Is God good?

The topic is about whether God is truly good. I believe of course God is.Paul spoke of the kindness and severity of God- "Behold then the kindness and severity of God ..." (Rom. 11:22)It makes sense to me that over the centries of God's actions in many many varied situations, the revelation of God would present a wide scope of instances.There is no question to me about God's kindness. In the 150 some Psalms there are so many passages on His patience, kindness, longsuffering with men. It is appropriate that we also be provided samples when God HAD to be severe.We need to see that an all-inclusive God has more than just one side. So I believe this Perfection would present over the 1600 years of bible history some instances of His more severe reactions.No doubt some TOUGH instances are among these. I do not say they are easy for me to explain. But the total SCOPE of recorded ways God dealt with the world rightly should be revealed if we are to get a full view of God.The Amalakites attacked the Hebrews in the Exodus from behind, killing the stragglers and weakest travelers. It doesn't surprise me that God therefore reserves severe recompense to them.We are told God would not bring the Hebrews into Canaan until the people had degraded so bad that they merited a conquest.I believe some instances of the hardest of the hard who did not scatter died. These were probably combatants. The "cities" were termed as fortresses which indicates a military base.The first instruction was to drive the Canaanites out rather than to exterminate every living one of them.The presence of some of these people in the land proves that Joshua did not literally kill every last on of any of those societies.Jonah is a book reserved for the subject of God's reluctance to have to judge a nation.Why did the Hebrew kings have a reputation of being merciful ?Too many words of judgment are uttered by God against nations who went overboard in making warfare. So it is doubtful that He condoned genocide or excess.It may be very hard for us to imagine that a society could sink as low as some of those societies did. Obviously God's judgments vary. The varying judgments of God in the Old Testamen demonstrate that He regarded different levels of culpability.Why were not ALL the enemies of Israel dealt with as harshly as the Amalakites ? There most be with God VARYING levels of His chastizement.If there are varying levels, it is His responsibility that we be informed of the whole wide scope, including some of the harshest.Any stereotyping of God as always as severe as in the few instances in the OT is not realistic or honest. One has to work hard to keep a blind eye to the hundrends of merciful and kind actions of God.The last manifestation of God is in Jesus Christ of the New Testament. God's hatred against sin is all the more reason to regard that on an eternal basis ALL men for ALL sins may be justified by Hiss redemptive death.The terminated lives of some OT figures is not at all the final destiny of them in the eternal scheme.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

I say the "awefulness" of the Noah account is accompanied by the wonderfulness of His salvation, His righteous termination of such a low sunken world.It is perculiar that you see this judgment only from the side of a Cain like attitude. You know Cain had no remorse whatsoever about his sin. He only chided God about the chastizement coming to him. "And Cain said to Jehovah, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Now You have driven me out this day ... and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer ..." (See Gen. 4:11) Not the slightest hint from Cain about his murdering his brother. We see ONLY complaints about God's chastizement being unfair. Similarly with you, that nearly a century of violence and continual imiginations of wicked doing is not regarded by your complaint at all.I am glad that God realistically warns the world that things CAN actually get that bad. On your part selective outrage. Not too much interpretation is needed in the Noah story. Quotation is sufficient to realize that the society had gotten so rotten that it would have been unrighteous for God not to intervene.That future generations learned from the example is His goodness. This requires little interpretation but rather simple quotation: "And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that EVERY IMAGINATION OF THE THOUGHTS OF HIS HEART WAS ONLY EVIL CONTINUALLY." (Gen. 6:5)"So what?" complains the starry eyed humanist.So the need for a new beginning from this ruined humanity. And that these things are an example to us God seekers today only requires quotation and belief -
"Now these things [of the Old Testament] occured as examples to us, that we should not be ones who lust after evil things, even as they also lusted. ... Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our admonition, unto who the ends of the ages have come." (1 Cor. 10:6,11) We are exhorted to recall the Noah story a number of times in New Testament.The more foolish expoundings come from those who senses are so dull that they only see fault in God's terminating that world. I will discuss this in some detail in another post. It will be discussed by me fairly with the most important facts considered. The analogy is not bad. The instructions of the mother are given appropriate to the child's age. To eat with fingers is good for one stage of growth. To use a fork is better with further maturity.We are told that the law was a child conductor leading us to grace.
"So then the law has become our child-conductor unto Christ that we might be justified by faith. But since faith has come we are no longer under a child-conductor." (Gal. 3:24,25) This verse shows that the Levitical laws were a step in the progressive leading of man to Jesus Christ and the Gospel of grace.So what the growing child analogy corresponds to the progressive spiritual apprehension of the unfolding character of God.This is all the time I have right now. To be continued latter.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

