for their own sins for eternity. I said numerous times that that is a form of double jeopardy.

Also in the unlimited atonement view, the atonement is powerless to save. Why? Because salvation hinges strictly on the sinner’s choice to believe. All Jesus was able to do was simply make a way or take away some type of barrier for man to incline himself out of unbelief into belief. In other words, Christ did his part by dying for sin. Man must finish what Jesus started by believing so that he can be saved. Man’s belief in the unlimited atonement view completes the salvation process. Negatively, man’s unbelief in the unlimited atonement view neutralizes the Lord’s work on the cross (for him) because in the final analysis the unbeliever dies in sin and is eternally lost.         

So I must ask this question, “What good is an atonement that does not take away sins and guarantees the sinner’s salvation?” In other words, those that believe in an unlimited atonement have to believe that Jesus’ death only produces a potential salvation and not an actual one. Why? Because salvation only becomes actual when the dead in trespasses sinner chooses to believe. Did Jesus die to make salvation only a possibility, or did he die to actually save his people from their sins (Matt 1:21)?        

How will any man who is dead in his sins believe without the Spirit of God resurrecting him (Eph 2:1;Col 2:13)? Jesus said that we must be born again to even see the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5-6). No one came to life naturally on their own. We cannot come to life spiritually on our own either. God must bring us back to life like he did with Lazarus (John 11:43). The physical resurrection of Lazarus is a perfect illustration of what happens to those whom God chooses to give spiritual life to. God has to give us his power for it to take place.

In the limited atonement view, we see the Father sending the Son to die for those whom God chose, his elect, his sheep. All of whom God chose before time will at the precise point in time that he chooses will be absolutely saved. How do I know this? Because this is what God predetermined before the world began. In this way, the atonement is successful. God is not depending upon man to actualize salvation. Rather, God actualizes it from the beginning so that is successful in the end. God grants man repentance and faith so that he will believe when hears the gospel (Eph 2:8; II Tim 2:25).  God is the root cause of salvation because it his gift to man through his Son. And because that is true, the effect of the cause is the salvation of all who believe.

Many will argue against the limited atonement view by saying things like, “You in the reform camp are alleging Jesus died for only the elect and not the non-elect?  Dying for some and not all means God is not all loving! That’s not fair!” Others will declare that the limited view over emphasizes God’s sovereignty and violates the free will of man. “If God is choosing in eternity past who he will save, then those chosen really have no choice but to be saved right”? In other words, those who misunderstand the limited atonement position believe God is saving people against their will. Like I have said in previous articles, man’s will is never violated by God, rather God’s is activating or empowering the corrupt will of man through his loving choosing of that man so that he willingly comes to the Son who was sent by the Father to save him in the first place. And as I stated before, If God does not lovingly interrupt our lives to resurrect our dead spirits then no one could ever be saved. We must remember man is a walking corpse in this world without the Lord. We will not seek God on our own (Rom 3:11). God must seek us first so that we desire by His power to seek him.

John said it this way, “We love him because he first loved us” (I John 4:19).

With this insight we understand why Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him would not perish, but have eternal life.” Because of the Father’s love for his world, he sent his only Son to save those who would believe in him.

So, which is more loving, Jesus dying for every man that will ever live, but saving no one in particular because he has to hope man has enough inherent goodness within himself to will himself from unbelief to belief on his own, or Jesus dying for those whom the Father chose before time again as a gift to the Son for him to come and redeem thus guaranteeing their salvation forever? I choose the latter for that is what the Bible teaches – a limited atonement, not a universal atonement.

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[1] The first book is “Chosen But Free” by Norman Geisler

The second is “The Potter’s Freedom” by James White   

The Will of God vs The Will of Man

What is the difference between our will and God’s? Man has free will, but due to our sinful nature, our will is imprisoned by wickedness. As a result, our will is also in bondage. Sounds like double talk? It is not. Let me explain. The ability to choose is freedom. But because of our internal corruption, our choices never are totally pure. Man’s will was perfect before the fall of Adam. God’s will on the other hand is autonomous – meaning it is completely pure and free all the time. God is completely sovereign and has a will that is absolute. God’s will is so perfect that we cannot fully comprehend it.                                           

In Isaiah 55:8-9 we read, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways”, says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” When we cannot understand the Lord’s ways, that is the time that we must place our trust in him even more.                                                                                                                     

