Why is God omnibenevolent?

[paul1149]

I respect the question, because if you look at this world you see a strong duality of good and evil. The good is really good, and the evil is very evil. While the good is easy to accept, the existence of evil has to be accounted for. Most of the great religions try to do just that.

I have found the Bible's explanation the best. According to Romans 5, sin entered the world not from God, but through man. God intended His creation to be perfect from the get-go, but it has been ruined.

Once we accept that, we begin to see the Lord for how wonderful He is, and how perfect He is in all His ways, including morality and goodness.

When you get there, it is a simple thing to give yourself wholeheartedly to Him. Even if you don't have all the answers yet, you trust the One who does.

 

[Tolworth John]

Based on the reasons that, people argue, philosophically and logically speaking, God exists, I have yet to find a compelling philosophical argument as to why God is pure good and not evil.

Couldn't it be possible that He created us for sadistic enjoyment, to watch people burn for eternity, and lie about the Love He has towards us? Why should we believe that He is all Love and not pure evil?

The goodness of God is seen in his provision of life for each of us, in his granbting us the ability to choice or reject God and to take the conscquences of that desision.
God's goodness is further seen in that he doesn't use his right to justly terminate all live the moment it is clear that life has rejected God.
ditto in his provission of salvation.

 

[section9+1]

Omnibenevolent? I don't know if that word means much. The bible says God is good. We take him at his word because we have to choose to trust his word is true. And when I apply the teachings of the bible to my life they appear to work. So I believe it. I choose to believe it. We can only play the cards we've been dealt. If you fear God is bad then what can you judge him by? What makes you the interpreter of good or bad? God says he is good. I choose to believe it. I choose to believe it means good toward me. Anything beside that is little more than playing games. Don't live your life hopping down rabbit trails that don't go anywhere.

 

[Cis.jd]

It's nature and it's violence that makes me question the Benevolence. I actually slipped into agnosticism very recently, and I think you can look for some of my threads on it. It is something I still can't understand, but I just made peace with it.

 

[Tree of Life]

Based on the reasons that, people argue, philosophically and logically speaking, God exists, I have yet to find a compelling philosophical argument as to why God is pure good and not evil.

Couldn't it be possible that He created us for sadistic enjoyment, to watch people burn for eternity, and lie about the Love He has towards us? Why should we believe that He is all Love and not pure evil?

You assume that there is a standard of good and evil which is other than God and which God is measured by. I think this is a bad assumption.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Based on the reasons that, people argue, philosophically and logically speaking, God exists, I have yet to find a compelling philosophical argument as to why God is pure good and not evil.

Couldn't it be possible that He created us for sadistic enjoyment, to watch people burn for eternity, and lie about the Love He has towards us? Why should we believe that He is all Love and not pure evil?

Prayers for you.

If God were that diabolical - there would be a lot less love and good in the world, and a lot more suffering and torment.

You describe the mind of a devil. If a devil had designed the world and could make things happen in any way they liked - it could be so so SO much worse.

And where is the Source of any good within us if we were created by such a "god"? We wouldn't have the capacity to generate for ourselves something better and greater than our creator in order to oppose him.

God's actions toward us collectively and in the cases I know well enough individually don't bear that out either.

But it's an excellent lie from the enemy ...

 

[Halbhh]

Based on the reasons that, people argue, philosophically and logically speaking, God exists, I have yet to find a compelling philosophical argument as to why God is pure good and not evil.

Couldn't it be possible that He created us for sadistic enjoyment, to watch people burn for eternity, and lie about the Love He has towards us? Why should we believe that He is all Love and not pure evil?

It's useful to know many understand what's eternal in that lake of fire is the punishment of being irreversibly dead.. Consider first Christ's own wording in Matthew 10:

New International Version
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

English Standard Version
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

He chose the words "destroy" and "kill".

John 3 --

"16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."


We see those not given eternal life will "perish".

(But also note verse 17 -- He can specifically to rescue us from that end!)

Revelation 20:14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death--the lake of fire.

Again, we have to consider perhaps "second death" here means just what it says, precisely!...

In other words, those not given eternal life do not have eternal life, but instead die (eternally, irreversibly). (Humans are not in the conditions of angels, which seem to already have eternal life, but instead we have to be given it in order to obtain it.)

That's one question, but you have more than one I think, right?

 

[Rawtheran]

Based on the reasons that, people argue, philosophically and logically speaking, God exists, I have yet to find a compelling philosophical argument as to why God is pure good and not evil.

