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Jon Michael

Guest
I have alot of questions... a lot. Most of these are going to need clarification, and thus, we'll probably see a series of running questions. Here is the first of my questions, which I'm sure will lead into others:What is good? What is evil?What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?Before we proceed with this discussion, I want to keep my intentions clear.First, I want everyone to know that I am asking this for the sole reason that I want to understand how Christians see the world. I am not asking this for any other purpose, like for example, the purpose of hearing something that I can argue with, or finding something that I can "prove wrong". I would never want to jeapordize people's own values, and in any case, any attempt would be futile and only breed intolerance. My aim here is purely objective and for the sake of my own learning and knowledge to further my understanding of the phenomenon of God, and my ultimate goal is to obtain a better understanding of Christianity. My goal is NOT to promote a belief of mine or start an argument. I encourage everyone to be open, and trust that I'm not going to add to anyone's thoughts, or try to subtract from them. The reason I give this caveat is because that, in the past when I've tried to do this, I have been mistaken for someone who is trying to start a riot or bring down people's values. This is strictly due to misinterpretation--which may not be surprising, given my incessant nature to ask questions and the ambiguity of my own values, which may lead to the unjust labeling of a "subverter" upon me. My incessant questions may be blunt, and thus give rise to the suspicion that my intentions are negative, but they are not. These questions are only for the sake of clarification, and any interpretation of malice intent would only arise due to misunderstanding. I'm not here to judge, just perceive. I genuinely want to KNOW how Christians see things, that is my sole motive. Nothing to debase anything or anyone. Many of my dear friends are Christians, and I love them very much, and would never do anything to debase their values. That would debase their identities, and thus, everything I love about them. I would never do that. I wish to uphold the sanctity of the values of all Christians, including everyone here on this board. I respect them very much. I need to say this because the misinterpretation of my intentions has heretofore impeded the path to the answers of my questions. So, I encourage everyone here to be open. This came from a series of thought processes from began when I was reading my psychology textbook. I'm doing this because I want to understand people, and potentially seek to understand the phenomenon of God in everyday lives. I guess you could say I'm doing this as part of my own studies in psychology. I plan to earn a Ph.D and become a doctor in clinical psychology. I want to become a therapist because I want to help people. But to do that, I have to understand people. I want to understand. Christians are a large majority of the population, and I hardly understand them. But I want to. I am seeking answers here, not trying to purport my own. That's because I'll consent that I don't really know anything. So yes, to repeat the questions....What is good? What is evil?What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?Let's discuss!
 

Christina

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Apr 10, 2006
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Well you may get some different answers here though some will give pretty standard answers We are a Bible study site so we may have some different thoughts than those you have heard but they are what God tells us ... A Christian in reality is simply one who believes in Jesus Christ and his first and second coming Other than that the Bible has no religion ... It is for all mankind ... religion is made by men for men ...God says we are born with the nature to sin ...not one is perfect .... the degree to which one sins ..might be called good and evil God gives man a guide to live by ..the law ...the ten commandments ... These are the rules for all mankind Christian or not God says he judges one by their heart ... So good and evil as far as God is concerned is something only he can judge as we can never know another's heart... Now we have all seen what we call evil people,but evil is kind of a relative term what I call evil you may not. However there is real evil in this world and God warns us against it. There is sin in the World and God warns us against it.being a Christian simply means we will sin as flesh man always sins but we try not to ... and if we do we repent (ask Gods forgiveness for our failure or weakness ..ask for his strength to help us avoid doing it again .. Its much like the child wanting to be good for their parents ... They try hard but life steps in causes the child to misbehave ... Sometimes the parent then must correct the child ..remind them of the rules ... but the child apologizes and goes back to trying to be a good child ... we have this relationship with God because we have come to know him and love him ... We all have different reasons and experiences why we have come to love him .. but for us he is a real as we know our parents were ...even if they had died ..we still know they existed because we do .. Gods word is much like this we know we exist because he exists ..Is there good people of course but there again good is a relative term ...The Bible gives us a guide to things that are good and evil or right and wrong .. for our happiness ...not for his satisfaction ... If everyone in the World followed the ten commandments.. just think what a nice place this world would be... But alas men always think they have a better plan ..and God says it would be this way ...
 

