Zone1 Should I ask "Why God?" or should I ask "how did the devil become so powerful"?

[notmyfault2020]

You misunderstand. Suffering is a quality of the material world that people endure or go through by choosing to live here apart from God.

I don't live apart from God (most of the time.. and ALL the time I think of Him/His ways) but I suffer..

So do you and everyone else who is a christian (or not)

 

[bigrebnc1775]

that is probably true 98% of the time

not sure about 100%

In James 4:7, we are reminded to “submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” This verse sounds like a very confronting passage that we all need to understand fully in sections by taking the verse into context.

 

[BreezeWood]

In James 4:7, we are reminded to “submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” This verse sounds like a very confronting passage that we all need to understand fully in sections by taking the verse into context.

- evil is not a person ...

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Free will. It repented.....made God sorry that He had created man on earth when man's thoughts were continually evil. (Genesis 6:6). If God did not create with free will intended.........He could not have been sorry or repentant, God has no foreknowlege concerning the future thoughts of the creatures He creates. Its true God created the angels the same time He created everything else. (Col. 1:16-17) Angels are agents of free will as is mankind (2 Peter 2:4, Ps. 148:2-5)

Satan/Devil was once an angel in heaven; he and some other angels rebelled against God's authority (Matt. 25:41) God charged these angels including Satan with SINNING (Job 4:18) There was a war in heaven (Rev. 12:7-9) God cast the old dragon...i.e., Satan......down from heaven.

Conclusion: Satan created by God as an angel, an agent of free will because he could choose to sin against God's authority......was the leader of an angelic rebillion in heaven......meaning Satan is a fallen angel, and those who freely choose to follow him have no excuse, because Satan is the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4).........God has stated that He would have no man lost and would have all men come to the knowledge of the truth and find salvation (1 Tim. 2:4).......by being Called out from the World and becoming free from the snares of this world by allowing the Christ to take on our sins through His sacrifical blood. Jesus became sin in order to take upon Himself the sin of the world (2 Cor. 5:21)..........all it takes is a free will decision to be called out from this world (that is the literal meaning of churh.....those who have been called out).....we as men can do nothing ourselves that is worthy of salvation.......all men miss the mark...SIN (1 John 1:8)

‘Free will’ is inconsistent with the notion of an omnipotent deity.

‘Free will’ is the cop-out of theists when confronted with the failings and fallacies of their faith they are unable to explain or defend.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

- evil is not a person ...

Who said it was?

 

[Leo123]

Humans are capable of great good and great bad. It's easier to say "the Devil made me do it."

 

[BreezeWood]

In James 4:7, we are reminded to “submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

- evil is not a person ...

Who said it was?

well, it would seem it was you ...

they, would at least include woman - whatever they are according to you and of course the c-bible ... and everyone on planet earth at some time will meet one of these creatures and not reconize them but look like humans anyway.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

well, it would seem it was you ...

they, would at least include woman - whatever they are according to you and of course the c-bible ... and everyone on planet earth at some time will meet one of these creatures and not reconize them but look like humans anyway.

Show the quote where I said evil was a person

 

[buttercup]

It's not a new question, but it's also not that difficult a question, even if it's painful.

"How could a loving God allow suffering"

1. Some suffering is instructive; some is a result of free will

2. This is not the end yet. This is not Heaven.

And not only that, what some nonbelievers (like Blues Man) haven't yet realized is that the evil they acknowledge in and of itself points to a true good, which is evidence for God. (Atheism cannot account for an objective good.)

Which reminds me of this quote...

 

[buttercup]

You realize God did create that world. It was called Eden.

Why is it that this has to be repeated over and over, and STILL so many people don't realize that the way things are now are not the way they were in the beginning?

I think this is where a lot of unbelief comes from. I've encountered so many people who are under the impression that God created the world as it is now. Or created satan as he is now. Both of which are wrong assumptions, as you and a couple others here have repeatedly tried to get through to Blues Man.

I can understand sincere ignorance, but when this is corrected and people still try to blame God, to me it seems there's something else at work. A desire to stay in the dark, or willful unbelief, which the bible talks about, but that's a topic for its own thread.

 

[buttercup]

gods don't teach they give orders to be followed.

Completely incorrect. God is constantly teaching, at least teaching anyone who wants to learn. I mean, look at the New Testament, Jesus was definitely teaching, in addition to healing, delivering, etc.

 

[SweetSue92]

Why is it that this has to be repeated over and over, and STILL so many people don't realize that the way things are now are not the way they were in the beginning?

I think this is where a lot of unbelief comes from. I've encountered so many people who are under the impression that God created the world as it is now. Or created satan as he is now. Both of which are wrong assumptions, as you and a couple others here have repeatedly tried to get through to Blues Man.

I can understand sincere ignorance, but when this is corrected and people still try to blame God, to me it seems there's something else at work. A desire to stay in the dark, or willful unbelief, which the bible talks about, but that's a topic for its own thread.

Or they simply reject God....sadly.

Great post on that CS Lewis quote btw, I haven't read him in years but probably need to re-read Mere Christianity. So good!

 

[Carl in Michigan]

Not bitching you are being defensive

Nope. You're whining about a thing you don't even believe in

 

[Blues Man]

Completely incorrect. God is constantly teaching, at least teaching anyone who wants to learn. I mean, look at the New Testament, Jesus was definitely teaching, in addition to healing, delivering, etc.

Gods give ultimatums

Thou shalt not...... or else

 

[Blues Man]

Nope. You're whining about a thing you don't even believe in

I'm not an atheist

If there are any gods they are not the god in the man made bible

 

[Bob Blaylock]

When you live a life in Canada and learn that which you weren't supposed to be privy, one has to ask one of the above questions.

I ask you, which is the prevailing factor of misery on earth? Maybe I am losing Faith in the Lords intentions when I should be worrying about the rising power of evil that is among us.

Popular culture attributes to Satan, far more power than he actually has.

What power Satan does have, he has only in the form of people allowing themselves to be influenced by him.

 

[Blues Man]

Popular culture attributes to Satan, far more power than he actually has.

What power Satan does have, he has only in the form of people allowing themselves to be influenced by him.

Satan is not real.

People just need an outside agent to blame for their bad behavior

 

[Meriweather]

Gods give ultimatums

Thou shalt not...... or else

Hmm. Kind of like, Danger! Quicksand!
Heed the sign... or else!

Instead of thinking "Ultimatum" think of advice that steps one around unstable behaviors and their consequences to self and others.

 

[Meriweather]

If there are any gods they are not the god in the man made bible

They are certainly not your interpretation of Biblical man's presentation of God's presence in our midst. You are speaking to people who do not share your interpretations--for good reason. They are not the intent of the original author and we are not the ones ignorant of that author's original intent.

There is no need for anyone to remain ignorant. There is plenty of scholarly study available.

 

[BreezeWood]

And not only that, what some nonbelievers (like Blues Man) haven't yet realized is that the evil they acknowledge in and of itself points to a true good, which is evidence for God. (Atheism cannot account for an objective good.)

Which reminds me of this quote...

acknowledging evil is the point made in regards to the deficiencies of the desert religions -

not that the universe is managed by the metaphysical that does seem to have a propensity for good or is the propensity living beings on planet earth share and are threatened by the misconstrued desert religions that have always been the threat to securing paradise on earth for everyone than just their limited points of view.