Someone asked me about whether we can say God is responsible for sins. Here’s my quick answer:
I would say “God decree entrance of evil yet He is not responsible for evil”. I think I understand what you are trying to say by responsible in that God’s decree is “universal, eternal and free” (free in the sense that His decree is not contingent upon other things besides His own will and His nature). If any and all of the phrase “universal, eternal and free” capture it better what you are trying to convey I hope it can be used (or modified and better worded than what I’m doing on the fly).
1. To say God is responsible for evil is something I would want to back away from largely because I don’t want people to think God is culpable for evil. Culpable as in at fault.
2. I see God’s decreeing evil to happen also must be kept in mind that there is a creature and Creator distinction. We as creatures are called into account for what we do when we violate God’s laws. But with God no one can call Him into account, no one is above God as judge. He takes life away but is not a murderer, he takes things away but is not a thief, etc.
3. I like the book analogy with the problem of evil. Writers can have characters in their story who are evil but we don’t attribute the attributes of the characters to that of the attributes of the writer nor does the author become responsible in a culpable way concerning the characters’ flaws. John Frame uses this analogy and I think others argues something in this line. So analogously I see there’s something like that with God’s decree.
4. Historically reformed writers back away from saying God is the author of evil for the meaning of “author” in the course of this subject of the problem of evil has the sense that “author” means having that attribute, which of course God is not evil. But it seems when we talk about God as say “author of salvation” we don’t do that way and somehow conclude God needs to be saved. I think Reformed writers have a point about avoiding the term “author” to minimize confusion
5. I enjoy the Ex Lex approach of Gordon Clark and Jay Adam’s. There’s no law for God to obey that comes from God (since He’s the source of morals) which prohibit God from decreeing evil, so one can’t say there’s a law God violate in decreeing evil other agents besides Himself doing evil. Keep in mind evil are done by creatures who are called to obey God’s laws.
6. Presuppositionalists would also points out to argue God is evil makes no sense in an unbelievably worldview
[…] Quick thoughts on whether we should say God is responsible for evil […]
Thanks for the insight. I constantly encounter atheists who either say out right or imply God is evil. That how can a good God allow the holocaust for example.
This helps a lot.
Blessings.
Thanks much for this post. Blessings today!
I was talking about this the other day as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Awesome! Sounds like you are busy evangelizing or discipling which is encouraging to know given the times we are in! What else did you said in that conversation? 💪🤜🤛👊🙌🙏
I am a discipler way more than evangelizer! You may not like my answer it was very simple, “God allows evil.” I fleshed that out with Job—I also said that since Job lived before the Patriarch (Gen 12) God addressed evil and suffering before He made His covenant with Abraham. While God allows it, He does not author it. God cannot author evil because if He did His Kingdom that is coming would be a farce, a lie and no different than the sin infested world we have now.
This is a difficult topic, thank you for writing this!
If you ever want to do a show on this I’d love to do it! But it’s so broad I would begin with how secular ethics can’t account for the problem of evil…no pressure!
The question of whether God is responsible for evil is one that troubles many people. Some people are quick to blame God for every evil that happen in this world. I like how you dealt with the issue.
For me, every time I read Genesis 1:1-2, I see Newton’s third law of motion, which states “for every action, there is an equal and opposite action”.
I see the darkness in Genesis 1 as evil and it exists because God exists. The action of God to create the earth produce an opposing action which is the darkness. This resulted in the earth becoming distorted (without form and void).
Thus, God controlled the darkness with the light of the Lord Jesus Christ so that He could create the perfect world without any form of opposing force.
However, the serpent released this darkness back into the earth. So I blame the serpent (Satan) for the evil in this world.
Good post brother. All this reminds me of a conversation on abortion. My husband surprised me when he said, “God is pro-choice”. I said, “W H A T ?” He calmly added, “yes, God freely gives us the choice between good and evil.”
Press on Pastor!
It is true humans use their choice to do evil and human sinners are the one who are culpable. Your husband isn’t saying abortion is ok, right? I don’t think he meant that but making a point that God has given us volition and we are capable of intent. Blessings to you!
Oh no, Bob is totally against abortion. Just saying that God doesn’t force His Holy standards but gives us a choice. We will, of course, be accountable to Him.
Blessings to you brother!
Thanks for your good thoughts on this. Of course many unbelievers argue there is no God because of all the “evil” in the world. They don’t understand that it’s a fallen world.
It is a fallen world indeed! And of course Presuppositionalists would argue that there is no basis to say God is not good if there isn’t God to ground ethics. How is your shift so far today???
RE: atheists and “good” vs. “evil” and presuppositionalism
Yup, I was thinking that as I typed it!
Very busy today although the woman who is “training” me left at 1:00 without saying a word. Very poor attitude.
How is your fish-fry Friday going?
Thank you for speaking truth that many aren’t speaking since they resort to the freewill argument. I do believe more believers are waking up though. I hope more churches stop being politically correct and spoke truth and also unmask demonic agendas in Jesus’ name
Very well said Jim
Thank you Gary. How is your week going?
Good Jim, the last snow storm we just got is going to start melting tomorrow. here. That is usually our march weather. quite different than yours.
I commend you for approaching this very difficult topic.
I look forward to when you read my blog post about Haiti 🇭🇹 and hope you leave some comments on it
Pastor Jim, I appreciate these type of discussions because they bring out something I’ve not thought about. It deepens the understanding of my own faith.
Excellent refute.
Thanks! Have a blessed weekend! Hope you are safe and healthy Maw Maw
You also.
The point about Ex Lex isn’t something I’ve thought of before
When discussing this issue of God and evil, I have been quoted Isaiah 45 :7 KJV as God being the creator of evil.
Great post brother Jim.
I hope to study up that passage sometime in its context and analysis of the verse itself. Do you ever feel there is so much in God’s Word to study and not enough waking hours? Good night for now!
Yes I agree.
Have a blessed weekend.
Good night from Sydney.
Without having read my blog at all, thus not seeing this week’s “This Week at Church” about youth, a couple of people at church this week asked if we could start meeting at the library (the youth hangout in town) to pray and potentially meet kids getting out of school. (So, there is that update!)
While there, the fire alarm went off, and the subject of God and evil came up with a few people standing around. I used a few of these responses as well as mentioning God gave us a degree of free will that is now tainted by our own sin. But a will that is unable to choose is not free, so we had to be given the ability to reject God and His standard if we were to have free will. (And a brief discussion of God not even wanting to break His own standard.)
Brother, I appreciate your thoughts and commend to you this blog post that I believes brings the conversation further than you did here for your edification. I look forward to your review/thoughts on what is said here.
https://theparticularbaptist.net/2021/01/16/what-is-sin/
Awe, thanks so much for Liking my Posts and Amen!! Amen Brother in Jesus-Yeshua Christ-Messiah JIM!!
May our ONE TRUE GOD THE HEAVENLY FATHER who art in Heaven Above Bless all my Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus-Yeshua and my Messianic Jewish Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus-Yeshua and Your Families and Friends!!
Our ONE True GOD’S LOVE 💕💜 is ETERNAL THROUGH HIS SON Christ-MESSIAH Jesus-Yeshua for Today and Everyday Forevermore!!
I Love 💜💕 you all Everyone through Christ Jesus-Yeshua, because HE LOVED 💕💜 EVERYONE FIRST!!
Love ❤ Always and Shalom ( Peace ) Everyone, YSIC \o/
Kristi Ann
[…] Quick thoughts on whether we should say God is responsible for evil | The Domain for Truth (wordpres… […]
[…] 7.) Quick thoughts on whether we should say God is responsible for evil […]