Because the means of communication between us is language and the use of language has its own peculiarities
Hence the only appropriate approach to the question : How God solve the problem of evil ? , is to begin as follows
1 ) What is the definition of “God” ?
2 ) What is the definition of “Evil” ?
The Definition of the word "God"
The peculiarity of language as a means of communication is, when someone say “God”
Person A would have in mind a flying spaghetti monster
Person B would have in mind some deity of some sort
Person C would have in mind Zeus or Thanatos
Person D would have in mind a being who is eternal, created the world and has the power to create and destroy at will
Person E would have in mind the coffee that she spilled on her skirt before an important meeting
Therefore by itself it is important to define what the enquirer of the question mean by God ?
And through answering this definition of “God”, an answer slowly takes shape on its own accord.
In Greek, the word God is Theos which doesn’t explain very much what the word means
On the other hand, in Hebrew, in place of the word “God” , Elohim is used
The “God” or Elohim of the Jews is YAHWEH. Whom is also the father of Jesus Christ and His followers
This same jewish word Elohim also means – judge(s) or ruler(s)
Of which its only definition which does not contradict with the what Jesus said as follows quoting a psalm of David :
The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’?
If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Context : https://biblehub.com/esv/john/10.htm
Hence, the only one defintion of the word Elohim which is inclusive of human beings =
Elohim means judge(s) or ruler(s)
We are created in God’s own image after all
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Context with Hebrew references : https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/gen/1/27/t_conc_1027
Let’s think about it, what is a king whom no one listens to his commands ? does that make him a king or “king” ?
What is a god whom no one follows his commandments ? does that make him God or “god” ?
Therefore, though this logic, whose commandments and rules that you live by, thats actually whom is your Elohim, your God
Your god is not whom you pay lip service to, Your God is the being whose laws you lead your life by
This also means that, we can and are expected to judge rightly the nature of God by carefully examining every one of God’s commandments and the consequential results of living by them fully, in reality itself
Hence,
Now that we have established that the word “God” means judge or ruler
We shall move on to the definition of the word “Evil” and the origin of evil in this world
To do this we need to start from the very beginning of time
The Garden of Eden was here on Earth
A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
Context : https://biblehub.com/esv/genesis/2.htm
Eden was the place where once God walked with man. So by that definition, Heaven. Paradise.
In Paradise, these was only one law that the first man, Adam, had to obey
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Context : https://biblehub.com/esv/genesis/2.htm
This law was broken when Adam ate from this tree, and by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, mankind usurped YAHWEH’s rightful position as their king and begins to define good and evil according to themselves. Death and destruction follows suit as we can see today.
Hence the origin of Evil is from man’s definition of good and evil according to themselves and not according to YAHWEH
Yet, YAHWEH is a merciful God and did not abandon mankind after man have tainted himself with sin
Evil in the world is clearly a problem, and to solve this problem, YAHWEH sent His only begotten son, Jesus Christ so that mankind now have the chance to work our way back to our rightful status alongside YAHWEH as His image bearers
Hence, in short,
the definition of “evil” is man defining what is good and evil according to himself
This is the origin of evil in this world
Because of this, it is only by man confirming himself / herself to YAHWEH’s definition of good and evil that the problem of evil can finally be solved
Why Jesus Christ had to be sent to us so that humanity can be redeemed
Imagine a musical score for a song that no one has heard before, can anyone play the song with the exact same intonation and emotion as the author of that musical score intends ?
Now lets imagine sending this musical score for a song that no one in the world has heard before to a group of people who does not know how to read musical notes
Can this group of people who does not even know how to read musical notes, play this song exactly to the tune that the author of the song intends ?
The problem of evil is that it is contagious and passes down from generation to generation
Example, a tribe of cannibals have killed other people and ate them for hundred of years
The idea that people are food is transmitted down from generation to generation in this tribe
And anyone who tries to convince this tribe that eating people is evil, will get eaten themselves
How do you reform such a tribe of people ?
