Why is god evil ?

God hates EVIL (or SIN). And as far as understanding the mind of God and why he chose to use certain methods of correction of men throughout the centuries- you won't understand. When we are born again and become children of God He gives us greater understanding regarding why we need to avoid sin and He does correct us when we sin. God is a loving Father who corrects His children for their own good. A comfortable life here on earth is the last thing we need. We need to be as close to God as we can be. That should always be our goal.

Hello...God isn't evil. The world we live in is. I can explain to you the theological and doctrinal reasons,but the whole point of it is Jesus Christ.

Feel free to come to deeper fellowship sometime...K3

Do something kind for another, and evil disappears.

God does not like slavery and many other things, the old testament teachings that moses gave to his people were not only to tell them what was right but also how they should act after they had got things wrong.

And God Bless All His Peoples.

Men and women sometimes believe this to be true. The problem with this is that they are looking at the issue from a human perspective, which is obviously the only way they can since that is what they are. But the human perspective is flawed, because humans are flawed. It is therefore hard for us to understand perfect justice from the point of view of God, who is righteous.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD .
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your way and my thoughts than your thoughts.

So, sometimes, when God executes justice from his point of view, it is hard for us to understand. But, God takes no pleasure in executing justice upon the wicked.

Ezekiel 18:31-32 (NIV)

31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel?
32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD . Repent and live!

He would rather be able to show mercy which is why he entreats us all to turn from our wicked ways.

Isaiah 55:7 (NIV)

7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD , and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

The differences in God's justice and man's can be illustrated in Jesus' handling of the case of the woman caught in adultry. The scripture is to long to post here, so here's a link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/...1;&version=31;

Those imperfect men had no right to condemn the woman because their (man's) law could not render perfect justice. Jesus, however, could have, if he had chosen, condemned the woman because he was perfect, being God in the flesh. But, and this is an assumption, he looked into her heart and saw that she was sorry for her sin. Choosing not to condemn her, he sent her on her way with the entreaty to "sin no more."

This is another aspect of God's justice that we find hard to understand. By man's justice and by outward appearances, the woman should have been put to death, but God looks into the heart and judges on what he sees there.

So we see that God's justice has two possible outcomes. Punishment or mercy. And repentance is the key to which side one lands on. Those who are unrepentant will suffer God's punishment. Those who are repentant will obtain God's mercy. The important thing is to know that God knows what is right and will execute justice according to what he sees.

Someone has said: "If I had the power of God, there are many things that I would change; but if I had the wisdom of God, I would not change a thing."

__________________
"For the word of God is living, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

i would have to agree. how can we judge what is right and what is wrong. for we have wicked and sinfull eyes. we cannot even fathom what is close to perfect(GOD) so how will we be able to say what is right and what is wrong???

ps: here is me bowing to the pope

Far too many theologians misrepresent the Word of God, and therefore pervert it to suit their unscriptural biases. I have heard of theologians who graduated from seminary and still did not know that God says in Isaiah 45:7: "I ... create EVIL." And most who have read it, don't believe it.

Evil has no moral bias. God does not sin when He uses evil for His good purposes. Men sin when they do evil to other men. Evil [Heb. ha' = TO SMASH] is only a "sin" when it is used wrongly. God uses evil for good. The glorious culmination of God's plan will justify His use of evil a trillion times to the power of infinity! Notice how often God uses evil in the Scriptures:

"I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace [good], and create evil: I the Lord do all these things" (Isa. 45:7).


"Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?" (Lam 3:38).

" ... an experience of evil hath God given to the sons of man to humble him thereby" (Ecc. 1:13).

" ... I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives..." (II Sam. 12:11).

"That which is molded will not protest to the molder, 'Why do you make me thus?' Or has not the potter the right over the clay, out of the same kneading to make one vessel, indeed, for honor, yet, one for dishonor?" (Rom. 9:19-25).

" ... I have created the waster to destroy." (Isa. 54:16).

"The LORD hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil." (Prov. 16:4).

" ... I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction." (Jer. 4:6).

" ... Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people ... " (Jer. 6:19).

"And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." " ... And He [God] said, ... go forth, and do so." (I Kg. 22:22).

"He [God] turned their heart to hate his people ... " (Psa. 105:25).

" ... Thus said the Lord; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you ... " (Jer. 18:11).

" ... For God locks up all together in stubbornness, that He should be merciful to all." (Rom. 11:32).

"O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear?" (Isa. 63:17).

" ... so shall the Lord bring upon you all evil things, until He have destroyed you from off this good land ... " (Josh. 23:15).

" ... shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord has not done it?" (Am. 3:6).

"For whom the Lord is loving He is disciplining, Yet He is scourging ever son to whom He is assenting" (Heb. 12:5).

"By His spirit He hath garnished the heavens; His hand hath formed the Crooked serpent" (Job 26:14). "And the great dragon was cast out, the Ancient serpent called Adversary and Satan ... " (Rev. 12:9).