The Bible tells me that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God's throne (Psalm 89:14) . I believe that God's authority to govern the universe, to administrate all things would collapse if God is not righteous.Of all men who have lived who could conceivably qualify for that task of correcting the Almighty, no one, I think, exceeds Jesus Christ. Jesus refers to this God as His "Righteous Father".The few other options to me are less believable:1. The Bible lies and God did not do those things recorded.2. And incompetent God is in need of the education of His own creatures.3. Jesus was so absolute towards His Father's will knowing that the Father was imperfect.4. The Bible lies concerning Christ's absoluteness to the Father. As I read it these OTHER sinful acts are also make us sinners "worthy of death" (Rom. 1:32) - " ... covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, slanderers, hateful to God, insolent arrogant, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, sensless, faithless, affectionless, merciless; Who, though fully knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do them, but also have fellow delight in those who practice them." (See Romans 1:28-32) I don't get the impression that many of us are not worthy of death similarly. Did you get that? Those who practice such things, according to the righteous judgment of God, are worthy of death.Men who lie with men or women who lie with women should not feel particularly singled out over many OTHER transgressions which the Bible says make one worthy of death.My greater concentration goes to the issue of what the Savior God has done that we might be saved and reconciled to Him.If someone like in the fringe cult the Westfield Baptist Church comes yelling at you that "God hates fags!" point out to them this list of other sins His righteous judgment deems make's one "worthy of death" as well.Now when we come to the case of Sodom and Gamorrah in Genesis, we should notice their pronounced unthankfulness towards God there. He had previously sent Abraham to FREE them from mass kidnapping in Genesis 14."And in the days of Amraphal the kind of Shinar, Arioch ... Chedorlaomer ... Tidal ... thesee kings made war with Bera the king of Sodom and with Birsha the king of Gomorrah ..." (14:1,2) The people of Sodom served Chedorlaomer twelve years lost a battle of revolt. All of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and their food were stolen away.The patriarch Abraham, the prophet of God, risked his life to rescue them with his own servants. He did it not for any reward at all. He did it because his nephew Lot was among the captives and it was the right thing to do. Abraham slaughtered the kidnappers of the Sodomites (Gen. 14:17). He was BLESSED and not scolded by Melchizedek the priest of God Most High (Genesis 14:18) "And he [Melchizedek] blessed him [Abram] and said, Blessed be Abram of God the Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God the Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." (v.19) The king of Sodom offered a material reward that the patriarch Abraham refused (vs. 21,22). Only necessary food for his soldiers he requested. So while we are upset that latter God rains fire on Sodom and Gamorrah, let's also notice that God saved them previously and slaughtered those who had kidnapped them.It could be that the cry of rebellion of the homosexual mobs in Sodom was the unthankful response to this divine kindness which contributed to the harshness of God's judgment of them latter - And Jeohvah said, The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah, how great it is, and their sin, how very heavy it is! I shall go down and see whether they have done altogether according to its outcry, which has come to me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before Jehovah." (Genesis 18:20-22) God has previously shown unusual divine kindness and deliverance to the people of Sodom and Gamorrah. The rememberance of this kindness is requited by an outcry of disregard for nature and nature's God. This outcry is like the shaking of their fist in God's face - "We want what we want what we want - PERIOD! And no God is going to interfere."The harshness of the judgment of chapter 19 may have as its backround the knowledge of God that the people SHOULD have had.Evil men had been slaughtered who had attacked their society in chapter 14. This was no way to return apprecation to God.So they suffered a severe lesson.In that judgment Abraham challenges God as the Righeous Judge of all the earth that, surely He will not slay any nonworthy men mistakenly with the guilty - (Genesis 18:23-33).It is on the bases of this early debate between God and His prophet that I have ground to believe that in judging God always knows EXACTLY what He is doing. There is no error. There is no oversight. His total command over creation - even maintaining the size, speed, characteristics of the tiniest subatomic atomic particles encourages me that His knowledge is infallible.There is another issue. Why cannot the men of Sodom who sought to rape men plead that they have only been created to have such a lust ? Well, on the same grounds I might absolve myself from being "worthy of death" for saying -"But God created me a whisperer."
"But God created me a slanderer."
"But God created me one disobedient to my parents."
"But God created me covetous, or a murderer, or full of envy."
"But God created me insolent, arrogant, or sensless, or full of malignity."There are many many things in the fallen Adamic nature which are as seeds in our being.This may come out or the other.This lust may ferment and manifest itself or another may grow and bear fruit.In the fallen nature we were constituted in at the disobedience of Adam are many things we were "born" with.He has not left us with no hope of being stuck with what we were born plagued with.What He has let happen in Adam's failure - polluting all men, Christ, in a reflexive manner has come to undo and constitute us righteous. This is why Christ is called "the second man" and "the last Adam".You may read about this in Romans chapter 5 which includes this passage: "For if by the offense of the one death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