Nivleos

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Feb 17, 2009
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As the 10 commandments and the 7 deadly sins set out 'Evil' is anything that is against God and Man, in otherwords sin.In otherwords Evil is anything that hurts God or another man, these are set out as -1. No other Gods (Hurts God)2. No idols (Like above/hurts God)3. Don't misuse God's name (Hurts God)4. Keep the Sabbath day (If you don't it hurts God)5. Respect your parents (If you don't it hurts parents{man})6. No murder (Obviously hurts man)7. No adultery (Hurts partner {man})8. No stealing (Hurts man)9. Don't lie about neighbours (Hurts man)10. Don't be envious of neighbours goods (Can lead to stealing, so hurts man)These are the Evils of the world, it is impossible to escape them but you can try to avoid them. By trying to be better, by trying to avoid them you are in essence trying to be good. Einstein once said 'Evil is absence of God in ones heart,' If you have God in your heart then you will try to avoid committing sins and God will forgive you any time you do sin.
 
J

Jon Michael

Guest
QUOTE (Nivleos @ Feb 20 2009, 11:27 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=69500
As the 10 commandments and the 7 deadly sins set out 'Evil' is anything that is against God and Man, in otherwords sin.In otherwords Evil is anything that hurts God or another man, these are set out as -1. No other Gods (Hurts God)2. No idols (Like above/hurts God)3. Don't misuse God's name (Hurts God)4. Keep the Sabbath day (If you don't it hurts God)5. Respect your parents (If you don't it hurts parents{man})6. No murder (Obviously hurts man)7. No adultery (Hurts partner {man})8. No stealing (Hurts man)9. Don't lie about neighbours (Hurts man)10. Don't be envious of neighbours goods (Can lead to stealing, so hurts man)These are the Evils of the world, it is impossible to escape them but you can try to avoid them. By trying to be better, by trying to avoid them you are in essence trying to be good. Einstein once said 'Evil is absence of God in ones heart,' If you have God in your heart then you will try to avoid committing sins and God will forgive you any time you do sin.
1. Can you "be good" in other ways, besides avoiding the 10 things on the list? Is this the only way you can be good--by avoiding the things on this list? 2. Are their exceptions to some of these rules? For example, are there times that it's okay---or "good" in God's eyes--- to say, violate number 6, and murder someone? As in war, for example? Are there any rules that can be violated under certain conditions? If so, which ones, and in what way is it acceptable? 3. If I have God in my heart, and I commit one of these sins, what happens? If I were to NOT have God in my heart, and I commit one of these sins, what happens?4. How do you know if you have God in your heart? Is there anything else in your heart, besides God (like evil, or Satan)? 5. How can we tell if someone else has God in their heart?6. Is it possible for someone to say they have God in their heart, but they really don't? Is it possible for someone to both say and THINK they have God in their heart, but they really don't?
 

setfree

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Oct 14, 2007
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When I read this the first thing that came to my mind was Rom.3:10.... There is none righteous..no not one.vs. 20..by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
 

Nivleos

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Feb 17, 2009
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QUOTE (Jon Michael @ Feb 21 2009, 03:48 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=69568
1. Can you "be good" in other ways, besides avoiding the 10 things on the list? Is this the only way you can be good--by avoiding the things on this list? 2. Are their exceptions to some of these rules? For example, are there times that it's okay---or "good" in God's eyes--- to say, violate number 6, and murder someone? As in war, for example? Are there any rules that can be violated under certain conditions? If so, which ones, and in what way is it acceptable? 3. If I have God in my heart, and I commit one of these sins, what happens? If I were to NOT have God in my heart, and I commit one of these sins, what happens?4. How do you know if you have God in your heart? Is there anything else in your heart, besides God (like evil, or Satan)? 5. How can we tell if someone else has God in their heart?6. Is it possible for someone to say they have God in their heart, but they really don't? Is it possible for someone to both say and THINK they have God in their heart, but they really don't?
1. There are other ways to be good, but the 10 is a good start. The other ways involve treating your neighbour as yourself, this covers feeding those who need feeding, and being nice to people you know, it can even include just helping someone move some boxes or something, treating others well can also make you a good person, oh and of course taking care of the environment this also makes you a good person because you are defending future generations right to have a beautiful clean world.2. Some people would say that it is ok to go against number 6, indeed if you are to kill someone in war as a soldier you wouldn't get called a murderer you would be called a patriot. I however believe that even in war a man should not kill, I do not believe it is right to take away God's gift of life from anyone even yourself (on a side note it is completely viable to sacrifice yourself for someone else).3. If you have God in your heart and you commit a sin then you can ask God for forgiveness but only if you truely mean it as he knows, after all you are saved. If you don't have God in your heart then unfortunately you have to be punished and you would end up in eternal damnation.4. I can't truely answer this as everyones experience of God is different, however I feel a warmth that never goes away, but as I said before your experience might be different. As I said earlier Evil is the lack of God in your heart. Also Satan cannot enter a mans heart unless you let him, unless you ask for him... he can however enter your mind and damage your thoughts, turn you against God's teaching.5. You can never truely know if a person has God in their heart, only God knows that, however a person who does have God completely will probably act a certain way, they will try to act warm and follow Gods commandments.6. If a person believes they have God in their heart they probably do, I don't think a person can make a mistake on this one, because belief is a very powerful thing when it comes to God, if a person is open to God, if they believe in God, and they love God they will have God in their heart.I hope this helps a bit, even it is long reading.
 