Also another very important element we must remember is that God’s will always supersede man’s will. We make a terrible mistake when we believe God cannot circumvent and interrupt our will to do what pleases him. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, and as the river of water he turns it whichever way he chooses.” Man’s will is never autonomous – meaning we cannot do whatever we want whenever we want and however we want. Why? Because if we are allowed to do so in our sinful state, murder, rape, theft, etc, would be far worse than it is right now. Man must have law and order, checks and balances. God, on the other hand, does not – he is law and order, checks and balances.                                            

So, how do these two dynamics blend? Well, one thing that is very important to remember is God is never accountable to us. Whatever he chooses to do is never wrong, Even if we do not like or hate the decision(s) he makes. It is unwise (although man does it every day) to put God in a human court and lay charges of injustice against him. God is going to be God whether man likes it or not. Yes, I understand some of the things that God does or allows is often hard to accept, but that is all the more reason to fear reverence, and worship God for who he is not angry with and blaspheme him.                                                               

Want to get to know God’s will better? There is an answer – read the Word of God and get closer to the Lord. Want to know the will of man better? Read God’s word to understand why man is the way he is, and why he is in need of the will of God to lovingly intrude and take over his life. The difference is God is gentle and never violates our will, but we often disobey and violate his will.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Double Jeopardy, does the Bible teach it?

I want to make a comparison with an excerpt from the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution and the Scripture.

             “nor shall any person be subject to the same offence to twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.”

Why did I use this excerpt? Because it protects one from being prosecuted for the same crime once one has been acquitted of it in a court of law.

Also, once someone has been forgiven of sin after they genuinely repent, and exercise belief in the completed work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross, they can never be condemned for their sins again; neither in this life nor in the life to come.

To believe or teach that a person can lose their salvation after they have obtained it is unbiblical. Yet many Christians sadly believe and teach this heretical doctrine. The ramifications of one truly saved losing their salvation and going to hell is enormous.

1.       It means sin abounded more than grace – this reasoning is in exact contradiction to

Romans 5:20, “Moreover the law entered that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”

There is no way that sin could triumph over grace once Jesus died for sin. God used grace (His unmerited favor) by sending Jesus Christ to die a sinner’s death for the forgiveness of our sins (Heb 9:22).

2.       It means Christ’s atonement was not sufficient – This argument has huge implications. By believing and teaching that one can lose their salvation and go to hell; which is a form of double jeopardy, one is implying that Jesus’ humiliating, agonizing death on the cross for sin which was predetermined by God the Father (Acts 2:23) meant absolutely nothing! Why do I say that? Because in the final analysis, He died for people that He could not secure in salvation. He died for them, but it was an ineffective atonement for their sins. Bottom line, Jesus failed. Can God fail at anything?

3.       It means that God the Father and Jesus lied – If salvation is not eternal, then it is not salvation at all. The scripture is replete with texts that prove to us that His salvation is everlasting. The most famous one of all is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believe in Him shall not perish, but has eternal life.” Jesus also said in John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”

3a. There are those who have argued that although we are in the eternal grip of the Father and the Son, they can “crawl out” of their grip. Why would one say this? Because they believe that since, “God does not violate our will, He will let us leave Him if we choose to.” In other words, walk away from the faith. That seems reasonable right? No one came make us do something we do not want to do.

I want to flesh this argument out as effective as I can. Now, if we can “pry ourselves out” of the care of the Father and Son, it would seem to me that we are more powerful than them. Their love to keep us is weaker than our hate to depart. Remember God planned our salvation in eternity past (Eph 1:5). Meaning God had already made provision beforehand to make Jesus a propitiation for our sins (I John 2:2). When we repented and believed, God through Christ secured our salvation right then forever. Listen to the language of Paul in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, He that began a good work in you will complete unto the day of Jesus Christ.”

In 1 John 5:12-13 we read, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know you have eternal life.”

The language here is absolute. Those whom God saves, He saves forever. Now I ask the reader, if you know the wonders of God’s grace in saving you from your sins; you understand the nature of the atonement of Christ; that He bore your sins in His own body when you believed – meaning our sins were transferred to Him, and God punished Him for our sins so that we do not have to suffer the penalty for our own sins ever (Isa 53:1-5; 1 Pet 2:24); and that God’s wrath against His Son for our sins was satisfied so that now the Lord is free to extend His grace toward us; why would anyone in their right mind want to leave a love that powerful and tenacious when we know we do not deserve it?