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So then as it was through one offense unto condemantion to all men, so also it was through one righteous act unto justification of life to all men." (Rom. 5:18,19) The same principle that worked against us, God in His goodness causes to work for us. "For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were CONSTITUTED sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be constituted righteous." (Rom. 5:19) The Gospel arrives with this truth. As we were constituted with all manner of unrighteous tendencies by the fall of Adam we may now become "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4) through Christ the second man, the last Adam. He concludes the damage inflicted upon us through Adam. And He became a divine life supplying Spirit constituting us sons of God and proper human beings - "the last Adam became a life giving Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45) Having members of my immediate family who are in the gay lifestyle, I am not unsensative to them. In Christ I love them.And I also know some who have partaken of the regeneration through Christ and the divine nature of the new birth for deliverance from homosexual lust as well as other lusts.Did you notice that God expresses His hatred for DIVORCE as well ? " For I hate divorce, saus Jehovah the God of Israel; and he who does it behaves in violence, says Jehovah of hosts. Take heed then to your spirit, and do not be treacherous." (Malachi 2:16) Isn't there enough blame to go around to practically everyone ?God says He hates DIVORCE. And the Romans passage said that the unfaithful were worthy of death.So while these issues can become heated, as indicated by your emotional ad homs hurled at God, I like to carefully consider the fuller perspective. And especially the love of Christ the Savior for all sinners and His going to the cross for their redemption no matter what they (rather WE) have done.Once again homosexual acts are listed along with and not above other acts which will exclude someone from participation in the kingdom of God. I do not regard these passages as saying such cannot be saved. I regard them as indicating before one can participate in the coming millennial kingdom of God, sanctification must have done its work to transform one into more Christ likeness.Ie. [color=orange] "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be led astray; neither fornicators nor idolators nor adulterers nor effeminate nor homosexuals nor thieves nor the covetous, not drunkards, not revilers, not the rapacious will inherit the kingdom of God.

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And these things were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor. 6:9-11) I do not read here special condemnation of homosexuals over "unrighteous ... fornicators ... adulterers ... unrighteous ... thieves ... drunkards .... etc. etc." So if the gay man thinks the Bible is picking on him, I would inform him that the thief, the fornicator, the envious, the idolator, the reviler has cause to feel just as picked on as well.But all may be justified in Christ and all may be sanctified in the Holy Spirit for the kingdom of God. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