rob

New Member
Sep 2, 2009
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I have alot of questions... a lot. Most of these are going to need clarification, and thus, we'll probably see a series of running questions. Here is the first of my questions, which I'm sure will lead into others:What is good? What is evil?What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?Before we proceed with this discussion, I want to keep my intentions clear.First, I want everyone to know that I am asking this for the sole reason that I want to understand how Christians see the world. I am not asking this for any other purpose, like for example, the purpose of hearing something that I can argue with, or finding something that I can "prove wrong". I would never want to jeapordize people's own values, and in any case, any attempt would be futile and only breed intolerance. My aim here is purely objective and for the sake of my own learning and knowledge to further my understanding of the phenomenon of God, and my ultimate goal is to obtain a better understanding of Christianity. My goal is NOT to promote a belief of mine or start an argument. I encourage everyone to be open, and trust that I'm not going to add to anyone's thoughts, or try to subtract from them. The reason I give this caveat is because that, in the past when I've tried to do this, I have been mistaken for someone who is trying to start a riot or bring down people's values. This is strictly due to misinterpretation--which may not be surprising, given my incessant nature to ask questions and the ambiguity of my own values, which may lead to the unjust labeling of a "subverter" upon me. My incessant questions may be blunt, and thus give rise to the suspicion that my intentions are negative, but they are not. These questions are only for the sake of clarification, and any interpretation of malice intent would only arise due to misunderstanding. I'm not here to judge, just perceive. I genuinely want to KNOW how Christians see things, that is my sole motive. Nothing to debase anything or anyone. Many of my dear friends are Christians, and I love them very much, and would never do anything to debase their values. That would debase their identities, and thus, everything I love about them. I would never do that. I wish to uphold the sanctity of the values of all Christians, including everyone here on this board. I respect them very much. I need to say this because the misinterpretation of my intentions has heretofore impeded the path to the answers of my questions. So, I encourage everyone here to be open. This came from a series of thought processes from began when I was reading my psychology textbook. I'm doing this because I want to understand people, and potentially seek to understand the phenomenon of God in everyday lives. I guess you could say I'm doing this as part of my own studies in psychology. I plan to earn a Ph.D and become a doctor in clinical psychology. I want to become a therapist because I want to help people. But to do that, I have to understand people. I want to understand. Christians are a large majority of the population, and I hardly understand them. But I want to. I am seeking answers here, not trying to purport my own. That's because I'll consent that I don't really know anything. So yes, to repeat the questions....What is good? What is evil?What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?Let's discuss!

What is good? What is evil? What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person? Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?



I trust this gives a little insight?

We have here seven questions, and will try to give brief answers according to God’s Word.


1…What is good? God says: “There is none good no not one for all have sinned”. On the other hand Job
was considered a good man.
Job was considered a good man because he practised high moral living according to the law of God. But
His goodness was of himself.

2…What is evil? Evil is the opposite of good.
Evil is spoken of throughout the Bible. Evil is disobedience to God, ie partaking of the tree of knowledge
Of good and evil in opposition to God.

