The battle of good versus evil–
Humanity loves a good versus evil battle. Every superhero story, movie, sports contest, and event in life has the age old battle of good and evil. The hero of the story must overcome the villain. The hero must choose good over evil. So it must be that the God of the universe must be in a battle against Satan. The good of God is in an eternal battle to defeat the evil of Satan.
Well, what if I told you that God is not like humans or superhero’s. What if I told you that God is not in a battle of good versus evil with Satan? Instead, as scripture declares, all is of God. Evil and Satan are not in a cosmic battle with God but are in fact, a tool for bringing God’s purpose and future glory to completion. All the while, the end for every creature is ‘God filling them up’ and this is never in doubt.
Of course there is no doubt that in the relative sense, Satan and God are in an age-long battle. However, in the absolute sense, God is in control of the Adversary.
Let’s look at just a few examples of how ‘bad things’ are used by God and necessary to produce good. Are we going to credit Satan with producing these ‘bad things’ that lead to spiritual evelopment, or are we rightly going to credit God for using Satan as a tool to bring about this spiritual development?
Infirmity is a bad thing and yet God says His power is perfected in infirmity. Paul asked God three times to remove the ‘splinter in the flesh, the messenger of Satan.’ Yet, God said no. Why would God have a messenger of Satan buffeting Paul when He could easily remove it? Because this messenger of Satan gives Paul the opportunity to rely on grace and in it, God’s power is perfected. So logically, God’s power would not be perfected if it were not for this messenger of Satan. God uses Satan and infirmity to show that it is the power of God, not the power of humanity. Without this infirmity, splinter in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, then man would think its his own power and not God’s that get him through.
God uses Satan to show His power. Satan does not suprise God so that the Almighty has to react. God uses Satan as a tool to create a canvass to display His power. This is why Paul says he would rather be glorying in his infirmity…that the power of Christ might be over him.
The religious world wants to rid mankind of this messenger of Satan in order to prove they are worthy. Yet, the truth is that God uses infirmity and this messenger of Satan to prove His power is strong enough to overcome all through Christ Jesus.
Its not your power, its God’s through Christ.
7 Wherefore also, lest I should be lifted up by the transcendence of the revelations, there was given to me a splinter in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, that he may be buffeting me, lest I may be lifted up. 8 For this I entreat the Lord thrice, that it should withdraw from me.
9 And He has protested to me, “Sufficient for you is My grace, for My power in infirmity is being perfected.” With the greatest relish, then, will I rather be glorying in my infirmities, that the power of Christ should be tabernacling over me. 10 Wherefore I delight in infirmities, in outrages, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake, for, whenever I may be weak, then I am powerful. 11 I have become imprudent; you compel me. For I ought to be commended by you, for I am not deficient in anything pertaining to the paramount apostles, even if I am nothing. 12 Indeed, the signs of an apostle are produced among you in all endurance, besides in signs and miracles and powerful deeds. -2 Corinthians 12: 7-12
What about Job? The adversary entered the throne room of God and asked to afflict Job. God said what Satan can do and what he cannot do.
Hence Yahweh said to the Adversary, Behold him in your hand; only keep his soul alive. -Job 2:6
In all the evil that Satan did to Job, he (Job) never addresses the adversary at all. Satan gave Job disease and killed his family and yet, Job says that all of this is of God and not Satan. This whole account shows that Job knows Satan is a tool in God’s hand. All of this serves God end game purpose.
Christians want to quote Job all the time and yet when Job completely proves that Satan can only act according to God’s intention, they ignore him. Job says it plain as day, that all the evil that Satan inflicted on him was FROM GOD.
Does it sound like this evil came from Satan or God?
Then his wife said to him, Are you still holding fast to your integrity? Scorn Elohim and die. Yet he said to her, As some decadent woman speaks are you speaking. Indeed should we receive good from the One, Elohim, and should we not receive evil? In all this, Job did not sin with his lips. – Job 2: 9-10
Why is it that the Christian world will receive good from God but not evil? It is because they don’t know the sovereignty of God and that every evil that Satan exacts is according to God’s plan and will result in an eventual good that gives God glory and maximizes the joy of His creation.
Hebrews 2:10 says that through SUFFERING Christ is wreathed with glory and honor. Some versions say that through SUFFERING Christ was perfected. Are we going to rob God to give to Satan that which is used to create perfection?
10 For it became Him, because of Whom all is, and through Whom all is, in leading many sons into glory, to perfect the Inaugurator of their salvation through sufferings. -Hebrews 2:10
How about Genesis 50:20? So many times I have heard people say that God uses evil, but does not cause or plan evil. As if God turns Satan’s creation of evil into some sort of good that God could only think up in response to Satan or man. Not even close Mr. Christian, God creates and causes evil that man must do in order to provide God’s higher intention.