Couldn't it be possible that He created us for sadistic enjoyment, to watch people burn for eternity, and lie about the Love He has towards us? Why should we believe that He is all Love and not pure evil?

Read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis because he tackles all of the philosophical and moral dilemmas that you are seeking to find the answers to.

 

[JesusYeshuaisLord]

What's really bugging me is the world we live in, and how Graceless it is. Nobody - and if not nobody, than 99.999% of people - don't even come close to living like Christ, and as such, there's nobody to go to for help or leadership.

Wy do you think you are "trapped spiritually in Sheol"?

 

[TheLostCoin]

Wy do you think you are "trapped spiritually in Sheol"?

Sin dominates me, and whenever I try to stop sinning, I'm left with a hole of emptiness and nothing to do, so I get back to sinning.

As funny as my profile picture is (it's Roman Catholic propaganda of the devil playing Martin Luther like a flute), it's kind of the state of my soul.

 

[JesusYeshuaisLord]

Sin dominates me, and whenever I try to stop sinning, I'm left with a hole of emptiness and nothing to do, so I get back to sinning.

As funny as my profile picture is (it's Roman Catholic propaganda of the devil playing Martin Luther like a flute), it's kind of the state of my soul.

Thank you for your honesty! I understand what you are going through exactly. I have that one sin that keeps on lingering, to which I keep trying to find ways out and ways back to it which in turn scares me to death about the state of my soul! It's like you know what is right, what you should be doing but somehow there are good reasons that your mind finds to get you to cling to it. At times I'm sure that I should stop and at times I'm sure that Jesus put me there for his glory to be revealed. What's hard to decide on is the amount of wickedness and the amount of grace that is in me and my situation. But I keep on holding on to God's faithfulness. I am not faithful and pure as I should be but He is faithful and pure. No matter how much his children (in the bible) sinned against him, He always forgave them and saved them for all eternity. The hardest for me is knowing if I'm Jacob or Esau in the story of my life...What i know for sure is that I need to trust in the one who makes the covenant promise! I have to trust in the one that pursues me! My thoughts and my prayers will be with you. May God have mercy on our souls! May we be sure that we are saved!

 

[ItIsFinished!]

Sin dominates me, and whenever I try to stop sinning, I'm left with a hole of emptiness and nothing to do, so I get back to sinning.

As funny as my profile picture is (it's Roman Catholic propaganda of the devil playing Martin Luther like a flute), it's kind of the state of my soul.

Friend sin blinds you. If you are in a state of continual sin then you're perception of God will be confusing and cloudy.
We live in a God forsaken world due to sin.
That being said, God left glory to be mocked, beaten, tortured, spit upon and ultimately nailed to a cross to make atonement for our sins.
That is PURE love friend.
But , I have great news for you besides Jesus Christ making atonement for the sins of the world, God one day (hopefully sooner then later) will eradicate sin FOREVER!!!
God is not the author of confusion nor does He or has He ever lied.
Satan, the Beast (Anti-Christ), the false prophet and all who reject God will be placed in The Lake of Fire forever.
There will be a New Heaven, a new earth, and a New Jerusalem.
One day there will be NO MORE PAIN AND TEARS!!!
Rejoice my friend. You have God's Word.
You have hope.
Don't allow sin to rob you of you're liberty in Christ Jesus.
If you are a child of God the victory is yours .
Claim it and make it yours.
Be a vessel of honour to God.

Peace in our Saviours name Jesus the Christ.
Amen!!!
⚘

 

[SavedByGrace3]

People flounder in their faith because they have been told by theology that "God is in control of everything." Therefore they conclude that if bad and evil things occur, then God did it.
God is most certainly not in control of everything. He is sovereign and can do what He chooses but He can also NOT do anything. The reality is that when God created the universe, He imparted a portion of His sovereignty into each and every created thing. Rocks have the right to exist, to have mass, and to interact with all other created things. Creation is not an extension of God's power and being. God is independent of His creation. Things occur in creation according to the established "course of nature." Can He intervene into the course of nature? Of course! Does He always intervene? Obviously not... hence death, destruction, disease, accidents, floods, etc etc. The "default setting" of creation is that anything can happen. Events do not require the immediate permission of God, they already have standing permission. Satan does not need permission from God to do what he does. He, as a sovereign being in this creation, has standing permission to do whatever he wants. He is said to be a roaring lion. Lions do not query God if they can devour a gazelle. He has standing permission to devour any gazelle he is able to catch.
This is why you must be sober and diligent and pray... else you may find yourself devoured.
Thoughts from "The 'God is in Control of Everything' Myth"

 

[Tropical Wilds]

Based on the reasons that, people argue, philosophically and logically speaking, God exists, I have yet to find a compelling philosophical argument as to why God is pure good and not evil.