To me it defies all logic to turn one’s back on ultimate true love.

Double Jeopardy does not exist in God’s kingdom negatively (italic added on 8/18/2018). God will not save a person and through that person committing habitual sin God decides to change His mind and send that person to hell.  That person was never truly saved, to begin with (I John 2:19).  True believers cannot practice sin.[1] Why? Because the Holy Spirit dwells in us (I John 3:9). We must practice righteousness. I would be willing to debate anyone that believes the double jeopardy view.

Only if you are a Catholic is this view taught; meaning you can receive salvation and subsequently lose it through mortal sin. In order to obtain it again, you have to perform certain sacraments in order to “earn” more grace[i] and re-justify yourself.

Not so in Christianity; Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was once and for all atonement for sin – never to happen again. Why? Because it was sufficient for the sins of all people for all time. God does not revoke His promise to save those whom He loves; so much so, that He sent His perfect, sinless Son to die for them when they believed. Why in the world would God plan this before the beginning of time and decide later to renege on this perfect demonstration of His love?! Rest assured, if you are in genuinely in Christ, you are secure in Him.[ii] Listen to these fantastic words from the apostle Paul, “For when we without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man, someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Rom 5:6-10)?

I hope the reader realizes how powerfully liberating these verses are. Paul is saying that while we were still God’s enemies, He so loved us to send His Son to die for us; and not die for us hoping we would believe in Him, but knowing we would believe, and thus saving our souls; we are justified beloved! Jesus did not die in vain. His death for our lives was successful. Redeemed people cannot go to hell! God never designed it that way. Jesus did not die to make us savable, He died to actually save us; to live holy and righteous in this life, and to be a light in the darkness of this world.

Many Christians believe that when Jesus died on the cross He provided the way to salvation, but leaves it up to us alone to cast the deciding vote to accept Him or not.  In other words, Jesus cleared the path to come to Him, and He’s hoping that we have the good sense to confess our sins, believe and activate our own salvation. That is only a potential salvation. I got good news for you, none of us (on our own) have enough virtue or willingness to come to Christ.  Left up to us, man will never turn to God.

So what does God have to do to compel us to want to come to Christ? The Father has to draw us to the Son (John 6:44,65). God’s power is the only way we will be willing to come to Christ. We have no righteous impulse within ourselves to do it (Rom 3:11). God must overcome our stubborn resistance to the gospel, activate our freedom so we will be willing to believe. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9).

Now with that being said, hopefully, one can clearly see that God’s plan from before the beginning was to save sinners. Once He does that double jeopardy is attached in that one cannot be charged for the same offence. Since our sins have been washed away by the Lord, how can God turn around and shackle us for the same sins we have been acquitted of? In our secular judicial system, we cannot be doubly indicted for the same crime, nor can we in God’s kingdom suffer for the sins Christ suffered and was punished for judicially in the Father’s court.

When someone dies in sin instead of in Christ, they will suffer in hell and pay the penalty for their own sins for eternity (John 8:24).  What this means is Christ did not pay the penalty for their sins. For if He did, and the person dies in unbelief, that is double jeopardy; Christ’s death for them would have been in vain since they ended up perishing in sin.

If you desire to discuss this matter further email me at dharbinger@gmail.com .

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[1] True believers have been delivered from sin so we are not live in it. Does not mean we will

Never sin, but we are not to serve sin because we have been delivered from it (Romans 6:1-2; I John 1:8-10).

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[i] For more info on the Catholic view of salvation, please click this link: http://gospelofrepentance.blogspot.com/2016/02/justification-by-faith-two-views.html

[ii] For a comparative article, please read this one: http://gospelofrepentance.blogspot.com/2012/05/my-sheep-hear-my-voice-and-i-knowthem.html

Why did the prophet Isaiah say God created evil? Isn't this a horrible contradiction?

In Isaiah 45:7 we read, “I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I the Lord do all these things.”

So, why in the world would the prophet make such a statement like this? Why would God be responsible for creating evil when He is good and His mercy endures forever (Psalm 136)?