3…Are there people who are undeniably evil? No matter the circumstance?
Man was born perfectly innocent. He knew neither good or bad. So originally he was neither good nor bad
There are totally evil people, those who have given themselves over to evil practices, which eventually
bind men. A good example is given in Romans 1:21-32
4…Are there people who are undeniably good? Job was an undeniably good man. Of course a life lived in
total obedience to God produces a truly righteous (good) person. That person first is born of God in his
spirit. His soul then becomes constituted with the life and nature of God as that person lives by God. The
apostle Paul is an excellent example: He could say, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I.
but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in my flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave Himself for me.

5…What constitutes a good person? A good person in the true sense of the word is a person who is constituted
with the processed Triune God. As Jesus Christ himself said there is none good, no not one, for all have
sinned. Every descendant of the first Adam is born in sin. I.e. one who sins by nature.
Everyone born of the Last Adam (Jesus Christ) becomes constituted with righteousness. Has the divine
life and nature.

6…What constitutes an evil person?
An evil person is one who is constituted with Satan, and chooses to deny Christ, and follows after their
own evil passions.

7…Are there absolute evils in this world? Satan who was Lucifer before he rebelled against God is absolutely
evil. He is the embodiment of evil.

In the beginning God gave innocent man free will, desiring he would choose to live by the TREE OF LIFE.
God has a plan according to His good pleasure. He desired man to live totally DEPENDENT on God; hence the tree of life represents God Himself. ( In man’s dependence, God would be man’s total satisfaction

God also warned man not to partake of the TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. The tree of knowledge of good and evil represents Satan, which is to live INDEPENDENT of God; as well as become
constituted with the life and nature of Satan.

Tragically Man chose the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The outcome is he now knows good and evil; and he became constituted with Satan’s life and nature. Hence man became the embodiment of sin.

Man was banned from the Garden of Eden so as he would no longer be able to live by the Tree of life.
God immediately set into action His plan to First to redeem man in order that he once again may be able to live by the Tree of life, in other words another opportunity to live by God. This is the reason why God became a Man (Incarnation).As a Man He fulfilled the Law of God. He lived a God-life. He died, conquered death in resurrection and ascended to God, returning as the life-giving-Spirit so as He could get into man and constitute man with His life and nature so that man could live a God life; and become sons of God. Genuine brothers of Jesus Christ.

The Ten Commandments show us God’s standard of righteousness; given to man that he know he is sinful. So that instead of trying to live a good life, he would turn to Christ.
Man, born of Adam, is now unrighteous. Because he cannot live up to God’s standard of righteousness due to his satanic nature. The nature of Satan.
Some persons try to keep God’s law. They try to live righteously but find they cannot live up to God’s standard,
They may live ethically with high moral standards. (God alone knows their motivations, but it is not the standard that attains to God’s standard). Hence true righteousness is to be constituted with Christ Himself Who
is our righteousness. God’s righteousness is attained through faith alone. Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him as righteousness.

.




 

Adstar

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Sep 17, 2009
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I have alot of questions... a lot. Most of these are going to need clarification, and thus, we'll probably see a series of running questions. Here is the first of my questions, which I'm sure will lead into others:What is good? What is evil?What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?

You have been pondering these things from a human perspective. While as a human being i understand your perspective, i also understand the perspective of God on the issue of Good and evil.

When a human being says someone is good or someone is bad they are not looking at them from an absolute view point of perfection but a relative viewpoint of their own position. As has already been stated in the perspective of Perfection. Only God is Good. All that falls short of God or is in opposition to God is not Good. So there are no Good people in this world. There are people who would like to be Good and admire Good and wish they where Good and there are people who do not want to be good who admire things that are not good and are offended by what is Good. Now is there anyone in this world who is absolutely evil? personally i don't think so.

Before we proceed with this discussion, I want to keep my intentions clear.First, I want everyone to know that I am asking this for the sole reason that I want to understand how Christians see the world.

Well on this forum you will no doubt come to the conclusion that apart from a few basic principles you will probably not find two "christians" with the exact same position.

I am not asking this for any other purpose, like for example, the purpose of hearing something that I can argue with, or finding something that I can "prove wrong". I would never want to jeapordize people's own values, and in any case, any attempt would be futile and only breed intolerance.

