My response to Pepper's post

A few days ago, Pepper posts a simple yet controversial question, "Does God cause evil?" My first response was about 2 sentences long, just stating my opinion. A few days later I went back and looked at the reponses he had gotten, and noticed that I disagreed with the other reponses. So, I pulled down my trusted Systematic Theology book by Wayne Grudem from the bookshelf above my bed and turned to the section about God's Providence. This was what I posted, using Grudem as my source. If there is any doubt, this is what I believe concerning the matter, even if i don't understand it fully.

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Once again, as the Calvinist here (dodges the rocks that are thrown), I say that God does cause sin. To say that there is something outside of the power of God and that God was somehow unable to stop sin's entrance into the world is not biblical. God planned the death of Christ from the beginning of time (Rev. 13:8), which means he knew that sin would be before the beginning of time, an in fact ordained it, even though the murder of his son was sin.

God is also in control of everything in our lives (Psalm 139:16, Galatians 1:15, Proverbs 20:24, Acts 17:28). Also, what about Joseph? After all his brothers did to him, Joseph still says that God "sent me before you (Gen 45:5)." God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 10:10). There was an evil spirit sent by the Lord to torment Saul (1 Sam. 16:14).

Despite all of this, there is even more evidence that evil came from God. God said in Isaiah 45:7 "I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things (The word for "calamity" is a general use of the word evil, used to also describe the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the evil of the men of Sodom). Also, Jeremiah says in Lamentations 3:38 that "Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?" During a time when Israel repented of their sin, Isaiah records them saying, "O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? (Isaiah 63:17).

Now then, to answer the inevitable question, does God sin? No. There is nowhere in the Bible that states that God actually does evil, but rather that God ordains that evil would come about through "secondary causes," such as humans or angels. To quote John Calvin,

Thieves and murderers and the evildoers are the instruments of divine providence, and the Lord uses them to carry out the judgments that he has determined with himself. Yet I deny that they can derive from this any excuse for their evil deeds. Why? Will they either involve God in the same iniquity with themselves, or will they cloak their own depravity with his justice? They can do neither. (The Institutes, 1.16.5)

God himself does not sin, but a good reading of the Bible will show that he is the ultimate source for all sin and evil into his world. This does not excuse us, of course. Jesus, commenting on his future crucifixion, says in Luke 22:22 "For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” God determined that Jesus would die and even be betrayed, but that does not excuse Judas for having done so.

Am I saying that I understand any of this? No way. I'm simply relating to you what the Bible states on the matter. We are not supposed to understand it (although we should try). Rather, we are supposed to believe it.

All of this information was taken from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology, pages 320-329. You didn't think I was this smart, do you?

My day today

This is what has happened today.

1. I had an eye doctor's appointment today (I was there for two hours...). While in the waiting room, I watched President Bush was answering questions about different topics that the press were asking him about, everything from the war on terror to the problems with social security. There was about 5 senior adults in the waiting room with me. After everything that Bush said, they bashed him. They criticized his word, calling him a liar, saying that Bush didn't care about the troops, and also saying that they didn't believe a thing that he said anymore.

2. Afterward, I proceeded into the second waiting room (fun fun). I picked up a Motor Trend magazine, where, screaming on the cover, was a picture of the new Camaro. Yay!

3. In that second waiting room, I was able to talk with an elderly couple. In our discussion, I discovered that they had lived in my home town of Columbia for the last forty years. In fact, he told me that he delivered the pipes to the land that would soon become the Saturn Production Plant in Spring Hill, where my father has worked for the last 17 years.

This is what I learned from what has happened today.

1. Trust comes with with integrity. We may not always know what is going on with those in authority. I don't know why it is that Bush does what he does. But I know his character, and I know that he is a man of integrity. Because of that, I trust him, not because of what he does but becasue of who he is.

2. Old things are not necessarily a bad thing. When GM designed the Camaro, they looked at older Camaros and designed the new one based off of the older designs. They used the old to create the new. Sometimes we dismiss the old becasue we think we know better. But we always need to have a keen awareness of history. Just becasue it's new doesn't mean it's good.

3. The little things matter. The man that I met delivered plastic pipes to the place my father now works. He took part in something that I now reap the benefits of. I'm sure that delivering plastic pipes didn't seem like anythign that was too crucial at the time, but I'm sure those pipes are crucial to what happens at Saturn.

Anyways, this is just my two cents. Take them or leave them.

John Piper and Athanasius

During Passion 06, John Piper led a breakout session about the life of Athanasius (296-373).

For those who don't know, Athanasius was the bishop of Alexadria, Egypt. During his lifetime, a man named Arius started spreading the idea that Jesus was not God (homoiousious-of like substance). Although specially endowed with powers by God and was as close to God as one could become, he was not God (There was a time when hen was not). Athanasius fought this idea his whole life, saying that Jesus was God (homoousious-of same substance).

Piper brought out several points from the lives of these two men, but during one of his points he stated six propositions that rattled my head, along with everyone else in the room. For those who don't know, I do, in fact, believe every word that he said. Here they are:

1. God rules the world of bliss and suffering and sin right down to the role of the dice in Reno and the fall of a bird from a tree and the driving of the nail into the hand of his son, yet, though he wills that such sin and suffering be, he does not sin but is perfectly holy.

2. God governs all the steps of all people, both good and bad, at all times and in all places, yet such that all are accountable before him and will bear the just consequences of his wrath if they do not believe in Christ.

3. All are dead in their trespasses and sins and are not morally able to come to Christ because of their rebellion yet they are responsible to come to him and will be justly punished if they don’t.

4. Jesus Christ is one person with two natures, divine and human, such that he upheld the world by the word of his power while living in his mother’s womb.

5. Sin, though committed by a finite person and in the confines of finite time is nevertheless deserving of an infinitely long punishment because it is a sin against an infinitely holy God.

6. The death of Jesus Christ so displayed and glorified the righteousness of God that God is not unrighteous in to declare righteous ungodly people who simply believe in Christ.

I am so thankful that I don't have to understand this; but rather simply believe it.

Sort of something to start me off...

I realized that I got tired of xanga. I wanted a place to post my thoughts and feelings without a feeling of a million people who could be looking at it. Xanga is good for what is good for: a community of people who share what they did that day. Not the best choice for some of the things I was posting. So, I decided to step up to a blogspot. I still plan on updating my xanga, but not so much anymore. When I update on blogspot, I'll probobly leave a remark on xanga. With that said, have a great day.