Your “if” statement is questioning whether or not it’s God’s will that any should perish. In determining such it’s much easier to just take the statement “it’s not God’s will that any should perish” as fact and then determine from that statement what is meant by “perish”. Based on its context I believe it speaks of a life ending in tragedy, in bondage to sin and evil; and it does not speak of what happens after death. It speaks of the natural ramifications of sin in this life. On the other hand, it is God’s will and desire that all repent and have eternal life, be restored to relationship with Him in this present life.
As to why God created Satan and put or allowed him to be in the Garden to tempt Adam and Eve, well, I suspect it has something to do with revealing to Satan and all of creation that love is more powerful than hate, that light is more powerful than darkness, that truth is more powerful than lies, that… well, there is not telling all that God will reveal through the story He’s written/writing concerning creation, especially the creation, fall, redemption, and reconciliation of all humanity.
Why didn’t God intervene and stop Adam from sinning? Because Adam sinning was part of what God planned from the beginning. In fact, scripture says that Jesus was crucified before the foundation of the world. It’s all part of God’s plan, and it’s part of the process of Him raising up children to be like Him, to experientially know both good and evil. And we are certainly getting to know both sides of yin and yang, good and evil.
But then again, who are we to even think we can comprehend the plans of God. Often times I think we are like the proverbial blind men arguing over what an elephant is. One says it’s a fire-hose, another a tree trunk, another a big fan, and another thinks it’s like a snake.
I agree Sherman. How can we appreciate how good God is if there is no bad? It would all just be taken for granted. The only way to truly experience God’s extreme love, compassion, grace and forgiveness is for man to fall and experience sin, hardships and death. The worse it is here, the better it will be there. Adam and Eve didn’t have a true clue on how good God was until after they lost what they had. Isn’t it like that with us? We dont truly appreciate something or someone until it or they are gone. Doesn’t the warmth of the sunshine seem so much more welcomed after a cold freezing winter? Man needs to experience extremes in order to appreciate what God truly has to offer. If nothing was ever bad, we would never know the difference.
By definition everything God does always perfectly meet His own standards, unlike us, He can never make a mistake or fail at anything. However, I would suggest that it’s well within God’s power to purposely create creatures that don’t know everything. In fact, I would suggest that He’s never created anything that’s all-knowing.
I do believe it’s His will that none should perish. I also believe He didn’t need to sovereignly stop Adam because He knew Adam wasn’t going to ultimately perish because of the Fall. Sorry I feel I’m missing the point of your question
God sets up a game of chess, all the pieces are on the board, just the way He wants, “Very good!”, He says, “Adam I suggest you forfeit immediately, however, as I’m a good-sport, I will allow you to make a move, if you wish”. Adam doesn’t listen to God & self confidently starts playing. Not surprisingly God eventually thrashes Adam, Adam learns from experience that God’s the Grandmaster & happily resolves never to challenge Him again!
I don’t think Adam ruined God’s plan because ultimately he won’t end up perishing. I think this is a much better conclusion than having to deny God gets what He wants.
That one is simple. Eating the tree was not the sin, disobeying God’s command concerning eating of it, was the sin. The knowledge from the tree was and is essential to obtaining salvation because without it, the knowledge of the Tree of Life was not available. Sin is not eternal separator of man and God, it is of purpose and design to bring maturity to humanity and become One with Him in unity and Spirit. Lastly, reading Scripture for a place of fear and negativity, means that you do not know God because God is Love and perfect love casts out all fear.
Sin, death, corruption and the sin nature did not exist before the fall. Man and creation were in a state of perfection. Man and creation were in perfect harmony and unity with God before the fall. Man and creation were already one with Him in unity and spirit. God already had all of this before the fall. What UR is God already had set up before the fall because God told Adam to multiply and replenish the earth before the fall happened.
So, if it is God’s will for none to perish why didn’t He sovereignly interfere and stop Adam? There are billions upon billions of people who are perishing right now in Hell. God could of prevented it. Why didn’t He?
P.S. I do not believe God wants anyone to perish…but…
You mean the same corrective punishment that your cohorts on this site claim in 1 John 4:18? So, if I use this fear I don’t know God but Jason Pratt, Sherman and others have said God is using this fear to correct me? Hmmmm.
I do know God meaning I share His life in my spirit ,and I agree, perfect love casts out all tormenting fear and is the central point in 1 john 4:18…not God using fear as correction.
