Is God Good?

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Jan 17, 2020
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yes!! thank you.
always good to set out agreed-on definitions. :)



how about the good ol' 'principle of first mention' ?

the very first evil described in the scripture is the accusation that God is not good. Satan lied to Woman, telling her that God had lied to her.

Clark & @Dave-L et al similarly say to us, God is not good. they say, God causes you to sin then capriciously judges you for it, effectively sadistically murdering you, your children and your animals ((c.f. Exodus 17:3))
You are misrepresenting me and Clark. We both say God cannot sin.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
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We will never understand God's ways, because His ways are infinitely higher than ours and our puny little minds can't even begin to grasp His majesty and wisdom.
well i wouldn't say 'never' --- one day when He gathers us to Himself we will know Him, even as we are fully known :)
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
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then you & your rabbi Clark are wrong. God does not cause you to sin. you cause you to sin.
God is good, but man seeks out many devices.

one such device: accusing God of causing you to sin.
 
Jan 17, 2020
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then you & your rabbi Clark are wrong. God does not cause you to sin. you cause you to sin.
God is good, but man seeks out many devices.
one such device: accusing God of causing you to sin.
So you think God would be sinning if things are just as he planned them?
 
Mar 23, 2016
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It's your spin. Not what scripture means.
“And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.” 1 Kings 22:19–23 (KJV 1900)
Explained here, here, here, here.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
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Evil is not necessarily sin. For example, God was going to overthrow Nineveh. Scripture calls this evil. Evil is destruction in this context.

Jonah 3
9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
i know you will prefer to stick with the KJV's vocabulary here, but it illustrates the same thing in Isaiah 45:7, that in the context this word means calamity, destruction, harm. not wickedness, but the opposite of peace ((as specifically is the case in Isaiah))
 

John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
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i know you will prefer to stick with the KJV's vocabulary here, but it illustrates the same thing in Isaiah 45:7, that in the context this word means calamity, destruction, harm. not wickedness, but the opposite of peace ((as specifically is the case in Isaiah))
Yes! That's what evil is, the opposite of peace, the opposite of good. It is not necessarily sin.
 
Oct 25, 2018
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If he creates people who will sin, how can he not cause them to sin, by creating them?
Look up primary and secondary causes. That will answer your dilemma for you. :) He created Adam upright, sinless. When Eve was taken from him, he, and she as well, were still sinless. It was only after Satan tricked Eve, she ate, gave to Adam and he ate, and their eyes were opened. There was no twisting of their arms, not coercion from God, but they freely chose to rebel.

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.[James 1:15]
 
Nov 26, 2012
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All saying they are prophets are false prophets. Based on scripture.
1 Cor 12 would disagree. 7A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise adviceb; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.c9The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,d while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise adviceb; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.c9The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,d while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise adviceb; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.c9The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,d while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
 
Jan 17, 2020
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Look up primary and secondary causes. That will answer your dilemma for you. :) He created Adam upright, sinless. When Eve was taken from him, he, and she as well, were still sinless. It was only after Satan tricked Eve, she ate, gave to Adam and he ate, and their eyes were opened. There was no twisting of their arms, not coercion from God, but they freely chose to rebel.

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.[James 1:15]
God's first cause determines all secondary causes.