The First Picture Of Evil In The Bible Religion Essay

Is there enduring in this universe? Ask anyone on the street and they would state yes without a uncertainty. In this essay I will look at the factors environing this issue. There are three subdivisions with in this essay, the first ; we will look at how God trades with evil or wickedness. We will look at where it came from, what it is, the effects of it and how it is dealt with by God. We will cover from the garden to the cross and up to the present clip. The following subdivision we will look at is how God responds to enduring, we will see illustrations of his response and how He has provided the church with the bosom and ability to react every bit good. Lastly we will see the three in action together in both these countries.

God Covering With Evil

First we will briefly look at God ‘s first response to evil. The first image of immorality in the Bible is the narrative of Genesis chapter three where the immorality is outworked in the inquiring of God ‘s ability to judge immorality in the words of `You shall non certainly die ‘ ( Gen 3:4 ) . The noncompliance to God ‘s words that is found in this chapter brings about God ‘s first response to evil and this response is in the signifier of judgement. It is of import to observe that this judgement included clemency and grace, as God would hold been wholly justified in destructing the participants but alternatively he judged with a futuristic hope involved. The immorality here that could be called rebellion brought enduring as a consequence. This is seen in ( Gen 3:16-19 ) where adult female would endure in childbearing and adult male would endure in difficult work or labour. This narrative shows a form of immorality coming foremost from one, pasted on to another and so God ‘s judgement as a consequence with agony as the effect. You could state that the form set in Genesis chapter three helped set up this thought as God even in His announcement of agony had given a glance of the hope of a future clip ( Gen 3:15 ) . It besides shows here that evil foremost started in the celestial spheres with Satan himself ( Ezek 28 ) but was taken by world through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This joint partnership has continued to this really twenty-four hours, where immorality can be frequently traced to the followers of either diabolic influences or worldly forms that have come from Satan himself ( Eph 2:1-3 ) . This does non give the human factor an alibi but in a sense shows their guilt in that if you follow God ‘s ways you walk in righteousness, if you follow Satan ‘s ways you walk in evil. The 3rd missive of John verse eleven asks followings of God to make what is good and non follow the evil ways of disbelievers. Here we see that the Acts of the Apostless of immoralities are related to the breakage of Law and in many incidences in Bible where 1 is either believing or making evil they are in fact arising against God ‘s Torahs and criterions and the consequence is God ‘s judgement. We besides see that anyone who does non believe that God has said all have sinned and committed immoralities are in fact counted as evil actors and those who accept God ‘s forgiveness are now non responded to in their evil province but in the righteousness of Christ. Equally good as judgement coming from God ‘s features of Truth and Justice we find God moving out in ways to salvage the guilty. God ‘s response to evil by rapprochement is cosmopolitan as `no boundaries exist for God ‘s salvaging action ‘ ( Tate, 1999:208 ) . God ‘s character can non overlook evil so if His Love is non responded to as a last resort He must react in Justice and Judgment. John 3:16 clearly shows this in that there was demand for Judgment of immorality but God so desired to offer a manner of flight that He Himself in Christ took the Judgment. This helps understand that God responds to evil in our society both in truth and love. To non see the balance in God ‘s response here has led some to emphasis merely the love of God stressing the goodness of creative activity and the open-endedness of human potency ( Wink, 1992:69 ) and overlook that people universally ( Erickson, 1983:640-41 ) are in a awful state of affairs of being guilty before a Judging God and others to merely emphasis penitence from immorality without being involved in God ‘s desire to react to a agony and unfair universe through His love in them ( Ress, 1995:10 ) . God ‘s desire and His response to that desire is to free people from the effects of the impotence brought approximately by their ain ‘sin, immorality ‘ , and lift up the life that has been beaten down by subjugation ( Welker, 1992:52 ) . Ernst Kasemann wrote that God wants to emancipate from evil and alter the domain of influence ; from the domain of darkness, to the domain of visible radiation ( Wink, 1992:65-66 ) . Easter is the beginning of this new Kingdom. It is the triumph of God over all evil ( Wright, 1994:44 ) . One of the ways that God deals with immorality is in exposing it though His word the Bible. If He did n’t give us His criterions and truth to set up what was good and evil so it would be up to worlds to set up this for themselves and if the universe was truthfully willing to look at its many forms of worldviews so it would be clear that no group is populating anyplace near the Holy pattern God sets in His word ( Ex 20 ) . Because this is the world all civilisations whether in concealed vales or the power beginnings of the universe have their base universe position dipped in evilness and at that place forward to populate out as a perfect citizen within this worldview would still be to fall far short of God ‘s jurisprudence and would decree them as evil actors who God must react to. By exposing what is evil, people can react to this in two ways. By either accepting guilt and having Christ as their lone hope of get awaying judgement, or stating that they have the right to state what is evil and good in their lives and even state there is no God. The Bible says that God Judgess evil as all Acts of the Apostless and ideas measured against His commandments which are a contemplation of His character. Even those who have n’t read the Bible act out against their God given scruples by executing evil Acts of the Apostless against it ( Rom 2:12-16 ) . So we see that God must judge evil because if He did n’t He would be moving in resistance to His really being, but we besides see that God deals with immorality in a loving manner offering forgiveness and hope to the accused. That being the difference in God ‘s response compared to the human response. The greatest image of this is seen in the decease of Jesus where He takes upon Himself the judgement of all human evil screening that true judgement of immorality is separation from the male parent. This can be seen in the words of Jesus, “ Father why have you forsaken me ” . He besides offered himself demoing that at the same clip that the act was one of judgement, it was besides one of love. God non merely Judgess people for evil but did at one clip justice the angles. Many angles followed Satan in his pride and were judged for it. These angles will ne’er have forgiveness and it is them that conveying much immorality to the universe in their influencing and empowering of people to transport out evil Acts of the Apostless. Another manner God responds to evil is though the jurisprudence systems throughout the universe. In many states the jurisprudence was based on Supreme beings criterions such as non slaying or stealing. Even though it could be said that human jurisprudence is acquiring easier to interrupt and acquire off with it still upholds in many ways the judgement of immorality from God ‘s position so it could be said that God Judgess evil though the tribunals. The Bible Tells us that God puts in topographic point the leaders of the universe non that they are all godly work forces and adult female but that God allows them to govern. Although it is an issue of contention many believe that certain leaders are raised up by God at certain times in history to battle immorality. In times past we may see this in President Lincoln standing against bondage or Prime Minister Churchill standing against Hitler and today President Bush standing against Terrorism. So God deals with evil through righteous taking.