We arrived in this universe and God informed us of His judgment upon these things. The last judgment is His. It is not mine. It is not yours.I understand your objection. I agree on one level. On another level I think we under estimate what PERFECT ... PERFECT means. Behind the created universe is one who is absolutely RIGHT. The Bible says that the judgment of God is according to truth.The judgment of God is according to truth (Rom. 2:2) Now if there were no way of condemnation from that which is eternally and unlimitedly RIGHT then that would be a hellish nightmare. But God HAS provided a salvation.I am not going to wait for God to give up His rightness. He seems that He will not give it up for anyone or anything. He simply will not go back on what is the perfect will of God.So I look to the gracious, extensive, all inclusive salvation. God can look upon me as if I had never sinned, as if my total history is simply Christ. And with Christ He is alone completely satisfied. We also do not execute the final judgment upon all beings.I agree that even the Mosiac law did not prescribe death for every and all transgressions. But at the same time God said the sinner is worthy of death, if not to be slain on the spot.In short what I am dealing with is a God before whom, if I have one sin unforgiven, unatoned for, I am in trouble before His eternal perfection.Now here's the good news. The Substitute, the Propitiation for my sins is Perfect. Since He is perfection before the eternal righteous one He is qualified to propitiate for the sins of the world.He is also able to present us without spot or wrinkle or any such defect before God. He is able to conform us to the image of Himself. "Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love, predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will ...." (Eph. 1:4,5) God can put us into a sphere and realm of a living Christ in which His nature can conform us to the image of the One who is only alone well pleasing to Him.Normal to this God is Christ. So I allow Him to put me INTO Christ for His good pleasure and His eternal purpose. I do not argue that He change and give up His uncreated and eternal perfection. I don't mine reviewing the logical fallacy called "special pleading", But it seems to me that you critics are allowed to make your special pleadings on the negative side but I am not to interpret as I see appropriate on a positive side.Do you think your logics do NOT look like "special pleading" to me ?Where is the weight of evidence as regards the bulk of what the Bible reveals? It is certainly, I feel, with His desire "that all men be saved and come to the full knowledge of the truth."I see God's eagerness to save and not judge. But I also see that He will not relinquish His perfection of holiness and of righteousness."God couldn't You just be a little less perfect ?"This is special pleading.What I read in the Bible is more like this - God says "Jaywill, because of the entrance of sin into the world you and I have become incompatible. By the way, I don't change."So I pay attention to His plan to reconcile me, to justify me, to sanctify me, and to present be before Himself in Christ, like Christ for my enjoyment and His glory. A door is opened for me to let the Son of God be the victim in my place. If I insist that I will carry the penalty myself when the offer of a Substitute is there, then the victim IS to blame.Jesus Christ is here to be Victim on your behalf.
I'd take it rather than argue that you're innocent.Your own conscience knows what you would not like to have to explain to God what and why you did it. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

You like to say "your diety". But I think one Creator created both of us. I don't think you have your own personal Creator and I mine. I believe ONE God is God whether we like to own God or not. I say we can misunderstand. Didn't you regard your dad as doing EVIL at times when with latter maturity you understood his actions better ?I read a story about a man who had to rush his kid to the emergency room. The doctor's strict instruction to him were to NOT LET THE CHILD FALL ASLEEP. So all the way to the hospital he kept shaking the kid, hitting the kid to assure that he did not slip into sleep. The ride to the emergency room was long and tense. No doubt the child did not understand. The child was being saved from a greater harm.Perhaps latter this person realized the father's shaking and hitting were a saving of his life on the way to the hospital.I do not say ALL accounts in the Bible are easy for me to explain. I am not made of stone or wood. I have feelings about certain difficult occurences. I reserve the right to admit that perhaps I am short in understanding as God understands.In the mean time there is Jesus Who appears absolutely not for Himself. He pours out everything for the obedience to His Father's will.I trust the more difficult stories will be comprehended by me as I mature spiritually. If I offer some possibilities they are no more "special pleading" then your hunting amid myriads of kind acts of God in the Bible only to choke on a few examples of His ability to be strigent. So if this is now argument by disrespect, then you have lowered the bar of discussion. Its curious though how you would expend so much energy and thought to try to refute something which means no more to you than fiction.And if you are an Atheist then your outrage is really meaningless. What is goodness then ? Evolution cares nothing for what is good. It only works for what will survive.How then can you trust your moral sense ? It cares nothing for any ultimate absolute goodness. It only cares for what may help the physical organism to survive. That's rather stupid. There's ample teaching from the mouth of Jesus that not everything done in His name would be acceptable. "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, was it not in YOur name that we prophesied, and in Your name cast out demons, and in YOur name did many works of power?

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And then I will declare to them: I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness." (Matt. 7:23,24) Both in the OT and even more in the NT we are given heads up that not all religious zeal will stand uncondemned before God.Then again those who read the Bible the least often fancy themselves the best experts on it. That's good. But I am more impressed with Jesus. More argument by ad hom. "Maniac" "Psychopath" "Monster" whatever.If you were in position to judge God as inferior in righteousness than yourself then I suspect you would have the same impact on history as Jesus.Clearly, you're nowhere close. Just another run of the mill Web skeptic - dime a dozen. Have the impact on human history that Jesus had then maybe I'll consider your ethics superior to God's.If Christ negatively critiques the God of the OT then that would be highly significant to my Christian worldview.
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Folks, there is no final accounting with the Atheistic evolutionary system.At least with the God of the Bible there is a concluding and final judgment according to an infallible record of one's deeds. With the evolutionary system all the evil doers will only melt peacefully into the dust of the ground.Just like Adolf Eichman said - the Nazis would jump laughing into their graves having done what they did.This, the skeptic of Christ's Gospel, thinks is more right. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

No you do not have it correct.
Your question presupposes God and Christ as fictitious.Why should I go along with such a loaded presupposition ?

