Is God Good?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
17,186
3,703
113
Paul was not forced?
16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
 

John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
17,186
3,703
113
You experience God's plan for your life and it results in positive changes for a few. And destruction for most.
What’s are we going to be judged for?
 
Nov 26, 2012
3,095
1,050
113
I don't read long posts for obvious reasons. Put it in a few words and I'll answer back.
I don’t care if you answer back. Read it if you want understanding. If you understood how much I had to read, study, pray and meditate to formulate that information you would be thankful it was condensed so neatly.
 
K

kaylagrl

Guest
But why pray for God not to lead you to Satan to be tempted unless he does so? How about Job?

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

Lead us not, it does not say, tempt us not. God DOES NOT tempt! It's saying keep us from falling into temptation, from giving in to our human desire to sin.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
37,989
13,627
113
Jesus's whole life, every action was a parable doing the will of the father using the things seen to give us the eternal vision .

Without parables in that way Jesus the prophet, apostle spoke not hiding the gospel meaning from those who has no desire to search it out. They would as it seem rather glory in the things seen (corruption)

He told them in many ways even hiding making himself invisible to walk through a crowd that did desire to glory in his corrupted flesh and blood. Which he said profits for nothing.

I would think each of the verses you offered would have to be looked at in context of faith, the unseen understanding .

I repeated God is not a man in any way shape of form .He is invisible without beginning of spirit life or end.. It is why he is called God and not man .

Jesus refused to be worshipped the temporal by that in which the eyes see. Again he is not a man and neither could he be. God has no beginning.

Any of the work that the Son of man performed is not attributed to His flesh .The father worked in the Son to both will and do His good pleasure. The work is always two fold they never worked apart from the will of the father.

When Jesus would rebuke it was accredited to the father or bless. Again the power is never attributed to what they eyes see it must be mixed with faith the unseen eternal .. We walk by the unseen faith Just as did the Son of man.

The Lord not seen as father worked in the apostle Jesus giving him words to say .The power of the words no more came from the Son of man Jesus than that power that works in us, same power same kind of corrupted flesh that the power is not attributed to.

Blasphemy occurs if we were to have the Son of man stand in the holy place (faith) of our father in heavens who has not form

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Not of the Son of man . God is not a man.

He did not accept worship as a creature seen .

The "I Am" made the Father visible . He and the father are one God always was

We learn from the father not seen by watching the work of the two unfold.

When accused of being Good Master that phrase was exclusively reserved for the unseen father.

Jesu rather than saying thank you well done to the eulogizers of the flesh that kneeled down as if God was a man.
The Son of man refused to stand in the Holy Place of faith .(the abomination of desolation).

Only God is good. Nothing about man being good. God is not a man.

No man can serve two Good teaching Masters . The temporal what the eyes see and the eternal the work of the Spirit that indwells the believe reveals .

Call no man on earth father, the Master Teacher and Lord.
Garee again, two things, the same two things:

Jesus absolutely did receive worship and never rebuked anyone for it. In fact when Thomas called Him God, Jesus commended Thomas for believing.

The flesh and blood body of Christ was never in any way shape or form corrupted at all. He is spotless and without sin or blemish. He didn't even rot while He lay dead in the tomb.
 

CharliRenee

Member
Staff member
Nov 4, 2014
6,693
7,177
113
My God is Just.

Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God , ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’
Ezekiel 33:11 NASB

God knows the big picture. He knows what he is doing. To accuse Him of taking the breath from a being, with some sort of human motive, when every breath taken already belongs to Him in the first place, causes me feel VERY UNEASY. How dare any of us!!!

Lord, please forgive our foolish and arrogant ways that diminish Your Almighty Power and Goodness! We bow before Your all-knowing Authority.

Our ways and thoughts are not His. We see time and time again how He is able to do exactly as He pleases, any time He pleases. He can use evil any way He wants to, but He is NOT a monster with a corrupt mind, hoping to bring destruction, pain and heartache.

Again, He knows the big picture... He knows what He is doing!!

He is clear about His character, all throughout His word. He shows with great description just how vile darkness is and He will do whatever He chooses to free us from that reign of terror. Though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil. I will fear His ability to deal with it, however, for the well-being of my loves, as well as for my own.

Did He create the potential for evil?