This is a story that I heard from a friend who originated in Papua New Guinea
Last time they were cannibals but then they changed when German settlers came to their Island
Those German settlers first convinced those cannibals not to eat them with the power of the gun
And then they reformed them through the preaching of Jesus
Likewise,
As YAHWEH chose to redeem all of humanity by first starting with a small tribe of people called the Jews
He saved the Jews with mighty power and miracles from the Egyptians who enslaved them ( Full story here https://biblehub.com/exodus )
Then YAHWEH gave the Jews His laws and commands them to obey Him as their King
Yet as recorded in history, time and time again the Jews fail to obey YAHWEH’s law and as the consequence they were enslaved again and again by other nations
First the Babylonians then the Persians and finally the Romans ruled over the Jews
And it is in this time of the Roman empire that the perfect man that has not been tainted by evil, Jesus, is sent to the Jews to free them from their slavery by teaching them how to finally obey YAHWEH’s law
Jesus taught them how to obey YAHWEH’s law not just with teaching but He lived out the laws of YAHWEH Himself by example
Yet the elites amongst the Jews, who are experts in the laws of YAHWEH used the law to find excuse to have Jesus executed. They did this because they were worried they will lose their position and power in society
After Jesus was executed, as a proof of YAHWEH’s approval of Jesus, Jesus was resurrected as a sign to all of us that conforming ourselves to Jesus is what YAHWEH desires from us, for our own good.
In short
The Jews we given the “musical sheet” by the song author YAHWEH
But the Jews played the song according to their own tune
Jesus was sent to play the actual song that YAHWEH actually desires that humanity plays
The elite Jews who had monopoly of the “musical sheet” rejects the song that Jesus played as the correct way that the song is meant to be played and had Jesus executed because they prefer to play the “musical sheet” their own way in order to maintain their position and power
Jesus was resurrected by YAHWEH as proof of His approval over Jesus, whom was then crowned King of kings, Lord of Lords so that all humanity can now join Jesus and be part of His Kingdom here on Earth
Again, in short, God’s solution to the problem of evil according to all the dentitions laid out as before, is King Jesus Christ
Next we will explore the mechanics of exactly how we can reform ourselves so that we can grow closer to reflecting God’s image
And by doing that, we redeem not only ourselves but the world together
The Mechanics of World Change
We shall begin with the mentality of Jesus Christ, His way of perceiving the laws of YAHWEH
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insulted his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the helle of fire.
So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and
offer your gift.Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.
Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.Context : https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/5.htm
Interpretation : The surface text of law is just a guideline, it is the guiding principles behind the law which is what God wants you to live by
The law of God is not to be used to wage legal battle upon others or to oppress others, it’s not what it’s designed for.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
Context : https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/5.htm
Interpretation : If you read the Law of God for the guiding principles behind them, it can help your problem areas within yourself in which you can nip in the bud so that they won’t have a chance to manifest into reality.
You can gain the strength and will to make a change in yourself if you take full ownership of the mistakes you commit instead of just blaming your mistakes on externalities.
Example someone who says : Its not my fault, its my eyes which cause me to peep at a woman bathing ! Or its not my fault, its my hand which cause me to steal !
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers,i what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Context : https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/5.htm
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,h let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Context : https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/5.htm
Interpretation : Jesus nullified the violent parts of the Law both through His teaching and demonstration through His life and death on the cross.
Jesus’s resurrection is the mark of God’s approval upon Him
And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Context : https://biblehub.com/esv/mark/2.htm
Interpretation : The Law of God is not designed to be a system to be worshipped so that man serves the Law but the other way around
The Law is designed to serve man so that man may understand the heart of God through understanding the principles behind God’s law
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
Context : https://biblehub.com/esv/luke/6.htm
Interpretation : The Law of God is not designed to be used to judge and condemn others
Before we begin to tell someone their error, we should first begin by examining ourselves and fix our own errors first
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
Context : https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/7.htm
Interpretation : The Law of God is not designed to be imposed upon those who do not follow the Law of God
Next, we shall take one law of YAHWEH and do a meditation exercise on it as how Jesus taught above
Lets do one of my favorite laws : Equality under the law, as numerated below from scripture
One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
Exodus 12:49 NKJV https://www.bible.com/114/num.15.15-16.nkjv
“One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you.’ ””
Numbers 15:15-16 NKJV https://www.bible.com/114/num.15.15-16.nkjv
“And if a stranger dwells with you, or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would present an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD, just as you do, so shall he do. One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you.’ ””
Numbers 15:14-16 NKJV https://www.bible.com/114/num.15.14-16.nkjv
“You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwells among them.”
Numbers 15:29 NKJV https://www.bible.com/114/num.15.29.nkjv
“‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.”
