Question I ask myself

nelkaa said:

Good evening,

I am a baby Christian and since my family is Atheist and I do not feel comfortable discussing this with my friends, I struggle to answer my most burning question.
In my heart I feel this religion is right, I know it. I got my first Bible a few years ago and I am in my early 20's. But there is this burning question I have. And because of it my faith is not that strong.

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Welcome to the discussion area of the board -- and welcome to Christianity -
May you be blessed.

nelkaa said:

So the question is:
I had this thought. God is mercy, God is powerful and God is all-knowing, right? And we all agree on the fact that there is evil on this Earth. God is all-knowing, He must know that, we know that. God created Earth, He is powerful. So He can make the evil go away, He has all the power. But there is evil still, so He did not make it go away.

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As you say -- it is true.

1. God is all powerful and knows everything.
2. God is Love and mercy

So then "He KNEW" that if He allowed Lucifer to sin, and 1/3 of the Angels in heaven to fall, and Adam and Eve to fall, and then to live on and have children ---- THEN HE -- would have to suffer and die on the cross for the sins of every human in all of time - to offer mankind the gospel of salvation.

1 John 2:2 "He is the atoning sacrifice for OUR sins and not for our sins only but for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD"

This tells us
1. God has a LOT of skin in this game.
2. He did not allow Lucifer to fall and Adam to fall -- on a mere whim
3. Sin in this world does not continue because God is not noticing or uncarhing - SINCE He experiences the fact that EVERY sin committed is one He would then pay for on the cross

What you are seeing is the 3rd attribute of God
-- God values FREE WILL --

God guides by providing compelling evidence for right vs wrong - not by the use of arbitrary force. He is not of the sort "cross me and I will kill you" - but Satan is of that very sort.

So then God offers salvation and forgiveness to "whosoever will".

nelkaa said:

That brings me to my third point that God is mercy.
I believe if any of us had the power to make all the hurting and suffering of children, women, animals, any being go away, we would. We would make the people that strayed from the path towards evil pure again, so that they do not hurt anybody.
So why didn't God?

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God has eternity to take into consideration. For all eternity after the lake of fire event in Rev 20 (still in the future for us) - there will be no rebellion -- not one person in all of the universe will ever sin again. How does God insure such an outcome in a universe that is based on Love and free will -- by providing compelling evidence that sin does not work.

Very good topic.

Diamond7 said:

The funny thing is the answer is always the same. IF God did not allow THEN we would be the same as the animals.

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Animals are so much more obedient and trusting God than people are ....... would that people could learn the truth !

Diamond7 said:

The unpardonable sin is to not allow God to save you. To quench or grieve the Holy Spirit.
As the song says: To trust and obey is the only way.
People have a form of Godliness but deny the power there of.

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Is it , isn't it, unpardonable when those with the form of Godliness (church?) lead others into the pit ?

BobRyan said:

by providing compelling evidence that sin does not work.

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FAITH is the evidence for now, for eternity?

No evidence matters when someone sees Jesus. No compelling nor any evidence is needed other than faith, right?

Diamond7 said:

Is it evil in the animals? They say the animals are a reflection of us and they long for redemption.
Romans 8:19
For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

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On some level you would be right about the animals. We don't really know if animals actually long for redemption.

There is the scripture that states that the lions, wolves, etc dangerous carnivores will one day not be dangerous, a child will play around them like they do domestic dogs and not be harmed.

That goes for plants too. Poisonous plants will one day no longer be poisonous.

All creation would also include the weather such as damaging winds, tornadoes and hurricanes, tsunamis, lightening, hail, and the volcano activity, earthquake activity, dirt slides, mud slides, snow slides.. all things that are potentially dangerous or deadly to people will one day no longer be of harm to anyone. I don't know if that includes the dangers that people put themselves into by climbing very high mountains and risk their death.

T.i.m.o.t.h.y. said:

I don't know if that includes the dangers that people put themselves into by climbing very high mountains and risk their death.

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To risk death is not a choice for life. My first son lived a high risk lifestyle. He only made it to the age of 40. I think he has the peter pan syndrome where he did not want to grow up and aged as much as he was wanting to.

nelkaa said:

Good evening,

I am a baby Christian and since my family is Atheist and I do not feel comfortable discussing this with my friends, I struggle to answer my most burning question.
In my heart I feel this religion is right, I know it. I got my first Bible a few years ago and I am in my early 20's. But there is this burning question I have. And because of it my faith is not that strong.
I hope I will not offense anybody with it, it is truly a topic that I want to have an answer for and I am too scared to ask in person in fear of bad reaction.

So the question is:
I had this thought. God is mercy, God is powerful and God is all-knowing, right? And we all agree on the fact that there is evil on this Earth. God is all-knowing, He must know that, we know that. God created Earth, He is powerful. So He can make the evil go away, He has all the power. But there is evil still, so He did not make it go away. That brings me to my third point that God is mercy.
I believe if any of us had the power to make all the hurting and suffering of children, women, animals, any being go away, we would. We would make the people that strayed from the path towards evil pure again, so that they do not hurt anybody.
So why didn't God? I know we sinned, but then is it not some sort of holding onto the past? Because we all agree He has the power to make evil go away.
But if He is mercy and would want that for us and yet still evil is here, it means He does not have all the power.
So one of the three has to be false, right?