Well, we see what happened with Satan and His minions. To me, having the ability to choose right from wrong points yet again to His unequivocal Goodness!!! He gives us a choice. He and His works are kind and loving. He even set a plan in motion to deliver us from the evil choice, for thine is the Power, the Glory, and the Kingdom... forever.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
37,989
13,627
113
No there is no problem. God created a perfect world and gave man f reewill. He chose to rebel and the world and everything in it suffered because of his choice. Therefore evil, sickness, calamity, choice. But one day Christ will come back and vanquish those who have rebelled against Him. Evil exists for a time. Not because God isn't powerful, not because He's not good. If He wasn't good He'd have killed man in the garden, buried him under the tree of life and be done with it.

Yes

And from the point of view of the eternal, outside of time, evil has already been destroyed.

The 'problem' is how can goodness exist when every man is evil - and that isn't a problem at all, because every good gift comes from God, because God is good.
 
Mar 28, 2016
15,954
1,528
113
Not according to scripture. What moron would resist God as Pharaoh did without a supernatural hardening by God?


He as a fool did not have to resist something he did not believe in . Stone cold dead in tresspapases and sin. No way to seek after him a so that he could believe. The Holy Spirit simply did not offer any mercy that could bless his heart and then believe in a God not seen . He died a fool.

Mankind is born with "no faith". Not a little none.

We as new creatures have little faith (not of us) , he can make it grow when he makes ours hearts soft. We then in turn can ask for a increase so that we might decrease . Just as Jesus the Son of man in his earthen body of death , with the father.

His unseen glory returned to the father as the glory of one God .Previously having it in his earthen body of death

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
61,191
30,325
113
But he leads people into positions where their lust overcomes them.
You have it backwards :rolleyes:

No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Dave, if you are blaming God for your sins, I don't think it is possible for you to have repented of them.
 
Mar 28, 2016
15,954
1,528
113
OT Law depended on free will. You turn the gospel into law and grace into works preaching free will to the Church.

The old testament the law of God is same law as the new. The letter of the law what we see with our eyes "death" kills.

The wrath of God being revealed from heaven to the whole world.

The unseen law of faith makes the partial law (letter) complete or perfect in either testament. The old testament born again saints had the faith of Christ working in them to both will and perform the good pleasure of their father in heaven just as us today . It is all one testimony of the mind of God. if either part is missing it is made to no effect.

In that way we are not to call separate what God calls as one or one that he calls separate . Then the father of lies cannot get his foothold into the door. It as it is written cast it out.
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
61,191
30,325
113
Has anyone said "All the time"?

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.


Romans 8:28 :)
 
Mar 28, 2016
15,954
1,528
113
You have it backwards :rolleyes:

No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Dave, if you are blaming God for your sins, I don't think it is possible for you to have repented of them.

I would agree. God creates a evil as a form of discipline .He would lift his hand of mercy and let the natural course run its course. (flesh verses flesh). And bring another nation against them to show he is not served by human hands .

But not the cause of evil. Evil comes when God's word is made to no effect . . .earthly inspired of the devil . We get carried away by our own personal lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, they provide false pride.

To attribute that evil to God not seen is blasphemy

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

James 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
61,191
30,325
113
The problem is; why would God not stop evil if he is good? Or why would he not stop it if he is all-powerful? How can God be both all-powerful and good if evil exists?
God has curtailed evil but not stopped it altogether, and this is a question that many ask, especially non-believers, who claim that the existence of evil is proof that the omnipotent, omnibenevolent God of the Bible cannot exist. Dave, please excuse the length of the following:

Scripture shows that God did not create evil and does not promote it; rather, it describes God’s actions in combating it. God limits the impact of evil, warns us of the dangers of evil, acts to stop the spread of evil, gives us an escape from evil, and will eventually defeat evil forever.

God understands and acknowledges man's experience of evil. God’s willingness to grant us the freedom of making our own choices also allows for the possibility of moral evil. Moral evil leads to physical evil. Even so, God has always acted to soften the blows that evil and suffering land on humanity. He also provided the one and only means to make all wrongs right. One day, God’s plan to defeat and destroy evil will be fully complete.

Many of the Bible’s 66 individual books openly express what we would now term the “problem of evil.” In some cases, these expressions are all but a direct accusation against God, in response to the suffering the writers had seen or experienced.

