Did God create evil

[The Learner]

Oops still trying to use this site sorry for extra post, unintended.

As you know Brother, friend Jesus was tested.

If Jesus is God, how can God die?
If God cannot be tempted, how could Jesus be tempted? | Christian Research Institute

"
First of all, is it possible for God to be tempted? Yes, it is. Psalm 106:13-15 says, “They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, 14 But craved intensely in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. 15 So He gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them.” (NASB). The Hebrew word for “tempt” here is nasaw. According to the Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, it means “to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test.” The NIV says, “they put God to the test.” The KJV says, “and tempted God in the desert.” The NKJV says, “and tested God in the desert.” The 1901 ASV says, “and tempted God in the desert.” Therefore, we can see that God was “tempted in the desert.” Yet, this temptation in no way negates the divinity of God Himself.

In the New Testament, when Jesus is tempted in Matt. 4, the word for tempt is peirazo. Again, according to the Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, it means “to try whether a thing can be done, 2) to try, make trial of, test: for the purpose of ascertaining his quantity or what he thinks or how he will behave himself; 2c) to try or test one’s faith, virtue, character, by enticement to sin.”

We can see in both cases that it was God who was tested. In the Old Testament, God was being tempted, that is, being put the test in the wilderness even as Jesus was being tempted (put the test) in the wilderness in the New Testament. This temptation can occur without God sinning. Furthermore, this temptation or testing is not a challenge to the deity of Christ any more than it was a challenge to the divinity of God in the Old Testament.

In addition, all that Jesus did, He did by looking to the Father. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner,” (John 5:19). Also, Jesus said, “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me,” (John 5:30)."
God cannot be tempted. Jesus was tempted. Therefore, Jesus cannot be God.

 

[quietthinker]

Did God create evil
The Jews then and now believe so but the apostle John didn't .....as didn't the rest of Jesus' mates after his resurrection. This singular event changed how they saw......everything; ie God and themselves......they became power houses to life.

 

[JohnPaul]

Man and his freewill created evil, by doing whatever he wants and feels good to him, despite being against God's word and law.

 

[Matthias]

was Jesus Christ the son of God?

Yes. That is the testimony of the New Testament.

And if yes, is he equal to God?

Functionally, yes.

 

[thelord's_pearl]

I asked something like this on another Christian forum in the past and someone said that it's like this: where there's good there will be evil like where there is light there will be darkness. And this is what I say myself, it might sound boring but we can't comprehend God's knowledge.

 

[Rich R]

Hi Grace, just a couple questions,

was Jesus Christ the son of God?
And if yes, is he equal to God?

Yes. That is the testimony of the New Testament.

Functionally, yes.

1 Cor 15:28,

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.​

​

subject:
G5293 ὑποτάσσω hupotasso (hï-po-tas'-sō) v.
1. to subordinate. (Strong's Concordance)

So long as we accept the normal meaning of words, "subordinate" is hardly equal. If we elect to abandon the normal meaning of words, then anything goes. We can make up any narrative we want. God's words are pure words, purified 7 times (ps 12:6), so He is extremely precise in the words He chooses to give us.

Joseph and Pharaoh is a good example of a ruler granting authority to a subordinate. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all Egypt. The only thing he didn't give Joseph was the throne. As in the entire OT, Joseph was a type of the future Messiah. God granted Jesus complete authority over the earth, but God, Yahweh to be precise, reigns over all, including His son, Jesus.

1 Cor 15:28 is not the only verse that says what it says. Just have to research and find them. It all comes down to tradition vs truth.

 

[Rich R]

I asked something like this on another Christian forum in the past and someone said that it's like this: where there's good there will be evil like where there is light there will be darkness. And this is what I say myself, it might sound boring but we can't comprehend God's knowledge.

Eph 3:18-19,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;​

​

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.​

1 Cor 2:16,

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.​

​

We can comprehend whatever Jesus comprehended. I know it goes contrary to tradition, but Ephesians and Corinthians are pretty clear. It's simply a matter of which we choose for our source of truth.