Sin, death, corruption and the sin nature did not exist before the fall. Man and creation were in a state of perfection. Man and creation were in perfect harmony and unity with God before the fall. Man and creation were already one with Him in unity and spirit. God already had all of this before the fall. What UR is God already had set up before the fall because God told Adam to multiply and replenish the earth before the fall happened.
So, if it is God’s will is for none to perish why didn’t He sovereignly interfere and stop Adam? There are billions upon billions of people who are perishing right now in Hell. God could of prevented it. Why didn’t He?
P.S. I do not believe God wants anyone to perish…but
but it IS Calvin’s will… and that of Augustine his “father” - what Wesley referred to as the “election unto reprobation”.
I apologize, but it just leapt into my corrupt mind…
I don’t really have a problem anymore with the OP question as I have a sort of “high christology” of Adam.
If we take seriously the scriptures that speak of orginal Man’s exalted authority - that he was to be “god in the flesh” so far as the affairs of this tiny and temporal earth are concerned, then he wouldn’t have been much of a “son in the image of YHWH” if he had not the capacity to will, make high-gravity decisions, and act on such. He had nothing to gain in the exchange except the knowledge of darkness which in hindsight was not a great thing to desire. But, as his Father, he had the capacity to assess such and was free to assert his bestowed authority. Thus he did.
I find the question of Eve’s sin to be more perplexing, but I admit I am so steeped in western post-modernism that I doubt I can even stare at the issue without my biases. That too is a longterm result of Adam’s shift.
oh and just to correct and earlier quip above: God/YHWH, so far as Adam understood, was not somewhere else… “in Heaven” from whence He might streak down to stop the act… He was right there
We call it ‘Autumn’ over here, and I assume that’s what you’re referring to because any other meaning to ‘the fall’ is unscriptural.
And a perfect man who, by definition, has nothing but perfect thoughts, words & deeds disobeyed God.
You really haven’t thought this through properly.
What’s new!
You can believe what you want, but within the context of the choices God gives you, just remember:
King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
For the record, I believe in free will and predestination. God does give us choices to make but makes it clear that he chooses us and predestines us. Our choices are within the confines of his choosing us. We can choose to sin or eat fattening foods, or kill another person. But he chose us before the foundations of the world. Notice that he didn’t just foreknow us. It wasn’t just knowledge beforehand. He chose us before he even created us.
Aaron this question is asked by atheists to Christians as well. So, while I may have missed it, I would like to hear your rationale as well. To my understanding only strict Calvinists have an answer for this that UR’s couldn’t also apply.
Anyway, my answer is as follows:
Anything finite is vulnerable to corruption.
Thus, it is impossible for the Perfect to create anything absolutely incorruptible, since creation would by nature be finite. It can beget perfection but not create it, and even the begotten being must have always existed.
There is no way for conscious, rational creations to acquire perfection without escaping the possibility of corruption.
There is absolutely no way for conscious, rational creations to escape corruption without accepting a begotten nature from the Eternal Infinite, since finitude is corruptible.
God the Father was always begetting the Son. To create more sons (presumably), they must be unbegetted. In other words, created.
The continually attempted giving and the transfer of unbegetted natures to finite, rational creations through and in the Son, is the whole sad, tragic and yet ultimately triumphant and jubilant story of the human race.
It is the supreme, paradoxical glory of God to raise up sons and daughters from vessels of dirt!
That’s not what I said or meant Revival. What I said and meant was that people who are afraid of punishment are not perfected in love, and that fear of punishment is a natural result of not living right, even if that punishment be understood as remedial. And I certainly haven’t said anything about God using “fear” to correct you personally.
Sin, death, corruption and the sin nature did not exist before the fall. Man and creation were in a state of perfection. Man and creation were in perfect harmony and unity with God before the fall. Man and creation were already one with Him in unity and spirit. God already had all of this before the fall. What UR is God already had set up before the fall because God told Adam to multiply and replenish the earth before the fall happened.
So, if it is God’s will is for none to perish why didn’t He sovereignly interfere and stop Adam? There are billions upon billions of people who are perishing right now in Hell. God could of prevented it. Why didn’t He?
It is based on your statement, that you are wrong.
Romans 5:13-14 For till law sin was in the world: and sin is not reckoned when there is not law; but the death did reign from Adam till Moses, even upon those not having sinned in the likeness of Adam’s transgression, who is a type of him who is coming.
Sin did exist it was just not taken into account where there was no law. In fact, there is no such thing as a ‘sin nature’.
Romans 7:9-13
I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
The answer to your Op:
Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.