"Yet he who is doing sin is of the Adversary, for from the beginning is the Adversary sinning." (I Jn 3:8).

"What? shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips." (Job 2:10, see 42:7).

"Thus saith the Lord of hosts ... go and smite Amalek ... destroy ... slay both man and woman, infant and suckling ... " (I Sam. 15:2-3).

" ... God will be sending them an operation of deception for them to believe the falsehood ... " (II The. 2:11-12).

Scripture proves that God not only created evil, but that He, Himself, is responsible for it.


Maybe these aren't Sunday School verses, but they are Scripture. These are strong verses. At times it is hard to emotionally deal with the evils of this world. But I thank God that it is HE and not Satan or man who controls evil. It is important to understand that God puts limitations on evil. He doesn't use it indiscriminately. Jeremiah 18:11 says: " ... I frame evil against you ... " This verse alone shows the boundaries and limitations that God Himself puts on evil.

james1--You say that God is responsible for evil, but I notice that you fail to make the point that God's purpose in everything that happens is holy, just, and
good. For example, Joseph said to his brothers about them selling him into bondage that they "meant it for evil, but God meant it for good to save many people alive."

You have a good selection of scriptures. It will be a shame if you fail to learn from them that there is a difference between the motivations of wicked men in their evil deeds and God's holy and just purpose in all those providences. There are many examples in the prophets of God using wicked men to accomplish His purposes of judgement, but He ALWAYS executes judgement on those whose motives are wicked as He is wielding them in the execution of His just judgements. Did you just fail to make that point, or are you attempting to attach to God the same evil intent and motivations of wicked men whom He wielded as instruments?? Please state openly-- what is your point??

It is paramount that we clearly understand one thing in God's creation and use of evil, lest my detractors accuse me of saying that, God is evil. James 1:13 say, "Let no one, undergoing trial be saying that 'From God am I undergoing trial,' for God is not tried by evils, yet He is trying NO ONE." But, God has so constituted man to be (naturally) spiritually weak. "For the disposition [Gk. phronema, results of one's inclinations, of the flesh], is death, yet the disposition of the spirit is life and peace, because the disposition of the flesh is enmity [the bitter feeling that enemies have; HATRED], to God, for it is not subject to the law of God, for neither is it ABLE" (Rom. 8:7). Without God, His Spirit and His Love, this is the disposition of all flesh (mankind, humanity).

The Scriptures say that: "All is of God ... " (II Cor. 5:18), yet we just read that God " ... is trying no one." That is, God Himself, is not trying or testing us to see how well we fare. He already knows the verdict. He already knows, that we don't "fare" well at all. God knows all (I John 3:21). The reason God doesn't, Himself, try anyone is because He doesn't need to try anyone for His benefit-He already knows all. Notice Webster's Dictionary: "trial, 1. the act of hearing a case in a law court to DECIDE WHETHER the claim or charge is true." Surely, no one is so audacious as to think God needs evidence in a trial to determine the truth. God sends the trials, but God does not do the trying-He already knows the outcome-but man doesn't. Man desperately needs trials to prove to himself (not God), that he is a failure and needs a Saviour. The trials are for our benefit, for our learning, not for God's benefit and God's learning - God knows all.

We can accomplish no good of ourselves. What we are to learn is contained in the next passage: "Be not deceived [but of course, most people are deceived], my beloved brethren! ALL GOOD giving and EVERY perfect gratuity is from above, descending from the FATHER of lights ... " (Jas. 1:16). That is the lesson we, not God, are to learn and our trials are a great aid in understanding God's goodness.

Again, consider Joseph and his brothers. Joseph told his brothers:

"Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither ... " (Gen. 45:4).

What? Don't be "grieved," or "angry with yourselves," for committing such atrocious sins, crimes, and evils? This was certainly a severe trial on Joseph and his brothers. God brought it about, not so He could see how they would handle this trial-God already knew that. That's why God, Himself, "tries no one".

"For GOD did SEND ME before you to PRESERVE LIFE" (same verse).

Not so that God would learn something He didn't already know. How silly. It was ALL of God, and the end more than justified the means. Why do men doubt God's ability to bring about good from evil, and to save all mankind in the only way they could ever really appreciate God's love and goodness? Even that greatest of evils, death, will be "Swallowed up by Victory" (I Cor. 15:54). "For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ shall ALL be vivified" (I Cor. 15:22). What was God's purpose in bringing this severe trial on Joseph and his brothers?

"And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to SAVE YOUR LIVES by a great deliverance. So now it was NOT you that sent me hither, BUT GOD: and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt" (Gen. 45:7-8).

Hi Analog,
first of all you are approaching God as if your world view of normal is totally correct and his is wrong.

Regarding Slavery God basically allowed for it to last less than 50 years as far as fellow Hebrews was concerned at least.

Secondly a woman allowed to go out on her own would have been easy pray to unscrupulous men.

You also ignore the fact that it was normal for a father to arrange the marriage of his sons and daughters. In fact he would have been regarded as irresponsible for not doing it.
Shalom,
Mikhail