The Bible makes it clear that evil is something God neither intended nor created. Rather, moral evil is a necessary possibility. If we are truly free, then we are free to choose something other than God’s will—that is, we can choose moral evil. Scripture points out that there are consequences for defying the will of God—personal, communal, physical, and spiritual.

Taken as a whole, as it is intended, the Bible describes evil as something God allowed, but never condoned, for the sake of our free will (or self will in opposition o God's will). All through history, God has taken steps to limit the influence of evil. And, most importantly, God Himself took the consequences of our sin, so every person can have access to forgiveness and salvation. As a result, all sin, evil, and suffering will someday be completely ended. Beyond the philosophical or theological aspects of this issue, Scripture in and of itself goes a long way to neutralizing the power of the “problem of evil.” source
 
Jan 17, 2020
4,792
736
113
God has curtailed evil but not stopped it altogether, and this is a question that many ask, especially non-believers, who claim that the existence of evil is proof that the omnipotent, omnibenevolent God of the Bible cannot exist. Dave, please excuse the length of the following:

Scripture shows that God did not create evil and does not promote it; rather, it describes God’s actions in combating it. God limits the impact of evil, warns us of the dangers of evil, acts to stop the spread of evil, gives us an escape from evil, and will eventually defeat evil forever.

God understands and acknowledges man's experience of evil. God’s willingness to grant us the freedom of making our own choices also allows for the possibility of moral evil. Moral evil leads to physical evil. Even so, God has always acted to soften the blows that evil and suffering land on humanity. He also provided the one and only means to make all wrongs right. One day, God’s plan to defeat and destroy evil will be fully complete.

Many of the Bible’s 66 individual books openly express what we would now term the “problem of evil.” In some cases, these expressions are all but a direct accusation against God, in response to the suffering the writers had seen or experienced.

The Bible makes it clear that evil is something God neither intended nor created. Rather, moral evil is a necessary possibility. If we are truly free, then we are free to choose something other than God’s will—that is, we can choose moral evil. Scripture points out that there are consequences for defying the will of God—personal, communal, physical, and spiritual.

Taken as a whole, as it is intended, the Bible describes evil as something God allowed, but never condoned, for the sake of our free will (or self will in opposition o God's will). All through history, God has taken steps to limit the influence of evil. And, most importantly, God Himself took the consequences of our sin, so every person can have access to forgiveness and salvation. As a result, all sin, evil, and suffering will someday be completely ended. Beyond the philosophical or theological aspects of this issue, Scripture in and of itself goes a long way to neutralizing the power of the “problem of evil.” source
I don't read long replies. If you cut it short and make your point I'll take a look at it.
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
61,191
30,325
113
I don't read long replies. If you cut it short and make your point I'll take a look at it.
Scripture shows that God did not create evil and does not promote it; rather, it describes God’s actions in combating it. God limits the impact of evil, warns us of the dangers of evil, acts to stop the spread of evil, gives us an escape from evil, and will eventually defeat evil forever.

Taken as a whole, as it is intended, the Bible describes evil as something God allowed, but never condoned, for the sake of our free will (or self will in opposition to God's will). All through history, God has taken steps to limit the influence of evil. And, most importantly, God Himself took the consequences of our sin, so every person can have access to forgiveness and salvation. As a result, all sin, evil, and suffering will someday be completely ended. Beyond the philosophical or theological aspects of this issue, Scripture in and of itself goes a long way to neutralizing the power of the “problem of evil.” source
 
Jan 17, 2020
4,792
736
113
The old testament the law of God is same law as the new. The letter of the law what we see with our eyes "death" kills.

The wrath of God being revealed from heaven to the whole world.

The unseen law of faith makes the partial law (letter) complete or perfect in either testament. The old testament born again saints had the faith of Christ working in them to both will and perform the good pleasure of their father in heaven just as us today . It is all one testimony of the mind of God. if either part is missing it is made to no effect.

In that way we are not to call separate what God calls as one or one that he calls separate . Then the father of lies cannot get his foothold into the door. It as it is written cast it out.
The Ten Commandments were the Law. The New Covenant abolished them.
 
Jan 17, 2020
4,792
736
113
You have it backwards :rolleyes:

No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Dave, if you are blaming God for your sins, I don't think it is possible for you to have repented of them.
“And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.” 1 Peter 2:8 (KJV 1900)
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
61,191
30,325
113
“And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.” 1 Peter 2:8 (KJV 1900)
They stumble due to their own disobedience.