Author of Everything

[DanielThompson]

Hello Everyone!

This Christian journey has certainly not been easy; especially when I was younger, because I, like most people, had a tendency to question everything.

When I didn’t get the answers I was searching for, I leaned upon my own understanding, which of course only caused more questions, a great deal of anger and misery, and a loss in faith. Eventually as I matured I came to understand that getting the answers to all my questions still wouldn’t save me if I wasn’t living the life that I was supposed to be living.

I developed a relationship with God that a lot of people disagree with, and if you have the time, I would like to read YOUR thoughts:

I believe that God is the author of EVERYTHING. Every single thing on our Earth and in our universe, ONLY exist because of HE created it; all of the good, as well as all of the bad…absolutely nothing can exist without HIM.

This would also suggest that God created sin…which is a major idea that Christians frown upon, consider blasphemy, because we are taught from childhood that our God is only capable of creating good and beautiful things. We are taught that everything wrong and dark and evil in our world is not the work of God, but if everyone else…Adam and Eve, of Satan, of mankind because of our misuse of free will…

However; if God is the author of everything in our universe, then that would made Him the author of the pride and arrogance which caused Lucifer to turn on Him. And sin did not simply manifest for absolutely nothing when Adam partook of the forbidden fruit, some sort of “code” for sin had to be written for it to even exist, or else it couldn’t have.

Human, beings that a a billion-times lesser than our God have the ability to do good and bad simultaneously; so logically, it’s not too far fetched that our very own creature is capable of the same.

I love God…and realize that my feeble human mind can’t come even vaguely close to understanding why He created what He did. So I accept all of the good, as well as all the bad.

 

[Lynx]

God did not create sin any more than the Chevrolet company created bad maintenance. Sin is when we don't follow the instruction manual and do things our own way. Pride is thinking we don't have to bother following the manual.

All the trials, tribulation and suffering in the world... that's what happens when we don't follow the manual. We can't blame God any more than i could blame Chevy for my minivan breaking down because I never bothered getting the oil changed.

 

[Gideon300]

Hello Everyone!

This Christian journey has certainly not been easy; especially when I was younger, because I, like most people, had a tendency to question everything.

When I didn’t get the answers I was searching for, I leaned upon my own understanding, which of course only caused more questions, a great deal of anger and misery, and a loss in faith. Eventually as I matured I came to understand that getting the answers to all my questions still wouldn’t save me if I wasn’t living the life that I was supposed to be living.

I developed a relationship with God that a lot of people disagree with, and if you have the time, I would like to read YOUR thoughts:

I believe that God is the author of EVERYTHING. Every single thing on our Earth and in our universe, ONLY exist because of HE created it; all of the good, as well as all of the bad…absolutely nothing can exist without HIM.

This would also suggest that God created sin…which is a major idea that Christians frown upon, consider blasphemy, because we are taught from childhood that our God is only capable of creating good and beautiful things. We are taught that everything wrong and dark and evil in our world is not the work of God, but if everyone else…Adam and Eve, of Satan, of mankind because of our misuse of free will…

However; if God is the author of everything in our universe, then that would made Him the author of the pride and arrogance which caused Lucifer to turn on Him. And sin did not simply manifest for absolutely nothing when Adam partook of the forbidden fruit, some sort of “code” for sin had to be written for it to even exist, or else it couldn’t have.

Human, beings that a a billion-times lesser than our God have the ability to do good and bad simultaneously; so logically, it’s not too far fetched that our very own creature is capable of the same.

I love God…and realize that my feeble human mind can’t come even vaguely close to understanding why He created what He did. So I accept all of the good, as well as all the bad.

You need to get to know God better. He did not create sin, any more than Ford is responsible for every drunk driver who crashes one of their cars. He created beings with the possibility of sinning. That is entirely different. Ford makes cars in the knowledge that some may be driven unsafely. The only way around this is to outlaw cars entirely.

If you want something that obeys your every command without even the possibility of disobeying, you create a robot. God is a Person and is not interested in robots. He created beings with free will. By definition, those beings have the ability to disobey. God is not the reason that they disobey. If God is not 100% good, then He has no moral right to judge anyone.