God Covering With Suffering

God has ever been concerned with the agony of the oppressed and throughout the Old Testament gave Israel the undertaking of looking after the widows, hapless, orphans and refugees ( Amos, Isa 58 ) , ( Ress, 1995:10 ) . God would judge Israel on their deficiency of active compassion to the agony of the needy ( Isa 1:16-17 ) . God has ne’er merely been interested in the ageless well-being of people but has ever been active in the relieving of twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours enduring. He has ever been a God who could be run to in times of problem ( Nahum 1:7 ) . God does n’t ever react to enduring by supplying external alleviation but besides on juncture does n’t take away the external state of affairs but provides His internal peace ( John 14:27 ) , ( Tate, 1999:207 ) and presence to get by with it. The Spirit of God is known as the `comforter ‘ ( John 15:26 ) , and responds to enduring in offering staunchness in affliction ( Welker, 1992:65 ) . It is clear that God desires to react to enduring by run intoing it with Love. If the agony is because of judgement or effect of evil so He offers forgiveness. In this He does non overlook the agony that is a effect of immorality ; but meets it with truth. The agony in many instances can non be alleviated unless the truth is responded to but in all instances the alleviating of the agony is offered. So God ‘s response is in the offering, but His Department of State non take away the free will response of the individual to reject his comfort and remain in the agony. We the churches are in many instances God ‘s manner of reacting to enduring in humanity and creative activity and so are responsible in this place. We are called embassadors for Christ and have the ministry of rapprochement ( 2 Cor 5:18-19 ) . This means we are to run into the agony of humanity being separated from their Godhead with the rapprochement tool of the Gospel. This is the great truth that deals with much agony but we are non merely embassadors in words and declarations but embassadors of love and action. An illustration of this type of agony can be seen in our ain state today where the Aboriginal community feels a strong separation from the community as a whole and the rapprochement plan would relieve much agony as does the rapprochement of the lost to Jesus. We are told to love our neighbour as ourselves ( Matt 22:37-40 ) , ( Rees, 1996:2 ) and in this we see more than an academic function towards others but a function to see their human needs met. If we see an chance to relieve agony and either walk on the other side of the street or offer merely a supplication we are no different than the illustrations given in the narrative of the Good Samaritan and the hungry and bare in the book of James. God wants us to be light in darkness and light takes off fear and confusion to be salt in the universe which gives spirit to person who has lost all gustatory sensation for life to be His custodies, to be His eyes, to be His weaponries, to transport throughout this universe His bosom reacting to His love to all agony. As God acts in a duty to all world we as His people are non merely responsible for those instantly around us but are to ne’er turn from chances to assist people in all topographic points. We should as God does non merely see the agony in this universe but experience it and take action to assist it. We as God ‘s people need to non merely academically explain agony but humanly experience the agony that others are in. We need to see what enduring is go oning around us and to be able to react to it. Part of understanding in our ain personal lives is to admit the experience of God ‘s presence it gives us and the empathy of others that we develop through it ; it is frequently those who have suffered that God uses to react to those who are enduring. Suffering is anything that brings human hurting and adversity in physical, emotional and mental ways. Natural catastrophes bring enduring in all these countries by taking off physical necessities, conveying emotional desperation of loss of loved 1s and giving great mental torment of uncertainness of the hereafter. Here is an country that the church should be taking the manner in the alleviation of enduring. The Bible clearly says that God is Love and that the agony of His creative activity both in their religious sightlessness and their physical status many times due to the domination and inhuman treatment of others move His emotions and actions. If God deals with enduring so we the church have a duty to be involved every bit good non as a affair of plan but as a affair of being.