 

[Matthias]

1 Cor 15:28,

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.​

​

subject:
G5293 ὑποτάσσω hupotasso (hï-po-tas'-sō) v.
1. to subordinate. (Strong's Concordance)

So long as we accept the normal meaning of words, "subordinate" is hardly equal. If we elect to abandon the normal meaning of words, then anything goes. We can make up any narrative we want. God's words are pure words, purified 7 times (ps 12:6), so He is extremely precise in the words He chooses to give us.

Joseph and Pharaoh is a good example of a ruler granting authority to a subordinate. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all Egypt. The only thing he didn't give Joseph was the throne. As in the entire OT, Joseph was a type of the future Messiah. God granted Jesus complete authority over the earth, but God, Yahweh to be precise, reigns over all, including His son, Jesus.

1 Cor 15:28 is not the only verse that says what it says. Just have to research and find them. It all comes down to tradition vs truth.

If you send me to do a job in your name then I’m functionally you when I do it.

 

[Rich R]

If you send me to do a job in your name then I’m functionally you when I do it.

As far as that goes, very true. It was especially true in the Ancient Near Eastern culture. I thought you were saying Jesus is actually God. Sorry about that!

 

[Matthias]

As far as that goes, very true. It was especially true in the Ancient Near Eastern culture. I thought you were saying Jesus is actually God.

I’m a Jewish monotheist. I believe Jesus is functionally - that is to say, figuratively - God.

Jesus operates as God’s envoy; his ambassador. When we see him and hear him, we see and hear God in him.

Sorry about that!

No need to be sorry. I appreciated your feedback.

Since you thought I was saying something which I wasn’t, others may also misunderstand what I was saying. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to clarify my meaning for readers.

 

[Adam]

Evil is destructive to itself or its environment. Evil will eventually always therefore inevitably destroy itself or convert itself to good to save itself. Evil is a manifestation of ignorance. God cannot be evil because God is omniscient. Humans can be evil because humans cannot see all ends. However, our evil, in a cosmic sense, is incapable of harming God, we can only harm ourself. Or in other words, what we call "evil" is really just a learning experience.

 

[Davy]

Matthew G started this post, I’m not qualified to respond, only true christians can respond.
Maybe I can just comment.

Not sure exact verse,
Nothing of itself is evil.
However Adam was born of God, walked and talked to God in the garden. However after he chose Eve over God he became carnal minded.
It’s the “mix” of the two mindsets that create evil.
The Spirit wars against the will of the flesh.
Being spiritual minded and walking like humen creates much confusion, hence the need for Christ to carry a sword sharp enough to divide between bone and marrow.
He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit say etch to the churches, the rest can make their beds in religion.

The real answer to the question did God create evil has to consider the very first sin, which brought sin and death, and thus evil.

Apostle John said the devil sinned from the beginning. That means even before the time of Adam and Eve. The sin by Adam and Eve was the first sin done in the flesh. But Satan's sin in the beginning was the actual very first sin ever.

Per Hebrews 2:14 and 1 John 3:8, Jesus was born into this world to die on the cross in order to defeat death and the devil for us. Satan was given power of death, obviously because of his sin in the old world. And Satan with those angels that rebelled with him in that old world have already been judged and sentenced to perish in the future "lake of fire". No flesh man has been judged to perish yet today.

Thus the original author of evil is Satan himself. Prior to his sin God had exalted him in His Garden of Eden (see the parable of Ezekiel 28 and 31). God said when He created him he was perfect in his ways. So it's safe to say that prior to Satan's rebellion, there was no sin nor death in the old world.

That also points to God having given Satan and the angels free will to either love Him and His Son, or not. That's important, because true love is not like by a machine that the creator forces to love. True love means one loves of their own free will.

So when God brought this 2nd world earth age, set man's bounds, and ordained His Salvation through His Son's death and resurrection, God at times USES evil for THIS 2ND WORLD. Just because God uses evil for this present world does not mean He is the original author of evil. Satan is the original author of evil. And God shows in Isaiah 10 that He uses Satan as a punishing rod upon the rebellious (using "the Assyrian" as symbolic for Satan). But that is for this present world, not the previous world before Satan rebelled, and not the world to come with a new heavens and new earth.

 

[friend of]

I thought evil by definition was anything contrary to God's will. So no, He didn't directly create it.