So if you thought someone was caught in a deception you would not try to talk them out of it? Not try to convince them that they are on the wrong path? As for the word intolerance. I can be intolerant of evil but at the same time be tolerant towards the one doing evil. if i tolerate something it is something i disagree with but i put up with it. Tolerance is not acceptance, tolerance is putting up with something that offends you for the sake of a higher thought you hold more dear.



All Praise The Ancient Of Days
 

Adstar

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Sep 17, 2009
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nivleos @ Feb 20 2009, 11:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>As the 10 commandments and the 7 deadly sins set out 'Evil' is anything that is against God and Man, in otherwords sin.In otherwords Evil is anything that hurts God or another man, these are set out as -1. No other Gods (Hurts God)2. No idols (Like above/hurts God)3. Don't misuse God's name (Hurts God)4. Keep the Sabbath day (If you don't it hurts God)5. Respect your parents (If you don't it hurts parents{man})6. No murder (Obviously hurts man)7. No adultery (Hurts partner {man})8. No stealing (Hurts man)9. Don't lie about neighbours (Hurts man)10. Don't be envious of neighbours goods (Can lead to stealing, so hurts man)These are the Evils of the world, it is impossible to escape them but you can try to avoid them. By trying to be better, by trying to avoid them you are in essence trying to be good. Einstein once said 'Evil is absence of God in ones heart,' If you have God in your heart then you will try to avoid committing sins and God will forgive you any time you do sin.</div>1. Can you "be good" in other ways, besides avoiding the 10 things on the list? Is this the only way you can be good--by avoiding the things on this list?

Get it out of your head that you can be Good. What the list does is reveal to one that they fail what is good in thought and in deed in their lives. The Law's message to us is that we fall short of perfection, we fall short of being Good. Therefore we need to have rely upon the solution that God has made to correct our current condiction. that being not-good un-good, anyway you would like to say it really..


2. Are their exceptions to some of these rules? For example, are there times that it's okay---or "good" in God's eyes--- to say, violate number 6, and murder someone? As in war, for example?

Not for one who believes Jesus.

Are there any rules that can be violated under certain conditions? If so, which ones, and in what way is it acceptable?

Are you seeking understanding or seeking an answer you want?

3. If I have God in my heart, and I commit one of these sins, what happens? If I were to NOT have God in my heart, and I commit one of these sins, what happens?

If i do a wrong and have accepted the forgiveness of God then i am forgiven. If i do a wrong and have rejected the forgiveness of God then i will remain unforgiven.


4. How do you know if you have God in your heart? Is there anything else in your heart, besides God (like evil, or Satan)?

The Holy Spirit can indwell one and a demon can indwell another. it does not mean that everyone not indwelled by one is indwelled by the other. How do you know? Think of the Holy Spirit as a Super conscience on steroids not a little voice in the background that you have shouted down to almost mute status through a lifetime of resisting and ignoring. But a strong voice within that will be heard and will not submit.

PS: I am not saying the Holy Spirit is ones own conscience boosted. What I am trying to do is do my best talk to you (a non-believer) in a way that will give you some kind of concept you can grasp.


5. How can we tell if someone else has God in their heart?

You can suspect either but in the end it is not up to me or you to identify anyone as being indwelled by God or a demon.


6. Is it possible for someone to say they have God in their heart, but they really don't?

Yes.

Is it possible for someone to both say and THINK they have God in their heart, but they really don't?

Yes.



All Praise The Ancient Of Days
 

Redeemed22

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Nov 10, 2009
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Citizen of Heaven
Let me offer another explanation of some of the ideas Adstar placed out.

Ephesians 2:4-5 "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved."

The Bible describes a condition of being spiritually dead, and claims that we all start that way because of sin.