I am so sorry if I made anybody uncomfortable, I truly seek answer to this. I want to be proved wrong. This is the thing that makes me question everything and I struggle with it a lot. I am too scared to ask anybody. I want this obstacle gone, it has followed me for far too long. I hope in understanding, I am again sorry for speaking such words.

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He can't make evil go away because we keep producing it. He gave us free will. What He did do is give us a way towards righteousness. Through Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Blessings

Diamond7 said:

To risk death is not a choice for life. My first son lived a high risk lifestyle. He only made it to the age of 40. I think he has the peter pan syndrome where he did not want to grow up and aged as much as he was wanting to.

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If you're saying what I think that you're saying, I offer my prayers for your loss.

T.i.m.o.t.h.y. said:

If you're saying what I think that you're saying, I offer my prayers for your loss.

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I tend to rejoice when people are finished with this life and they go onto their reward.

Who remembers where it is written that the Creator is grieved for the loss of life - even the loss of life of a wicked person ?

Aaron112 said:

Who remembers where it is written that the Creator is grieved for the loss of life - even the loss of life of a wicked person ?

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I think the word is long suffering 2 Peter 3 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Maria Billingsley said:

He gave us free will.

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He gives us choice. LOTS and lots of choices. I do not know why people call that free will.

Diamond7 said:

He gives us choice. LOTS and lots of choices. I do not know why people call that free will.

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The very definition of " free will" is the idea that humans have the ability to make their own choices and control their own destinies.

nelkaa said:

I am so sorry if I made anybody uncomfortable, I truly seek answer to this. I want to be proved wrong. This is the thing that makes me question everything and I struggle with it a lot. I am too scared to ask anybody. I want this obstacle gone, it has followed me for far too long. I hope in understanding, I am again sorry for speaking such words.

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A close analogy is that, if you are a mayor of city and know for sure the crime of a criminal, what would you do? You kill him just because you are powerful? Justice is when you can hand over the criminal to a fair trial. The criminal will be removed by Law, that's what justice is.

Similarly, planet earth is for all evil to show up and for God to remove evil once and for all via the process of Law. We call this the Final Judgment. More importantly, you may have assumed wrong, God's goal is not for the building of Earth. He's effort is for the building of an eternity we call Heaven.

God sets up Law to eradicate evil once and for all justly through the process of Judgment, to make sure that a Heaven can be built without the presence of evil.

Diamond7 said:

I tend to rejoice when people are finished with this life and they go onto their reward.

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I went to visit my in laws yesterday. My m-i-l has had a heart condition (artificial heart) for most of her life and now she's on medication that increases her health issues rather than eases them. She's weak and thin, white haired and no longer able to get her hair permed. She uses a wheel chair and hospice nurse to get around. Her d-i-l makes meals and sends them over every week. Her son comes by to bring the meals and her daughter also comes by often.

I was relieved to use the wooden walkway (built for the wheelchair) instead of taking those high built steps that I knew would put me out for the rest of day if I had to use them.

She looked as though she either had gotten tired with reading two mother's day cards or she couldn't read the print, even though she had a third one yet to read. Her favorite was an unfolding garden scene.. her house has gardening plants all around it. My s-i-l said that it would be placed on the table so my m-i-l can look at it as she eats her meals. My son had picked it out for her. He visits my in laws more than I do since I have some health issues myself.

She barely talked while we were there but that's understandable. Everyone else sees to her needs now when previously she was always the one to see to the needs of family members on family occasions.
My f-i-l has also developed some health issues so neither of them could bear having company for long, but that's okay because I couldn't of sat in their new couch for much longer anyway. There are days when I walk about the same way as Tim Conway's very old man character scuttles.. shuffles along with very short steps. I laugh at myself as much as viewers laughed at seeing him do that comedy routine.

Well, after fifteen minutes of hearing the latest news about this and that, at my in laws, then it was quick good-byes, promises to return again sometime, and out the door we went. I was glad to get back in my comfortable chair.

Bůh nezmění vůli člověka

T.i.m.o.t.h.y. said:

Her favorite was an unfolding garden scene.

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I would imagine that we can not even comprehend how beautiful the plants will be in Heaven. Even though I think Heaven is a planet like the Earth. What I look forward to are the rocks. Esp the ones on the bottom of the river of life. Everything in Heaven will be bright and cheerful and there will be no sickness, disease or suffering. Something to look forward to for sure.

Diamond7 said:

I would imagine that we can not even comprehend how beautiful the plants will be in Heaven. Even though I think Heaven is a planet like the Earth. What I look forward to are the rocks. Esp the ones on the bottom of the river of life. Everything in Heaven will be bright and cheerful and there will be no sickness, disease or suffering. Something to look forward to for sure.

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I once had a geod of white crystal the size and looked on the outside like a muss melon.. I was exited to think that I had a 'diamond in the rough' crystal ball.
I tried to break it open but I didn't have the right tools. All that I got from hitting it was a few thin slivers and dust that indicated it was white inside. When you talk of there being rocks in heaven on the bottom of the river of life.. I'd like to think that the rocks could be geods.. open and sparkling in the water.