That's YOUR gamble. That it is hypothetical.Now I would point to the resurrection of Christ as historical and ample proof - that as He predicted He would be raised from the dead so all men would be raised from the dead.So YOUR gamble is that a future resurrection of the dead and judgment is only hypothetical.Judging from the track record of the Speaker, I toss my bet in the probability that He speaks the truth.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Big change of subject.Here's something you should think about - God's attitude towards the enemies of Israel against whom the skeptic says He was genocidal or at least very hateful.He wiped out a huge Assyrian army besieging Jerusalem under Hezekiah. He executed many firstborn of the Egyptians in the Exodus.Assyrians and the Egyptians. They're big enemies of Israel - "In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. In that day Israel WILL BE THE THIRD PARTY with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying -

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"Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance." ( Isaiah 19:23-25) Wait a minute. I thought the maniacal psychopath genocidal executioner hates these enemies of the Jews to wipe them off the face of the earth ?Hmmm "Egypt My people ... Assyria the work of My hands ..."What about the nasty Phlistines? Everyone knows the people of Goliath, the Philistines were BIG enemies of Israel to be defeated continually.These longstanding enemies, God says, will be like the Jebusites. The Jebusites were people in Canaan during the conquest who made a peaceful pact with Joshua and his army. So here as the Jebusites were brought into the fold of Israel (1 Chron. 21:15, 18, 28) God promises the PHILISTINES, of all people, likewise will be at peace with Israel.No genocide there with these BIG enemies of Israel. Were they not very nasty to the Jews ?Zeechariah 9 says "then they also will be a remnant for our God, like the clan in Judah, and Ekron [a city in Philistia] like the Jebusites." (See. 1-6)God also says Egypt and Babylon will be among those who acknowlerdge God. Same for Tyre and Cush (Ethiopia).Rahab was a harlot from a city cursed by God. She became a great grand mother of David and is included in the geneology of Christ.Ruth was a Moabitess. They were forbidden to enter the congregation of Jehovah until the tenth generation. She has an entire OT book named after her - Ruth. The Moabitess became and pre-ancestor of David the king. She cared for God and God's people.Many nations will join themselves to Jehovah, says God in Zechariah. This is suppose to be the same genocidal ethnic cleanser of the Old Testament speaking. "And many nations will join themselves to Jehovah in that day and will become My people ..." (Zech. 2:11) The judging of the Canaanites is clearly having nothing to do with their ethnicity per se. God tells Abraham that He will not bring the Jews into their land to conquer it for another 400 years only because the people have not gotten BAD ENOUGH yet.All the genocides I know of in history are because people had only the misfortune of being of a certain race or ethnic birth.What did the Canaanites do which was so worthy of judgment ? They must have included things like rampant beastiality. They sacrificed their children to Moloch burning them alive.They were involved in such deep occultic practices that animals and children were consecrated to the demonic world. There must be some reason God had some animals slain too. You all believe what you wish. I believe God knew exactly what He was doing.The religion of the Canaanites often involved sacred sexual promiscuity. The spread of such "worship" - giving people license to fornicate under the guise of performing religious service, God must have deemed dangerously contagious as to threaten human civilization at large.But the Gospel writers record Christ's specific treatment of the Canaanite woman. Jesus said not a word about her being wrongly "left alive".If His Father was genocidal against the Canaanites, why didn't Jesus just finish her off with murder rather than minister mercy and grace towards her ?Your criticisms don't add up skeptical ones. They do not add up to portray the biblical God as a moral monster.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Some old predictable pattern. Jump to another topic. Accuse the poster of preaching.Want to define preaching?If you want to jump to evidence that "WE" accept, which is a whole new topic - "evidence for God's existence" - why pretend you are on this topic? Start your own on Evidences for God's Existence.I'm doing what I'm suppose to be doing here STUDYING the BIBLE along the lines of the question "Is God good?"Looks like you let "We" down fella. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Re-ask it then kindly. If it is simple and on topic I will try to respond in kind.And if it is too tough for me, I'll tell you. I don't claim to have all your answers.