Consider the diagram


.......................................................................................................................CROSS....................................................................................................................................................
Spiritually Dead..................................................................................CROSS..............................................................................................................Spiritually Alive
Spectrum of People on this side:......................................................................CROSS..................................................................................................................................................
Very immoral--immoral --average--moral--very moral..............................CROSS..........................................................................................Heirs to righteousness via faith
......................................................................................................................CROSS..................................................................................................................................................
Not surrendered to God..............................................................CROSS CROSS CROSS CROSS...........................................................................Surrendered to God................
....................................................................................................CROSS CROSS CROSS CROSS............................................................................................................................
Independent from God...............................................................................CROSS...............................................................................In relationship with God (Dependent)......
........................................................................................................................CROSS..................................................................................................................................................
Clothed by fig leaves .................................................................................CROSS.....................................................................................................Clothing provided by God
........................................................................................................................CROSS..................................................................................................................................................
Might look clean on the outside.................................................................CROSS..............................................................................................................Clean on the inside
Unforgiven.................................................................................................CROSS......................................................................................................Washed white as snow...
Can't change inside.............................................................................CROSS.................................................Supernatural Inner change begins to work its way out....
.........................................................................................................................CROSS..................................................................................................................................................​
End Diagram

In the book of Isaiah, God says "Your righteous deeds are like filthy rags to me." So God calls the deeds righteous (isn't that to be desired?) and yet worthless and dirty. God wants to provide us with righteousness. He doesn't want us to provide our own because it could never be pleasing to Him. When we are acting out of God's righteousness, then our deeds are pleasing to God.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve sinned and then became very ashamed. They made clothes out of fig leaves to cover their nakedness and hide their shame. Then God came down walking in the Garden and spoke to them, slaughtering an innocent animal (foreshadowing of Jesus) to make clothes to cover their shame. But God told them to take off their fig leaves to receive the clothes from God.

Some people are very much more moral than others. They have better fig leaves, so to speak. But to be right with God we need to have proper covering. We need to be made alive inside. Jesus said that for someone to enter the Kingdom of heaven, they had to be born again. In the above diagram, being born again is passing from the left side to the right side. The power that achieves the change is through the cross and you receive it through faith. But the cross is a death instrument. You "die" to your sins... you die to your old way of life. Instead of asking what sins are OK, you ask what is beneficial. You may stumble (that is, you will), but because God has birthed new life in you, there will begin to be fruit (ie, radical changes in behavior/thoughts/attitudes) in a process that continues until you are in heaven. People on the right side of the diagram are not worried about justifying themselves by performance, but instead living out the life Christ has provided. They are secure, and God calls them sons and daughters. Also, people on the right hand side don't think of Jesus as a merely a cheap savior (that is, as someone to be taken advantage of), but they see Jesus as SAVIOR and LORD. You surrender lordship of your life when you are saved.

Somebody on the left can delude themselves into thinking they are saved. Jesus said, "But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" and also "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."


God seeks out those in darkness (we all are naturally deluded!) but it is our job to respond. How do you respond?
 

EggsBaconandBeans

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Apr 27, 2010
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hey.. i would like to try and give you some insight into my faith as a christian.. first and for most is it is not a belief.. it's a faith, and i tell you this because it's not that one day we decided to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. it's a faith that is given us by God. He reveals the truth to us.. hence the term, "free gift".. also you stated that you want to know more about this phenomena God. well that's incorrect. God is!.. He is no phenomena. and we are his creation. just the fact that you are interested in know more about christianity is God tugging on your heart.. that makes you part of God's elect.. well, there you have the answers to what i think you were asking.. please do research more on this as God is most certainly pouring out His grace on you.. hope i was a help.. :) dale
 

brionne

Active Member
May 31, 2010
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What is good? What is evil?What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?Let's discuss!

Good is a standard of perfection that originates with God....this is why there is no perfectly good person because we all have flaws. We cannot perfectly reflect Gods goodness, but we can strive toward it by our conduct & attitudes. Some people have developed this quality better then others, some are continuing to develop it. Some personalities are more conducive to the quality, some personalities are less conducive to the quality. And environment/upbringing also will play a part in how well a person manages to develop a sense of goodness within themselves.


Evil is anything which results in pain, sorrow, or distress. Just as individuals have the capacity for goodness, so do we have the capacity for evil. Evil is not an entity that dwells in us...it is simply a behavioural problem. If I strike you in the face, that act of striking is evil because it has caused you pain for example.

By 'absolute' evil, i guess you mean that something is pure evil (?) If so, then i think there is only one thing that is pure evil in this world and that is Satan the Devil. I think he has gone too far to change his evil ways. Apart from that, nothing of mankind is trully evil. We all have the ability to perform goodness. Even if we act with evil in one way, we will also act with good in another...it may be to our family members or to our pets. As an example, even the worst criminals have a soft spot for someone in their life.