Leviticus 19:15 NKJV https://www.bible.com/114/lev.19.15.nkjv
My Perception on The State Of The World Now :
As we all know, great injustices are happening in the world as we speak
Minorities people groups in countries are being persecuted and killed every day just because of their skin color or beliefs or a myriad of diverse reasons
There are cases where minorities groups in a country are rounded up by their own government which keep them in jail camps so that their organs can be harvested and sold
Foreign immigrant workers in a country often get treated horribly and work in conditions which bear resemblance to slavery
And from what I know, the deaths of construction foreign workers from lesser countries often get hushed up. Its as if their lives are worth nothing because they are poor and lack education hence they have no voice of their own
Obviously the laws of the land in all counties today does not apply equally to to the immigrant and to the locals of the land. The same can also be said that the laws of the land does not apply the same between powerful elites of the country and common citizens of the country.
I strongly believe that equality under the law should exist and the injustices in the world must be corrected
But I perceive this requirement and desire for justice with the mentality of Jesus as show above
Hence my mode of action and thought is
1 ) I will first practice equality under the law on myself
2 ) I will treat people from foreign countries the same as I would treat a local person
3 ) Sometimes it’s tempting to cheat foreigners because they might not know important information, I shall not do such things
4 ) I shall restrain myself from treating foreigners better than locals for whatever reason
5 ) I shall restrain myself from treating girls better than guys in terms of my dealings with them. All dealings with everyone must be equally just.
6 ) I shall not sell goods to whom I think are “rich” at one price and sell goods to whom I think are “poor” at another price. I shall not sell goods for export one price and domestic goods another price. The prices for the products I sell must be priced according to righteous principles, not superficial perceptions.
7 ) I shall not take up arms and overthrow any government or people with violence just because I see them as evil and prejudiced. I shall patiently serve the community and teach them the correct way just as how Jesus done
8 ) I shall restrain myself from using my knowledge of the law to judge and criticise others whom I perceive as unjust but live my life as an example for everyone
9 ) I shall lead by example, by me living out the values I preach first. I must not be a hypocrite whom does not practice what I preach
10 ) I shall have faith that as I seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness, everything else in my life will fall into place. The evil in the community will eventually be banished through my service to them in 1 – 9.
This concludes my example of the mechanics of how God solved the problem of evil in the world through Jesus
There are a lot of laws of YAHWEH that we can do meditation exercises on
After almost two years of work, I have organized all the laws of YAHWEH and categorized them in an organized way https://famecherry.com/constitution
This makes meditating on the laws of YAHWEH easier =)
At a glance, the mechanism I presented above may not look like much
But 2000 years after Jesus came, we can now see there is vast improvement in the state and nature of humanity compared to the times of the Romans
The modern world that we have can only come into being because Jesus came to us
In other words, those of us in “modern society” we are living inside the miracle of Jesus
A miracle so big that many can’t perceive it because we are living inside it !
Imagine 1000 people like the example of myself above, having the same mentality of Jesus towards the same law of YAHWEH ( Equality Under The Law ) but diverse mode of actions and thoughts ( Because we are all unique and different in stature & background and have our own diverse sets of skills, abilities and talents )
Imagine 10000 people like the example above, having the same mentality of Jesus towards ALL the Laws of YAHWEH but applying them in unique and diverse ways
Imagine 1000000 people as above scattered all over the globe, exerting an influence on society
Can you see it ?
Centuries ago, 99% of humanity were slaves and human life was really cheap
It was followers of Jesus who led the abolishment of slavery. That gave birth to the industrial revolution.
The rationale is that, with free human labour, why would anyone bother to invest in machinery in the first place ?
But Aha ! With the abolishment of slavery, labour saving devices began to have significant value
And the justification for the abolishment of slavery is that, all man regardless of race, are created in the image of God. That’s why it’s wrong to enslave human beings.
Yes, the world we have now still have a lot of problems
But, step by step, slowly but firmly, the Kingdom of God is advancing with force
What is darkness ?
But merely the lack of light
Jesus Christ, the word of YAHWEH made flesh,
IS the lamp for our feet
Humanity can now finally choose,
To no longer walk in darkness
Eureka !
P/S : This is the last reformation
Questions & Answers
Statement : This also means that, we can and are expected to judge rightly the nature of God by carefully examining every one of God’s commandments and the consequential results of living by them fully, in reality itself
# Question : Can we the fallen creatures judge rightly the nature of God?
Man is fallen and can never be able to truly define what is good and evil, bcos his judgment is impaired by sin in him — man’s heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked..(Jer 17:9).