Well, this may be a little grey area. The Bible ALSO says God repented of doing something. See? I can even give you amunition.Conceivably this topic then could go to Forum on Faith and Belief or something more philosophical.So I am studying the Bible - "Bible Study" this forum is.If you want to really get into a philosophical debate "Is God good?" well that doesn't even imply the Bible necessarily. Does it ?Don't dispair. You almost got me. Keep using biblical evidences for your argument.Yea, God had the Amalakites really trounced. Examine WHY too.
Examine WHY the Midianites were so trounced.I have to consider that ALL of the enemies of the Hebrews were not dealt with with the exact same rigor. Why not ?Two possibilities:1.) God just gets into particularly worse moods on occasion and does MORE infliction on a whim.2.) He had sufficient reasons in Himself why this people merit this judgment but another people merit another lesser judgment.I assume the latter case. After examining all the data, I assume the latter must be the case. And this even though I cannot always detect His reason.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

I feel that Jesus Christ was not just good. He was GLORIOUSLY good. He was extraordinarily splendid in goodness.Rahvin, may be good compared to some other people. But is he gloriously good - good with a excelling splendidness such that the human race has defined history of the world in terms of "Before Christ" and "In the Year of Our Lord ? "Christ is this Bible's God incarnate as a Man. He is not a different God from the God in Genesis six or Genesis nineteen or in the book of Joshua.He is the Triune God of the Father - Son - Holy Spirit - three-one God. My position is that of the Scriptures - "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." God, whom you say murdered 99.9% of the people designed and created 100% of them. He has the authority to bring them into being. He also has the authority to decide when they should be no more.And He has the authority to bring them physically back to life.I believe God says He has furnished a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness. And He has furnished proof of this by resurrecting Christ, by whom He will judge all, from the dead. " ... He [God] has set a day in which He is to judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has designated, having furnished proof to all by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:31) I think this man is qualified to be the Judge of ALL men, women, children, fetuses, unborn, retarded, brilliant, dull, young and old and whatever. He is qualified.He is not only good. He is not only very good. He is good with a near blinding radiance. Even His enemies say so, many of them.Your question implies I should consider that Rahvlin is qualified to be this One's judge.Okay. I considered it. I think he doesn't qualify. I do not think he rises higher than Christ. I do not think he rises higher than the God written about in Exodus or even Joshua.But he may be a super guy by typical standards of typical bloaks.
Christ, he is not. Ask him yourself.I pointed out God's long suffering in the Old Testament. He tolerated that evil society for 400 years until He HAD to judge. Then He gave them an additional 40 years.That is a lot of long suffering and patience while people are suffering under the wickedness of a evil society. "They [Egypt] will affict them four hundred years ... And in the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." (See Gen. 15:13-16) Ie. They are not sinful enough yet to merit the example He will make of some of them.We read about God being slow to anger.The short answer is that when Rahvlin or you or someone else sets themselves up as qualified to pronounce God evil, I regard them as delusional at best.When I felt to accuse God in by gone days, it was usually because I wanted to justify my own ego as occupying the throne center of the universe. The thought of the "Lord" repulsed me with fear and rebellion. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

First off, you should know that the whole population was not killed off. God saved 8 people in the ark.So this argument doesn't apply. In no time does God kill everybody on the whole planet.God wants future generations to know some things. One of them is that it is POSSIBLE for human society to sink so low as that world did.Would it be kind of God, if He knew that such was possible, NOT to inform us of this ?Maybe if you spent a week in such a world as the world before the flood you too would realize the need for a whole new beginning.You know this world of Noah was without human government. It was in the real sense an anarchy. Everyone was only governed by their conscience.God let things run their course. We see what can happen when there is no human government. After the flood human government was established (Genesis 9:6) .Notice that before the flood God forbad ANYONE to exact vengence upon Cain for murder (Gen. 4:15). After the flood He establishes capital punishment (Gen. 9:6).I take this as a major shift in human society. The age of men being governed ONLY by their conscience was ended. Now in principle, men who listen to conscience should exercise some rule over those who do not listen to conscience - Human government.The Flood was the line of demarcation of the old and new dispensation.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

I agree that God is good. (If not agree with you, I agree with the concept of the good God.)It was good that God made an example, good that they were judged, good that He saved some, good that He started a new beginning, and good that He instituted a major shift in dispensation after the failed one was manifest as inadaquate for His purposes.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.