So evil is what we do, not what we are.

And good is what we do, not who we are.
 

rob

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1 John 2:15


Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him;

God created man to live on the earth for the fulfillment of His (purpose). But His enemy, (Satan), in order to

usurp the God-created man, formed an anti-God (world) system on this earth by (systematizing) men with

religion, culture, education, industry, commerce, entertainment, etc., through men's (fallen) nature, in their

lusts, pleasures, and pursuits, and even in their (indulgence) in necessities for their living, such as food, clothing,

housing, and transportation. The whole of such a satanic system lies in the (evil) one. Not loving such a world is

the ground for (overcoming) the evil one.
 

fivesense

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I have alot of questions... a lot. Most of these are going to need clarification, and thus, we'll probably see a series of running questions. Here is the first of my questions, which I'm sure will lead into others:What is good? What is evil?What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?Before we proceed with this discussion, I want to keep my intentions clear.First, I want everyone to know that I am asking this for the sole reason that I want to understand how Christians see the world. . That's because I'll consent that I don't really know anything. So yes, to repeat the questions....What is good? What is evil?What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?Let's discuss!

Do you have any religious background? From your youth, or more recent? What has been your experiences with the Christian religion?
fivesense
 

aspen

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. Here is the first of my questions, which I'm sure will lead into others:What is good? What is evil?What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good? So, I encourage everyone here to be open. This came from a series of thought processes from began when I was reading my psychology textbook. I'm doing this because I want to understand people, and potentially seek to understand the phenomenon of God in everyday lives. I guess you could say I'm doing this as part of my own studies in psychology. I plan to earn a Ph.D and become a doctor in clinical psychology. I want to become a therapist because I want to help people. But to do that, I have to understand people. I want to understand. Christians are a large majority of the population, and I hardly understand them. But I want to. I am seeking answers here, not trying to purport my own. That's because I'll consent that I don't really know anything. So yes, to repeat the questions....What is good? What is evil?What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?Let's discuss!

As a counselor, I tend to believe that understanding a persons religious beliefs is an important step to understanding their psychological makeup so I commend you. So, what is good? As a Christian, I believe that God is the embodiment of Good - He is God and perfectly so. The Bible tells us that Creation is good - which means that it behaves in the manner in which it was created - perfectly. St. Francis used to call animals and plants 'saints' because they acted perfectly according to how they were created. Adam and Eve were created good, as well, but then they decided to act outside of their abilities - they were never created to determine between good and evil - why should they? Evil did not exist. The tree represents the human need to be more than what we are created to be - God in essence told A&E to act in the manner in which they were created and not to go outside their definition. Unfortunately, pride lead them both on a fool's errand - they got it in their heads that they should take on some new responsibilities. Furthermore, since they were never created to determine good from evil they ended up trying to do so without the proper tools. The fact is, we cannot know good from evil apart from God, because we were not created to do so - yet, it does not stop us from trying. We should realize this truth simply because we are finite and cannot know the future, therefore we can never know if we have made a good decision until we look back on it in hindsight.

So this brings us to the definition of evil. At this point I am going to have to disagree with the majority of people on the is board when I state that evil is not the opposite of good - not at all. Instead, according to Augustine, evil is the lack or absence of good - so just like cold is the absence of heat - evil is not a force and is dependent on good. The reason Christians have traditionally believed this way is because dualism is not compatible with Christianity. Also, evil cannot be a force, because God could not have created evil, while remaining good. So, since evil is merely the lack of good, we really cannot create evil either, all we can do is create lesser good by making lesser good choices. Now, as people who are basically self serving, we have created some horrific examples of lesser good in this world. In addition, I believe that dualistic thinking is one of the inadequate ways we manage our terribly poor capacity to managing evil in the world. Anyone can look to our broken justice system as an example, with it's wooden laws, which fail to consider the people involved; or judges that only consider the people involved without consideration for the laws that have been broken. The whole deal is mess and only Christ can deliver us from ourselves.

People are created good, with a nasty tendency to be self serving. Christ came to help us to become fully human again - in the manner in which we were created to love God and each other.

Hope that helps

Peace