Only the righteous God can define what is good and evil. Bcos God is always perfectly just and righteous.
Answer : But YAHWEH has defined good and evil through the laws he passed to Moses and through Jesus whom He has sent
YAHWEH commanded and said many things, JESUS commanded and said many things
Isn’t it fair then to say that we can know the nature of YAHWEH through Jesus if we do the commandments of YAHWEH through the mentality of Jesus then ?
Example, if a god commands you , you kill people who dont believe in me and i will reward you with virgin slaves for sex
What do you think of the nature of this god ? and when this commandment is lived out fully, what does the world look like ?
Or if a god tells you, you not only need to love your neighbours but u need to love your enemies too
what do you think of the nature of this god ? and when this commandment is lived out fully, what does the world look like ?
i dont agree with that “human are unredeemablely fallen” connotation, and even if that is true we now have Jesus Christ the redeemer right now so its not an issue
And i dont think “fallen” human are so inept that they cant see the consequence of living out commands
We can quote the ancient people like Paul or Jeremiah etc all we want but please dont forget that we have something that all the ancients dont have : We live in the future, we have 2000 years of history to refer back to
Hindsight is 20/20 remember ?
We can examine the course of history to see belief and consequence for all civilisations in history
Jesus said this : Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
We are greater not because we have some sort of hierarchal rank, its because we have hindsight 20/20 vision to see belief and consequence
The modern world is the miracle of Jesus, its so big that many cant see it
Statement : Again, in short, God’s solution to the problem of evil according to all the dentitions laid out as before, is King Jesus Christ.
Next we will explore the mechanics of exactly how we can reform ourselves so that we can grow closer to reflecting God’s image.
And by doing that, we redeem not only ourselves but the world together.
# Question : Can we actually reform ourselves so that we can grow closer to reflecting God’s image? Can we redeem ourselves and the world together?
the Bible says we are dead in sin and trespasses (Eph 2:1-2), unless God make us alive in Christ, it is impossible for us to reflect God’s image.
And if we can’t redeem ourselves, much less to redeem the world!
Answer : But aren’t we already alive in Christ Jesus ? We have Jesus dont we ?
Its not bible said, its Paul said, and chapter context is important since its a letter to certain people groups
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Context : https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+2&version=NIV
Please note that even in the passage u quoted -> And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Even in Paul’s words, Human beings are not such hopeless creatures now, that we have Christ Jesus whom we can seat with him, a King ! We may be lowly beggars but through Christ we now have a place to sit with our King, Jesus
Anyways
Instead of lofty things, let me give you an example i observed
Diabetes patients are often told by the medical industrial complex that their disease has no treatment and they need to be on their drugs for the rest of their life.
Many patients believe in their lie and as a result die horrible deaths because if you dont believe you have hope to be healed from diabetes, why bother to control your food intake and diet ?
On the other hand, those patients who dont believe in their lie and were diligent to change their lifestyle and food habits, there were healed from diabetes completely !
Check out Nephrologist Jason Fung’s work https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jason+fung
Many of his patients are healed from diabetes through fasting !
So likewise I ask you
If you dont even believe you can fully follow after Christ and fully become like Jesus, would you even come close ?
# Question : What makes Elohim God doesn’t depend on who / how many obey His commandments, God is and will still be God regardless.
Infact the Bible in Rom 3:10-12 tells us that there is none who obeys Him, we have all turn away/ rebelled against God, so it is expected of all fallen human to disobey God. So we can’t use this logic then
Who among fallen men can live fully according to God’s commandments?
Answer : The name of God is YAHWEH, not Elohim
Do you know what is the meaning of the word “Elohim” as described by Jesus ?
What is the meaning of the word “God” ?
You can quote Paul all you want , as long as these definitions are not solidified, our discussion can’t move forward
Who among fallen men can live fully according to God’s commandments? -> Those who have been reformed thru the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised, sent and is now amongst us
#Question : The origin of Evil in the Bible is unclear, God made all things good in creation so how could evil originated from man?