 

[Magenta]

This would also suggest that God created sin…which is a major idea that Christians frown upon, consider blasphemy, because we are taught from childhood that our God is only capable of creating good and beautiful things. We are taught that everything wrong and dark and evil in our world is not the work of God, but if everyone else…Adam and Eve, of Satan, of mankind because of our misuse of free will…

However; if God is the author of everything in our universe, then that would made Him the author of the pride and arrogance which caused Lucifer to turn on Him. And sin did not simply manifest for absolutely nothing when Adam partook of the forbidden fruit, some sort of “code” for sin had to be written for it to even exist, or else it couldn’t have.

Evil is not a material thing such as what we understand anything the created universe to be. It is a lack of good.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. At every step of creation, God saw that it was good.

After Eve was made, creation was seen as very good. Sin and death entered the world by the disobedience of one man.

Some misinterpret this verse to mean God created evil:

New International Version
I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.

New Living Translation
I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things.

English Standard Version
I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.

Berean Study Bible
I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things.

King James Bible
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

New King James Version
I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.’

New American Standard Bible
The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating disaster; I am the LORD who does all these things.

NASB 1995
The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.

NASB 1977
The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.

Amplified Bible
The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing peace and creating disaster; I am the LORD who does all these things.

Christian Standard Bible
I form light and create darkness, I make success and create disaster; I am the LORD, who does all these things.

Please notice of those listed, that it is only the KJV that says God created evil. There are others.

However, that verse is not speaking of the evil in the way you mean it.

Some will even say that good cannot exist without evil. That, too, is false.

For God is good and His goodness pre-existed evil.

God does define evil, though.

The problem is that man wants to define things for himself.

The natural man is enmity to God, and naturally hostile toward Him.

Many call the will free, while I prefer the term "self will."

 

[tourist]

God did not create sin any more than the Chevrolet company created bad maintenance. Sin is when we don't follow the instruction manual and do things our own way. Pride is thinking we don't have to bother following the manual.

All the trials, tribulation and suffering in the world... that's what happens when we don't follow the manual. We can't blame God any more than i could blame Chevy for my minivan breaking down because I never bothered getting the oil changed.

My Nissan Rogue is due for maintenance.

 

[DanielThompson]

Thank you so much Lynx! Your words are very rational and full of wisdom.

I absolutely love your rationale; and myself have tried to view it that way…that sin or any other negativity it this world is a consequence of OUR actions or inaction!

Let’s say that God created Adam, with a tremendous discomfort at the sight of the color purple. Then told Adam, “If you eat the fruit of this particular tree, there’s a chemical reaction that will turn your skin purple…so if you don’t want to be purple…don’t eat from this tree.”

Of course, one day Adam gets curious, and eats of the tree anyway. Free will right.

God comes down and sees Adam’s purple skin, shakes his head and says “See Adam, this is the consequence of you not following my instructions. The effects of the fruit will wear off in a week’s time. Until then; I hope you’ve learned your lesson”.

A week goes by with Adam being miserable, his skin returns to normal, and he never eats from the tree again.

In this example, God designed Adam to have a particular allergic reaction to the juices of that forbidden fruit, so when Adam disobeyed, the consequence was one which God MEANT to happen. Adam’s skin did not turn purple as some random result of his actions…it was designed.

Sin, is not a random consequence for disobeying The Lord that just popped up out of nowhere…it was designed. It has a purpose. And if God did not want it sin to be a consequence…it wouldn’t be.

To say that sin is a result of some random consequence of disobedience that came from nowhere, is to say that is something out of God’s hands.

But NOTHING God is out of God’s hands…He is very much in control.

 

[DanielThompson]

Thank you Gideon3000!

 

[DanielThompson]

Wow! A lot of great information! I appreciate your time and insight Magenta!

 

[DanielThompson]

Lol!!! Mine too!!

 

[DanielThompson]

Christian Standard Bible
I form light and create darkness, I make success and create disaster; I am the LORD, who does all these things.

This example from Magenta up above is pretty much what I am trying to say. I am in NO WAY saying that God is evil, but that…at least on this plane of existence…there has to be a balance.

 

[Lynx]

Sin, is not a random consequence for disobeying The Lord that just popped up out of nowhere…it was designed. It has a purpose. And if God did not want it sin to be a consequence…it wouldn’t be.

To say that sin is a result of some random consequence of disobedience that came from nowhere, is to say that is something out of God’s hands.

If you say sin is designed by God, you must also say a mother called a van driver and asked him to run over her child because the kid disobeyed her and played in the road.