The Trinity Dealing With Evil and Suffering

Our apprehension of the three is of import in our apprehension of how the godhead trades with both evil and agony because we see in the three that one member does non move in a different manner to another or in dissension to the others but all three although holding different functions respond from the one bosom and one character. God deals with agony and immorality in a pro-active manner. Firstly God the male parent gave His Son to convey out from bondage those who suffer in wickedness and guilt because of their offenses toward Him covering with the evil Acts of the Apostless and the agony of being lost. Jesus gave of Himself to convey about the lone human forfeit that could hold ended this wickedness and guilt agony. This forfeit met the Holy criterions of the Father and His jurisprudence. In His enduring the payment of the immorality was given ( through His decease ) and the forgiveness of immorality was given through His decease here we see both judgement and love in action. Now the Holy Spirit is continually active in the convicting of wickedness and evil, of enlightening of the forgiveness though the Gospel. He is everlastingly covering with the agony of people both saved and unsaved in demoing them the manner to the replies in Christ. Giving peace, comfort, value, presence, hope, hereafter, apprehension, confidence, forgiveness and belonging. Here we see the three reacting to evil in truth and judgement and reacting to enduring in the gift of love.

Decision

I have established that God must react to evil because He is a God of truth and justness, I see that He non merely responds to evil in judgement but in love. I have shown that all world is evil which started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We are all evildoers and must be judged. I have established that there is an evil religious universe that affects and guides all civilisations. I have shown that Christ is the lone forgiveness available for this immorality. God in his love is invariably moved by both the religious and physical agony of world and is proactive throughout history and up to the present clip in alleviating the agony in truth. The church needs to play a prima function in this, hands on covering, with agony. The three have ever and will ever work together in integrity in there response to both evil and agony.

Bibliography –

( Carson 1990 )

Carson, D.A.

1990 From the Vantage of the End. Michigan: Baker

( Mott 1982 )

Mott, S.C.

1982 Biblical Ethics and Social Change. Oxford: OUP

( Pannenberg 1991 )

Pannenberg, W.

1991 Systematic Theology Vol. 2. Michigan: Eerdmans

( Placher 1994 )

Placher, W.C.

1994 Narratives of a Vulnerable Supreme being: Jesus, Theology and Scripture. Louisville: W/JKP

( Rees 1995 )

Rees, J.A.

1995 Southern Cross Quarterly ( Autumn ) .

( Rees 1996 )

Rees, J.A.

1996 Intermesh ( April ) .

( Tate 1999 )

Tate, M.E.

1999 Evangelical Review of Theology.

( Truman 1999 )

Truman, Marshall.M.

1999 Evangelical Review of Theology.

( Volf 1996 )

Volf, M.

1996 Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Others and Reconciliation. Nashville: Abingdon

( Welker 1994 )

Welker, M.

1994 God the Spirit. Minneapolis: Fortress

( Wink 1992 )

Wink, W.

1992 Prosecuting the Powers, Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination.

Minneapolis: Fortress

( Wright 1994 )

Wright, N.T.

1994 Following The nazarene: Biblical Contemplations on Discipleship. London: SPCK

( Ryrie 1986 )

Ryrie, Charles.C.

1986 Basic Theology. Colorado Springs: Chariot Victor

( Erickson 1983 )

Erickson, Millard.J.

1983 Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Books