 

[BARNEY BRIGHT]

I asked something like this on another Christian forum in the past and someone said that it's like this: where there's good there will be evil like where there is light there will be darkness. And this is what I say myself, it might sound boring but we can't comprehend God's knowledge.

I disagree that evil will always exist because good will always exist. I have faith that God will destroy Satan and his demons and all the humans that follow him.

 

[thelord's_pearl]

I disagree that evil will always exist because good will always exist. I have faith that God will destroy Satan and his demons and all the humans that follow him.

No, there will still be those eternally in hell vs those eternally in heaven, that's the evil spot- hell

 

[Rich R]

I’m a Jewish monotheist. I believe Jesus is functionally - that is to say, figuratively - God.

Jesus operates as God’s envoy; his ambassador. When we see him and hear him, we see and hear God in him.



No need to be sorry. I appreciated your feedback.

Since you thought I was saying something which I wasn’t, others may also misunderstand what I was saying. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to clarify my meaning for readers.

l see what you meant. I'm on the same page with all of that. Jesus was a perfect image of God, but an image is an image, not the thing itself.

If you figure out how to not be misunderstood here, let me know. I draw a blank in that regard.

 

[thelord's_pearl]

l see what you meant. I'm on the same page with all of that. Jesus was a perfect image of God, but an image is an image, not the thing itself.

If you figure out how to not be misunderstood here, let me know. I draw a blank in that regard.

this is confusing to me still. So God is the biggest and second is Jesus and third is the Holy Spirit? by the way, friendly, cute smile there! Or they're different forms of God

 

[Gottservant]

Matthew G started this post, I’m not qualified to respond, only true christians can respond.
Maybe I can just comment.

Not sure exact verse,
Nothing of itself is evil.
However Adam was born of God, walked and talked to God in the garden. However after he chose Eve over God he became carnal minded.
It’s the “mix” of the two mindsets that create evil.
The Spirit wars against the will of the flesh.
Being spiritual minded and walking like humen creates much confusion, hence the need for Christ to carry a sword sharp enough to divide between bone and marrow.
He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit say etch to the churches, the rest can make their beds in religion.

God creates a choice of evil and good.

The Devil chooses the evil.

If we choose the good, the Devil gives up.

 

[BARNEY BRIGHT]

No, there will still be those eternally in hell vs those eternally in heaven, that's the evil spot- hell

Hell, is a English word replacing the Greek word Hades, and Hades replaces the Hebrew word Sheol, which represents the place where those sleep in death until they're resurrected. Hell(Hades, Sheol, grave) will be thrown into the lake of fire and so will those who God judges as unrighteous and not deserving of eternal life. Satan and his demons will also be thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is said to be the second death. Since both death(death caused by Adam) and Hades(Hell, Sheol, grave) is thrown into the lake of fire that means death(death caused by Adam) Hades(Hell, Sheol, grave) is destroyed out of existence forever. So will Satan and his demons and all those God judges unworthy of eternal life.
I know that many do not have faith that God can destroy evil out of existence. That's because many believe the serpent who told Eve she wouldn't die. Many people think humans have souls and think humans continue living after death. The scriptures however show that humans are souls not that they have souls. So when the breath(spirit) of life leaves a human body he/she stops existing as a living soul or living person. After that it's up to God wether you exist again as a living soul or living person in the resurrection. So when God throws the unrighteous and Satan and his demons into the lake of fire, evil will be destroyed out of existence forever.

 

[Davy]

l see what you meant. I'm on the same page with all of that. Jesus was a perfect image of God, but an image is an image, not the thing itself.

If you figure out how to not be misunderstood here, let me know. I draw a blank in that regard.

If Jesus is not God also, and not just an outward manifestation of God, then He would have not used many of the Titles for GOD, nor even claimed He was The Father...

John 14:8-9
8 Philip saith unto Him, "Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us."
9 Jesus saith unto him, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, 'Shew us the Father'?
KJV

Jesus speaking...

Rev 22:12-13
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
KJV

That Alpha and Omega... , is the same Title The Father used of Himself in The Old Testament.


So what we are actually shown in God's Word is that The Godhead is indeed three Persons of God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit. Some deny The Bible about this because they cannot understand it, but no matter, that is what The Bible reveals, and I don't care to try and 'change' what God's Word says just because I don't yet understand something.