They are in consequence the same. The evils that sin brings are not designed by God. They are the natural results of sin. That is why we are told to avoid those sins, so we can avoid the consequences that hurt us - just like the mother tells her kid to stay out of the road because she doesn't want the child run over by a van.

That's why God designated this, this and that as sin. God does not want us causing harm to ourselves and those around us.

What happens if we do those things God said were sins? We find out why He told us to avoid them.

 

[Deuteronomy]

Christian Standard Bible
I form light and create darkness, I make success and create disaster; I am the LORD, who does all these things.
This example from Magenta up above is pretty much what I am trying to say. I am in NO WAY saying that God is evil, but that…at least on this plane of existence…there has to be a balance.

Hello Daniel, first off, since I see that you are a new member, welcome to CChat

As for what you just posted, you said that, "there has to be a balance". A balance between what exactly (perhaps light/dark or good/evil ).

Thanks!

God bless you!!

~Deut

 

[DanielThompson]

Lynx, I greatly appreciate you.

I know that it can be difficult to have patience with someone who views the world differently; and the main reason why I’m here is to make sure that I get on GOD’s program. That I am in line with his way of thinking, and not my own.

Like a lot of people, I didn’t have a great upbringing, despite it being in a “Christian” environment. I was taught that God was all loving and all powerful, but didn’t see all of the pain that I and others go through as “love”, and if God were all-powerful, why would he allow pain at all?

Of course, as I grew older, I came to understand that much of this pain is to teach us lessons. And that is where the “epiphany” that light and darkness (sin) were meant to work in unison to help mold us. The light and the dark are a balance.

And since our God is a God of balance…it just seemed to make sense.

 

[DanielThompson]

Hello Daniel, first off, since I see that you are a new member, welcome to CChat

As for what you just posted, you said that, "there has to be a balance". A balance between what exactly (perhaps light/dark or good/evil ).

Thanks!

God bless you!!

~Deut

Exactly Mr. Deut! Is there not supposed to be balance?

LOVE the name, by the way!

 

[Deuteronomy]

Hello again @DanielThompson, several of our eastern religions (Taoism/Buddhism/etc.) teach that there is a Yin/Yang, a necessary balance between light/dark, positive/negative, good/evil, in this world, and then there's Star Wars and the "balance" between the two sides of the force, of course (actually, Star Wars philosophy is based on Buddhism), but where does the Bible/Christianity teach the necessity of a Yin/Yang balance, or that such thing (a "balance" between good/evil) even exists

Do you, for instance, believe that Satan is the "Yin" to Yahweh's "Yang" (and if so, where do we see that in the Bible)

Thanks!

~Deut

 

[rayzor]

Hello again @DanielThompson, several of our eastern religions (Taoism/Buddhism/etc.) teach that there is a Yin/Yang, a necessary balance between light/dark, positive/negative, good/evil, in this world, and then there's Star Wars and the "balance" between the two sides of the force, of course (actually, Star Wars philosophy is based on Buddhism), but where does the Bible/Christianity teach the necessity of a Yin/Yang balance, or that such thing (a "balance" between good/evil) even exists

Do you, for instance, believe that Satan is the "Yin" to Yahweh's "Yang" (and if so, where do we see that in the Bible)

Thanks!

~Deut

They have the seed that is grace in the dark.And the seed of darkness in the light part.And it is said if one waters the seed of darkness it will grow stronger thus killing the grace.If one waters the seed of grace it will destroy their darkness.

 

[DanielThompson]

Mr. Duet,

From what I have read, the Yin/Yang dynamic is not present in the Bible. There is no point where God or Jesus say that they “need” Satan to obtain balance.

However, being a fairly logical guy, I understand that if someone is given good things, and sees only good things all of their life; the less that they appreciate those good things. Like spoiled rich kids. If every day is a good day….then do you REALLY understand what a good day is?

No.

And unfortunate truth is that there are a lot of people who NEVER pray, until something bad happens to them. There are a lot of people who don’t appreciate the good things they have…until those things are taken away.

And on the flip-side, there are people who’ve never had much, who appreciate the few moments when they ARE given something good, because they know what it’s like to have it bad.

Jesus looks like a superhero because He SAVES us from Satan, He SAVES us from sin, from ourselves. He brings us to light out of darkness…and those of us who have been is some REALLY DARK places can appreciate that more than those who haven’t been there.

So, while the Bible may not say that a balance between light and dark is necessary…life has taught me that such a dynamic can be useful.