I would believe it was through something external. What happened after Adam disobeyed God is as mentioned in
Rom 5:12
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned —
Answer : Evil originated from Adam’s decision to take from the tree of knowledge of good and evil , whom God promised that he shall surely die after
You can see multiple patterns about man struggling with defining good and evil in numerous occasion in the bible
example in Solomon’s coronation, he tells God i dont know what is good and evil , you show me so i can lead ur people ( paraphrase )
Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned — –> im not sure why u quote this but sure , Adam took the apple ( one man ) and sinned becaue he ate the fruit which spread to us
In other words, evil came into the world when Mankind decided to define what is good and what is evil based on mankind’s own definitions, not YAHWEH’s
#Question : By your definition even what man define as good is evil, which I disagree. Men till this day still regards honouring the eldery as good, preserving the life of another as good, being just and fair as good and the list goes on
What I believe is the definition of evil is ungodliness, in opposition to God
Answer : Evil comes from Man defining what is ( good and evil ) for himself
means
he define for himself what is good , he doesnt use Yahweh’s definition of good
he define for himself what is evil , he doesnt use Yahweh’s definition of evil
this is the source of evil
What I believe is the definition of evil is ungodliness, in opposition to God –> in a sense but depends how u define “god” ?
As i mentioned “God” aka elohim is whatever man use to define ( Good and Evil ) with
It can be YAHWEH
or Hitler / Karl marx
or a dog or cat on the street
#Question : Consider the words of Christ on the sermon on the mount in Matt 7
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
In context “you” here was referring to the disciples of Jesus (Matt 5:1-2) and He called them “evil” why so? Well because even His disciples are ungodly people/ sinners who have fallen short of God’s glory/ missing the mark of God’s holiness / transgressors of God’s law
Answer : Sure , but do you know the difference between the disciples in Matthew 5 : 1 – 2 vs us in this time ?
in Matthew 5 the Holy spirit havent come yet
we now have the Holy Spirit amongst us whom helps us
we are not hopeless orphans
#Question : What about Jesus being preached is able to reform the cannibals?
One can preach Jesus as a healer/ miracle worker but yet not get to the heart of the gospel as defined in
1 Cor 15 : Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
What could have reformed these cannibals to change their ways could have been the gun! As you mentioned the power of the gun! / Fear of death and threat of life hence the change of ways by force but the gospel reforms one internally that results an external change consider
Ezekiel 36 : 26 – I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
Answer : I dont know what the Germans preached, maybe we need to visit Papua new guinea one day but i think what i am preaching is pretty reformative ,
Im not big on preaching about miracles because i think over emphasis on miracles is like a form of power worship , Im not big on preaching about after life also coz i think it cause a sense of complacency and may lead to lethargy in terms of actually doing the work as commanded by King Jesus
I dont think the gun is able to reform people , if thats true then people of north Korea would be “highly reformed” already
so would the Jews be “highly reformed” by the Nazis
#Question : How can one change themselves if by themselves they are already evil?
Gen 6 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Answer : the Holy Spirit can help them, as you yourself have quoted in Ezekiel 36 before this I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
That is the Holy Spirit !
As to how they can have the Holy Spirit ? I dont know, Jesus say the wind blows where it wants
But i think as long as people want the Holy Spirit , He will come coz He is a gentleman and does not force Himself on people
Thats why i am big on preaching so that people would want to be better as i outlined in my work
# Question : Have we really seen improvement in the nature of humanity? the nature of humans have not changed, we might not be offering child sacrifices to the gods but we are aborting unborn child in their mothers womb, we have found new ways of manifesting our wickedness
Jer 17 : 9 ” The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
Answer : Oh yeah very much , a lot of improvement has happened !
Remember those olden times where people like me would have been burnt at the stake for preaching a message contrary to “church authorities” ?
or like olden days where the king can just simply kill anyone he want to kill and samurai can use people to test their katana ? lol
# Question : If I understand you correctly, your answer to the question “How God solved the problem of evil” seems to be:
By sending Jesus to show us how to obey the laws of God and by meditating on it we can be delivered from evil
By saying so I’m afraid you fall right into the same trap as the Galatians, consider Gal 2 : 16knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Looking at church history, this was the exact same struggle as Martin Luther, he tried so hard to keep the law and confess all his sins but found no peace until a breakthrough when he finally understood Rom 1:17 and the truth that he discovered from the scriptures is exactly what started the reformation and his answer to that struggle is found in the 5 solas
We are saved by GRACE ALONE, through FAITH ALONE, in CHRIST ALONE, as mentioned in THE SCRIPTURES ALONE for THE GLORY OF GOD ALONE
Answer : Perhaps a better way for me to rephrase it would be :
we are saved from evil because Jesus came in the flesh to show us how to properly perceive YAHWEH’s instructions so that we can be more like YAHWEH thru Jesus
after all , what YAHWEH wants is to teach us to become like Him , as originally intended
All this talk about “justified by faith” , I think its an overemphasis on the “after life” and over time this terminology has taken a life of its own in the “religious context”
I have no idea why the ancients emphasize so much on “after life” or seem to be so , maybe because last time their average life expectancy is 30 years old ?