One must conclude that if God created evil, then He must 1) be evil Himself. And 2), He cannot condemn man for the evil he does since God created it. And 3) Evil must be good.

As always when reading any passage in scripture, context is the key.

The word evil in Hebrew is the word Ra. It has multiple meanings such as hurt, ill, pain, harm, sorrow, mischief, affliction, misery, and calamity. It appears 663 times in the King James Bible (KJV). 431 times it is translated evil. The word evil also appears in the New American Standard Bible version (ASV).

A more accurate rendering of the word evil in the above verse is calamity. God is the creator of calamity.

The prophet in verse seven is making comparisons between natural phenomena, creating light and darkness, peace and calamity. The pairs are polar opposites of one another: light-darkness, peace-evil (i.e. calamity).

The word evil can be misleading because we only regard evil in only one form, moral evil which God is NOT the creator of. Moral evil deals with the wickedness of man which is by man’s freewill choice. God has never been the author of sin. Sin came into the world by the disobedience of one man, Adam (Rom 5:12).

So, what is calamity? Calamity comes in many forms, earthquakes, blizzards, tsunamis, hurricanes, disease, poverty. Another way of saying calamity is natural evil or disasters.

Why do these terrible things exist? They exist as a punishment and judgment to mankind for its wickedness. In other words, moral evil has given birth to natural evil which eventually leads to death. The former is the cause and the latter is the effect.

Had man never sinned, there would not have been any natural disasters.

Once again, we need to diligently study scripture carefully so we come to the correct meaning of a verse. This passage is also a great one to help critics and skeptics of God’s word. This passage has no doubt stumped many because examining verse seven at face value, it appears God is the creator of evil – which some would then conclude God is the author of sin.

This type of reasoning (God being the creator of evil) is an argument called Reductio ad absurdum.

It is a claim or argument based on a false premise which is drawn out to a logical conclusion proving the original argument absurd. Another way of saying it is: The absurdity of the conclusion exposes the impossibility of the original assumption (that God could be the creator of evil).

The yoke and burden of Jesus

“Come to Me all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

-          Matthew 11:28-30

To really grasp the import of Jesus’ invitation to come to Him, we need to read the three preceding verses. They read like this, At that time Jesus said, “I praise You Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Matt 11:25-27).

These verses clearly explain that all authority has been given to Jesus from the Father; particularly in the area of salvation. That is why Jesus said, “Come to Me (italics mine) all you who are weary and heavy laden…”

Although this is a loving invitation to embrace the Son, it is also a command from the Lord. For only in Christ will we have lasting rest. Besides Him there is no savior (Isa 43:11). The word rest in the Greek is anapausis. This is a compound word. Ana means up, and pauō means to make to cease. The rest Jesus offers is not a rest from all work. Rather, it is an invitation to salvation. He is offering us to co-labor with Him in His kingdom as opposed to carrying the heavy burden and yoke of the sin of legalism (i.e. trying earn one’s way into the kingdom of God). By comparison, Jesus yoke is definitely easy, and His burden light.

These verses coincide with the first beatitude which says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:3).

What this means is those who are impoverished and bankrupt in spirit are blessed. How and why? To be blessed means to speak well of, to cause to prosper, to make happy, to bestow blessings on. The original Greek term is where we get our English word eulogy: eu means well. Logos means word – to speak a well or good word on someone.

Jesus declared the poor in spirit are blessed people because they will inherit the kingdom. They understand their deficiency spiritually so they like the tax collector in Luke 18 will beat their breast in humility and shame declaring, “God be merciful to me, the sinner” (Luke 18:13). The poor in spirit will throw their lives at the mercy of God’s throne and will beg and plead for the Lord to remember them when He comes into His kingdom like the thief on the cross (Luke 23:42).

Notice the virtues Jesus describes of Himself; He declares He is gentle and humble in heart. That is the same attitude we are to exhibit when we come to God; we must be of a gentle and humble spirit, confessing our sins in genuine repentance. Only then are our hearts pliable to receive the word of God that is able to save our souls.

In summation, Jesus is inviting all to come to Him so that we can inherit an eternal respite for our souls. Jesus’ rest is equivalent to salvation for that is why He came to earth; to seek and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10). This is His loving offer of grace. God sovereignly saves who He wills; and at the same time He graciously invites all to come to Him to find rest.