At 11:22 PM 9/25/00 -0400, William J Marengo, Jr. wrote:
>Here's a thought:
>God allows us to endure trials and tribulations. Is God evil for this,
>or is it a tool for
>Him to teach us?
This is an interesting theological question, and phrased in such a way that the
correct answer is "neither."
God is not evil, of course. God is good. God loves us.
God doesn't initiate evil to teach His people. God doesn't tempt people. You can't
prove that He does from the Scriptures. Nowhere does it say that. It does say that God
doesn't tempt anyone (James 1:13). God is really good at turning evil circumstances
around for good, though. (Romans 8:28) Evil comes from satan and his minions or from
people's own evil desires, and God sent Jesus Christ into the world to destroy the
works of the devil. (1 John 3:8) God may pronounce judgement on unrepentant people for
their sins, but He is quick to forgive and heal His people. (Psalm 103, Psalm 91, 1
John 1:9)
What I learned in preschool has survived intensive study of the Scriptures and years
of prayer only to be affirmed time and time again: God is good.
Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh and blood. He showed us plainly how to live
by example. He never sinned. Never. He healed people. He preached the Good News of the
Kingdom of God. He cast out demons. He met people's needs. He raised the dead. He
still does all of that through His body in this world: the Church. Jesus Christ did
some surprising things without sin: forgiving and talking with prostitutes, rebuking
religious people for their hypocrisy, driving noisy and distracting merchants from a
house of prayer, and allowing Himself to be crucified rather than to renounce His love
for us and for His Father. In none of these cases did Jesus ever say, "don't do what
I'm doing." Never did He go into uncontrolled rage (zeal, yes; rage, no). Never did He
verbally abuse or belittle anyone without just cause. Jesus taught by preaching, by
parable, by example, by demonstration of love in practical ways, and by personal
sacrifice to benefit those He ministered to.
I'm human. I could miss the mark. If you sincerely believe that I have done so by
warning some of my brothers in Christ about NTC and campaigning for improvement on
Biblical grounds, then by all means pray for me. If you can make a coherent Scriptural
argument for your case (where all others have failed), go for it. If not, then maybe
it would be worth just possibly considering that there may be some truth to what I
say. Ask the Lord to show you. Don't take my word as final: take His Word as final.
>May Jesus richly bless you with His Glory,
Thank you. May God bless you with even more wisdom.
___
Michael Paul Johnson aka Soaring Golden Eagle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
http://eBible.org/mpj Rocky Mountain Outpost 207 New Creation Church
Jesus Christ is Lord! If Jesus came back today, would you be READY?
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