Anyways as i told you many times, please do not put those ancients on a pedestal but examine their writings with a critical mind, we are greater than them because we live in the future we have 20/20 hindsight vision
who died and were raised from the dead by YAHWEH? Paul ? James ? any prophets ? council of Nicea ?
or Jesus?
As i mentioned about my stance, I dont care about justifying anything
I just want people to be reformed so that they resemble the image of YAHWEH better
I dont care about reward, having Jesus is more than enough for me
# Question : Looking at church history, this was the exact same struggle as Martin Luther, he tried so hard to keep the law and confess all his sins but found no peace until a breakthrough when he finally understood Rom 1:17 and the truth that he discovered from the scriptures is exactly what started the reformation and his answer to that struggle is found in the 5 solas
Answer : Well, compared to the Catholics, Martin Luther’s emphasis on scripture is good
But not good enough because the Lutherans murdered many of you Baptists by drowning remember ?
Therefore my work is the last reformation
Notice that with the definition of God being Elohim as defined by Jesus hence its the being people define good and evil with —> this means that hypocrites no longer have a hiding place ! =)
Thru Jesus , a light is shone into the darkness
# Question : The Bible’s answer to that question “How God solved the problem of evil” I believe is found in John 1:29 “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin (evil) of the world!
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Christ death on the cross wasn’t just a proof of God’s approval over Jesus being King of Kings and Lord of Lords as you mentioned in page 10 but as mentioned in Mark 10, Jesus came to this world that His life may be a ransom for many as Heb 9:22 says without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.
Answer : Sure i know these passages , but what is the mechanism of “taking away sin of the world” ? is it evidential ? can it be observed ?
What is the proof that there is “remission of sin” ?
Do you have the mechanism to explain ? or its just going to be some “after life” stuff ?
As outlined in my work , the modern world is the result and evidence that there is “remission of sin” and “sin of world being taken away” slowly
But now i fear we are at a point where its stopping or reversing , thats why need to preach harder
#Question : What is the purpose of the Law then? Gal 3 tells us
Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
If I may end with a warning for all of us from Gal 1 : 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
Answer : hmm , since you quote Paul, let me ask you, whom Paul is addressing in Galatians ?
What is this message that is “contrary to gospel” that Paul is referring ?
What is the definition of the word “Gospel” ?
Is it teaching of Jesus Christ that we need to declare anyone to be “accursed” ?
But sure , I closely adhere to the “Good News of the Kingdom of God” that Jesus Himself preached and do note that anyone who live contrary to what Jesus preach experiences many issues in their life
But i dont think they are accursed or doomed, as long as they repent they can work their lives to become better on track
After all, repentance / metanoia is a word for a reason right ?
# Question : Dear Eugene, I pray that through the reading of the scriptures as a WHOLE and the PROPER understanding of the Law/ Commandments of God, the Lord may be merciful to show you that because we are totally depraved we can never fulfill the Law to gain salvation, and point you to the only means as found in
Rom 5 : 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Answer : Im not fulfilling the law to “gain salvation” or to “justify myself through works”
Please allow me to reclarify my stance so you would know where i am coming from
1 ) I dont believe in religion
The definition of religion being as follows
Religion is external identity
Religion is the doing of something without comprehending the process of doing that thing you doing
Religion is man serving a system instead of the system serving man
Religion is serving something as an end unto itself without concern to the actual effects of the beliefs on actual reality
2 ) I have no emphasis on “heaven” or “hell” , I dont care so much about after life
In fact this is my interpretation of what would happen when I die
Since garden of eden was here and since i will be resurrected after death to meet Jesus , whom Himself promise to return HERE
So when i die i will just be transported into the future HERE , to await my judgement
Right now HERE , my time is limited so i must do all the work i am sent to do and complete my mission
Not because i hope to receive some kind of reward in “afterlife”
Its because i love Jesus , that is all
and I love the Truth
Look around us, the modern world is the result of Jesus Christ’s salvation for humanity
We are living inside His miracle
Let’s be faithful together to share the Good News of the Kingdom of God unto all the ends of the Earth !
God is very rotten and evil altogether since he never gave a good single man like me a good wife and family to share my life with.