 

[Lynx]

Of course, as I grew older, I came to understand that much of this pain is to teach us lessons. And that is where the “epiphany” that light and darkness (sin) were meant to work in unison to help mold us. The light and the dark are a balance.

And since our God is a God of balance…it just seemed to make sense.

There is no such thing as a God of balance, at least not in Christianity. You have to look to other religions and philosophies for that.

The reason other religions and philosophies need a concept of balance between light and dark is because they try to rationalize evil and fit it into their world views as something that should be. They observe it is in the world, but they also observe the world is still functioning in spite of the destructive influence of evil, so they try to figure out a way to understand why this could be so.

Christianity does not need any such rationalization. Trying to rationalize evil as "balance" is like trying to rationalize a bent bicycle wheel and make yourself believe it was meant to be bent.

 

[DanielThompson]

I will most definitely research this subject more. Thank you.

As I’ve mentioned, one of the reasons why I am here is to better align myself with the truth, and for a long time the idea of a balance has been a big part of my beliefs.

This belief has been in ALL aspects of life, not just in matters of goodness and sin. Its like how God allowed the night to balance the day, or how He created women to be a balance to men. So, for all intensive purposes, it does at least APPEAR that God likes balance. But if that way of thinking is wrong, I am definitely willing to look into the more reasonable explanation for the way the world is.

And…I guess…if looking at it…there certainly seems to be way more darkness in this world than light. So in that aspect, I guess there really is no balance.

I will look more into it.

I guess I am also wrong in thinking that God has power over everything…which is kind of an upsetting thought. Because to suggest that God has power over ONLY “good” things, and that everyone else, except Him, is responsible for the rest, or that the characteristics of sin just…appeared out of nowhere…is to suggest that there are things that God doesn’t have power over. That some things just…happen…without His authority.

I just thought that there was absolutely nothing in this world that could happen without the authority of God.

I’m going to do a lot of digging. But at the same time…ONLY (and only) if you have the time, I would greatly appreciate if you allowing me to dig deeper into your mind as well.

And again, I’m grateful that you are taking the time to discuss this issue with me; this needs to happen for me to correct any erroneous ideology I possess.

 

[Lynx]

I will most definitely research this subject more. Thank you.

As I’ve mentioned, one of the reasons why I am here is to better align myself with the truth, and for a long time the idea of a balance has been a big part of my beliefs.

This belief has been in ALL aspects of life, not just in matters of goodness and sin. Its like how God allowed the night to balance the day, or how He created women to be a balance to men. So, for all intensive purposes, it does at least APPEAR that God likes balance. But if that way of thinking is wrong, I am definitely willing to look into the more reasonable explanation for the way the world is.

And…I guess…if looking at it…there certainly seems to be way more darkness in this world than light. So in that aspect, I guess there really is no balance.

I will look more into it.

I guess I am also wrong in thinking that God has power over everything…which is kind of an upsetting thought. Because to suggest that God has power over ONLY “good” things, and that everyone else, except Him, is responsible for the rest, or that the characteristics of sin just…appeared out of nowhere…is to suggest that there are things that God doesn’t have power over. That some things just…happen…without His authority.

I just thought that there was absolutely nothing in this world that could happen without the authority of God.

I’m going to do a lot of digging. But at the same time…ONLY (and only) if you have the time, I would greatly appreciate if you allowing me to dig deeper into your mind as well.

And again, I’m grateful that you are taking the time to discuss this issue with me; this needs to happen for me to correct any erroneous ideology I possess.

Women are a complement to men, not a balance. Women have some skills, men have other skills, and together they work pretty well. That's cooperation, not balance.

There sure is a lot of darkness, you are right. This is because God allows us to make mistakes so we will see what happens and experience for ourselves the reason why he said not to do things that way. All the good parents I have known have allowed their children to make a few mistakes. It sure is effective, a lot more than micromanaging children and ruling with an iron fist.

I remember when I was a kid, we had a couple of goats and an electric fence to keep them in place. One day I started toward that fence. Mom warned me not to touch it, but I tried to sneak over to it anyway. Finally she just let me touch it and learn the hard way. It was very effective...

Think of this life as a tutorial level in a video game. God gives us instructions, even tells us why he wants us to do things this way and explains what happens if we don't, but he lets us choose for ourselves and make the mistakes if we really want to. When we get to heaven we will already know from experience that God really does know what he is talking about and has reasons for all these things he tells us to do and not do.