Couldn't it be possible that He created us for sadistic enjoyment, to watch people burn for eternity, and lie about the Love He has towards us? Why should we believe that He is all Love and not pure evil?

“Good” and “evil” are man-created concepts to help us calibrate our moral compass and to understand/cope with the world around us. God exists beyond that concept, apart from “good” and “evil.” It’s like trying to classify the weather as “good” and “evil.” It is neither good or evil, it just is. You may feel that 30 sunny summer days are good as you dash off to the beach, but the farmer at the end of your road may feel it is not as he watches his crop and only source of income dry out and die. The difference comes in perception, not the weather.

God is God. Our perception is what gives the labels and files things good or bad. That’s not a symptom of God’s changing nature, that’s a symptom of our constantly changing reality and perceptions. God is constant and unchanging, we are the variable. God doesn’t change, how we understand God does.

 

[Oldmantook]

I am not faithful and pure as I should be but He is faithful and pure. No matter how much his children (in the bible) sinned against him, He always forgave them and saved them for all eternity.

Just wondering where in the Bible that it teaches God always forgave and saved his children no matter how much they sinned against him.

 

[gordonhooker]

Just wondering where in the Bible that it teaches God always forgave and saved his children no matter how much they sinned against him.

I am assuming you are referring to repenting sinners... because I get that JesusYeshuaisLord meant that...

Here is a few I found and there are lots more in the Bible as well:

Gods Forgiveness

1 John 1:9 ESV
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Ephesians 1:7 ESV
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Matthew 6:14-15 ESV
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Isaiah 1:18 ESV
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Ephesians 4:32 ESV
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Colossians 3:13 ESV
Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Matthew 18:21-22 ESV
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

Mark 11:25 ESV
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Luke 6:37 ESV
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

Romans 3:23 ESV
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

John 3:16 ESV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Luke 17:3-4 ESV
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Acts 2:38 ESV
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Daniel 9:9 ESV
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him

Acts 3:19 ESV
Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,

 

[RDKirk]

You assume that there is a standard of good and evil which is other than God and which God is measured by. I think this is a bad assumption.

That's a trap that a lot of Christians fall into as well as unbelievers. I commonly see in these and other forums Christians actually argue for the premise that there is a moral standard above God that God adheres to.

 

[JesusYeshuaisLord]

Just wondering where in the Bible that it teaches God always forgave and saved his children no matter how much they sinned against him.

I can't help but feel that this question is just nit-picking at my words. I am trying to convey the idea that God is merciful and that he will do whatever he has to to save his children, I am not saying keep on wilfully sinning and go around telling the whole world 'haha I can do this and that because God will forgive me again and again' and call yourself a christian. Can anyone empathy with a brother and give him encouragement?

How many times do you sin and do evil things in a day? Considering that we sin in actions and thoughts. This is probably unmeasurable. How many of those times do you think God forgives you? For one of these things or all of these things? Now apply that to the lives of all the 'righteous' men of God in the Bible. Were they ever capable of doing anything to be saved or did God's sacrifice saved them? I am trying to convey the length to which God is going to go to save his children. Jesus died for filthy unbelieving sinners who by just being born/alive sin again and again everyday of their lives until God restores the whole of creation at Jesus' second coming.

 

[JesusYeshuaisLord]

I am assuming you are referring to repenting sinners... because I get that JesusYeshuaisLord meant that...

Here is a few I found and there are lots more in the Bible as well:

Gods Forgiveness

1 John 1:9 ESV
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Ephesians 1:7 ESV
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Matthew 6:14-15 ESV
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Isaiah 1:18 ESV
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Ephesians 4:32 ESV
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Colossians 3:13 ESV
Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Matthew 18:21-22 ESV
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

Mark 11:25 ESV
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Luke 6:37 ESV
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

Romans 3:23 ESV
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

John 3:16 ESV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Luke 17:3-4 ESV
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Acts 2:38 ESV
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Daniel 9:9 ESV
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him

Acts 3:19 ESV
Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,

Thank you! Yes this is what I meant: repenting sinners, chosen, called, justified believers in Jesus Christ being sanctified from one degree of glory to another.

 

[Not David]

I will be praying for you but remember that we rely on God's mercy primarily. I definitely recommend you to talk with a pastor or someone about that sin that is controlling your life. Remember that some people also feel empty without their drugs but that doesn't mean it is good for them.