Is God good?

Calvin merely spelled out in more detail what Luther had already said and others agree with, based on his reading of the Bible. God is sovereign over all things. But that doesn't mean anybody has to get all knotted up about it. You are still as free as you ever were.

You agree with Calvin, then, that God is the mastermind behind every crime, the Fuehrer behind every genocide, the secret spirit that engorges the penis of every rapist, the hidden hand that throttles each murder victim, and the voice of the serpent in the garden? --- that none of these things would happen without him positively willing and decreeing that they should occur?When I suggested that you could use your apologetic methods to defend the worship of the absolute quintessence of evil, I meant it merely a reflection on the absurdity of your arguments. I did not realize that you were actually doing so.This explains a lot of things about you.

I should also like to ask how you square this with your previous apologetics. When I suggest that God might prevent crimes, you say: But when Calvin asserts that we only commit crimes because God positively wills and ordains that we should do so, you just say, oh, yes, God is sovereign. No worries about "free will" and us being "automatons" there. That's all fine. It's only if he stops us from committing sins rather than making us do so that your tender concern for our free will manifests itself.

Calvin didn't say that. Scripture is very clear that God cannot sin. Only human beings can sin. Yes I know it's beyond ordinary human ability to understand, God IS beyond our understanding in many of His qualities so really there's no point in debating it. God cannot do evil, period, that's an article of faith based on the Bible. You reject it all, you prefer your own puny human intellect to God's revelation, we share no basic assumptions, so I leave you to it at this point. Besides, I'm having a deliriously happy time listening to The Messiah for the third time this evening.I do assure you, however, that all the evils done by human beings will be PERFECTLY punished when the time comes.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

Which is a fact that is contradicted BY the bible.When God killed all animal and plant life on the planet - including the children who could not be guilty of any sin - he committed an evil act by any definition at all - even yours.But somehow you feel able to deny this like you can deny the simple arithmetic fact that your beliefs are held by a minority. It's a very interesting psychological condition.

I do believe that Christ died for my and everyone else s sins. As far as calling God a "she" do you think that hurts God any?

You have to be a bit more explicit. I don't think you've ever said you know you're saved or "born again," at least I've never seen you say it. Does that figure into your beliefs or not?Do you believe a person must believe Christ died for his sins in order to be saved or just that He died for everybody so everybody is saved without even acknowledging him or something like that?Seems to me I've seen you deny the authority of the Bible which suggests you pick and choose what you like and throw out the rest. Is that a fair statement? That isn't the important question, the question is whether it hurts YOU and it does. It's extremely important to have a right idea of who God is and our only source of that information is the Bible and the Bible refers to God exclusively as "Father."The question is Do you want to be saved or do you want to be damned, that's really the only two choices, and if you want to be saved and spend eternity with Christ and myriads of other believers you have to believe what the Bible says about God, and "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Christ is the center of the gospel.I have a feeling you haven't done this and maybe even don't want to do it and i'm very sorry if so, but I hope I'm wrong.

There are no contradictions in God's word, they're all in the minds of
those who impose their own views on it instead of submitting to it as God's word for your own good. Try that some time, it will revolutionize your life. That's a lie invented by a morally challenged fallen human being, it is certainly not my judgment. God is a righteous judge and the Flood was a righteous judgment for rampant human evils whether you can see it or not.And Noah PREACHED TO THEM THAT THEY COULD BE SAVED AND THEY ALL REFUSED. There is no excuse for any of them. I have no trouble at all knowing God is a righteous judge of all things even though we can't always understand it from our point of view; and your constant refrain about my beliefs being in a "minority" really needs to be set straight once and for all. What ARE you talking about? I could not care less that there are more false religions in the world than those who share my beliefs, that is, I'm sorry that there are so many with false beliefs but I don't care on my own account and never said I did.My constant claim has been that my beliefs are standard orthodox garden-variety BIBLE-BELIEVING PROTESTANT CHRISTIANITY shared by the vast majority of people who call themselves evangelical or Protestant and taught in the vast majority of denominations that use those names.WHICH sense of "minority" are you carrying on about anyway? I'm a minority in one category but not the other.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

Correct.
It is from the bible.Or are you (like Jaywill) claiming that children weren't drowned during the flood? Yeah!
Those pesky babies and their defiant, anti-god protests!Edited by Panda, : No reason given.

Can you please explain to me in simple terms how a new born baby can refuse to be saved and why killing just one of them in the flood would not be an evil act?

Sure, because God is righteous and He does no evil and we don't have to know all His reasons.And besides that there is some reason to believe that babies and children up to the time they are morally responsible go to be with Him. I personally don't need to believe this, I believe that whatever God does is right and good and I'll know it for sure when I see Him.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

You have no comprehension how utterly stupid this is. God can kill a baby for no reason at all but still be righteous? This presumably is the absolute morality that humans are supposed to emulate?Bonkers, total nonsense.Edited by Tangle, : No reason given.

The stupid thing is to think you can judge God who can see things you can't see, and to think you need to know His reasons for things you aren't in a position to understand. He's righteous, He does no evil and we don't have to know all His reasons.You're supposed to learn from the Flood that God judges us for our sins, you're not supposed to judge Him. Scripture says He judged them for the wicked thoughts of their hearts and the violence they committed.Another thing the Bible teaches is that we inherit sin from our parents and for all you know the babies you are so hypocritically concerned about had inherited a double dose of the violence of their parents.There are things you don't know, and it's arrogance to judge God for things you are in no position to judge. Some day you'll know, too bad it looks like it will be too late but that's your choice. Who said we're to emulate it? God is our judge, we are not his judge. We're to trust Him.

Again Faith, stop misrepresenting me. I do not call the Gospel foolish, I say that the gospel you try to market makes God look foolish.Jesus was born and so He was going to die.I did not say that Jesus shouldn't die because it was shameful, I say that the gospel you try to market reduces Jesus to no more than a burnt offering and devalues his life and teachings.Of course Jews and Muslims worship the same God as Christians. Of course they deny that Jesus is God, but so what? Is the little god you try to market so petty that It would get pissed if it got dissed?And it still doesn't show God as being good.

But the Bible says that we do know right from wrong just like God does, that God does not know everything and that we should judge God.Have you ever read the Bible Faith?