Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Benevolence vs. Omnipotnece

So I heard it last night. Again, that pivotal issue upon which I feel the whole of Christian faith rests upon, unknowingly. Something's up in the basement.

The argument is apparently an old one, but it goes like this:

God is
  • All Loving
  • All Knowing/Powerful
  • There is Pain and suffering in the world
Pick 2.

If He's all knowing, but there is pain... then He must not be all loving. If He is all loving and there is pain and suffering, then He must not be all powerful. If He is all loving and all Powerful, then pain must not really exist but in our minds on a psychological level. (That one can be easily ruled out)

I've heard this issue mentioned several times these past few weeks. It's also something that has weighed on me personally. When in brief, I hear something along the lines of God cannot create evil; cannot create pain. We brought that into the world. But...

He's all knowing.

He created everything.,

So, then, are we saying that He didn't know that there was going to be this decision for evil when it all was set into motion?

But we have free will!

But, God is an infinite God, unrestrained by the constructs of time. He exists simultaneously then, now, and future. He knew. He couldn't not have known, and since He does nothing by accident, this line of thought suggests the created, knowingly, the potential for sin. It was intended.

I don't know how not to conclude this!

If I designed a car, knowing that the breaks would fail if you were to drive above the speed limit by 5 mph, and I knew you were going to do so, is it the driver's fault when he ploughs over a barricade into a ravine?

If this is so, then I'm sure He has a plan for it.

But then, that brings up other problems...

1 comment:

  1. God knew there was a potential for sin but we were still created because of His love to create creatures in His own image. He wanted a relationship with those creatures and a real relationship where true love exists, meaning God wants man to choose Him. He wants man to choose to love Him. Jesus was nailed to the cross for our sins as individuals. He died specifically for us. He saves us as individuals. If I were the only person that would love Him out of all of the other people throughout history he still would have died to save me. Just like how God saved the one believer in Sodam before that cities ultimate destruction.

    But with this potential of sin there are potentials of other outcomes. He allows us to choose. If you think about it. He has a will and it will be wrought in mankind but there are several paths that we can take while still fulfilling His will. He created us to have a relationship and mankind does have a relationship with love. Its a bit bizarre, but even Judas (the betrayer of the Messiah) fulfilled the will of God by following his own will.... wierd.

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