Genesis 50:20 proves this fact:
You devised evil against me, yet Elohim, He devised it for good in order to accomplish, as at this day, to preserve many people alive. -Genesis 50:20
The Hebrew word used for ‘devised’ is Strong’s word 2803 ‘Chashab’ and it means to ‘think, plan, devise.’
You see, God didn’t react to the evil that Joseph’s brothers did to him. Like the Christian wants to say, “Satan and Joseph’s brothers’ created the evil of selling Joseph into slavery and God just made something good out of it.” No…Wrong!
Scripture says that Joseph’s brothers devised evil against him. That means that they planned it and accomplished it from a human perspective. It was evil. However, God also DEVISED or PLANNED it for good (Gen. 50:20). God didn’t react to what Joseph’s brothers did, He planned what Joseph’s brothers did. For the brothers’ it was evil. For God it was good.
God plans everything for an eventual good purpose. However, relative to our human existence, people plan the very evil that God first planted in them. GOD DOES NOT TURN LEMONS (EVIL) INTO LEMONADE (GOOD), HE MAKES THE LEMONS AND THE LEMONADE. In fact, for this analogy’s sake, the lemonade (good) is dependent upon the lemons (evil). However, if we believe that Satan created ‘evil’ than God must be dependent upon Satan. But, God is dependent on nothing, therefore we know that He created the ‘evil’ of which ‘good’ is produced.
….And God says it in the first person in Isaiah 45:7
Former of light and Creator of darkness, Maker of good and Creator of evil, I, Yahweh, make all these things.
God also says this in Ecclesiastes 1:13:
It is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it.
Did Satan give the sons of humanity an experience of evil? Did man give the sons of humanity an experience of evil? No, God did. So to all Christians out there I ask: How can scripture say that its God that gives humanity an experience of evil if indeed He had nothing to do with evil?
How long will you ignore the truth and the Sovereignty of Almighty God?
In conclusion, I once again present Acts 4:27-28 and the greatest, most evil act in all of human history…..the murder of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Christ and the cross were not after thoughts of evil, but part of God’s great plan from the beginning. It was the ‘evil, sin, and death’ that were created by God in order to pave the way for the ‘goodness, righteousness, and immortality’ of Christ, without which, there would be no need for the Savior at all.
How can we sing about the Savior’s love if there is nothing to be saved from? How can we credit God with giving us a Savior and not credit Him with creating the need for a Savior? We can’t. God does it all.
Herod, Pilate, the Jews, and the gentiles were evil and they will learn from their experience of evil. However, God made them that way in order to bring Christ to the cross and salvation to every creature. Is that not what these verses say?
27 For of a truth, in this city were gathered against Thy holy Boy Jesus, Whom Thou dost anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the nations and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Thy hand and Thy counsel designates beforehand to occur. -Acts 4:27-28
Grace and peace to you all.
This is the end of the article, but below I have included some email responses that I have sent to people regarding their challenge to God’s sovereignty and the creation of evil. Enjoy if you please.
Reader/watcher’s message: no, again, its not that he can’t, its that he’s chosen to let us decide to accept his Grace or not. We don’t save ourselves. We couldn’t be saved without the gift of salvation so idk how you’re getting the idea that Arminians believe we save ourselves. Even though we believe it’s a free choice, we couldn’t make that choice if God didn’t make it available to us. The same way I couldn’t choose to go outside and wash my Lamborghini because I don’t own one. Just because choices are limited doesn’t mean we don’t have free will. Romans 9 doesn’t negate free will, it just expresses God’s sovereignty. If we don’t have free will, then doesn’t that mean that you believe God causes all sin?
My response: How can you say ‘we don’t save ourselves’ when God gives you a so called ‘free choice’ to make a decision that results in salvation or doesn’t result in salvation? You proved by your own statement that ‘your decision’ determines whether you are saved or not. Your saying that God, through Christ, only made it possible for YOU to save yourself. Without your decision, Christ’s work does not apply. So what’s the determining factor here? To your question, “If we don’t have free will, then doesn’t that mean that you believe God causes all sin?” Of course God causes all sin, He is the Cause of everything. Without sin, there would be no Christ, no Savior, no expression of God’s love to unworthy creatures. Sin and death is the canvass God created to paint His masterpiece of reconciliation and immortality through the love of Christ. I ask you to review Acts 4: 27-28 that shows that it was God’s plan to kill Christ by using the sin of Herod, Pilate, Jews, and gentiles. For those people, they committed the worst sin in history…murdering God’s Son. Yet, God planned them to do it in order to save all creation. God will still correct these sinners even though He causes sin. The sinner will learn and grow to greater maturity and joy by experiencing the sin that God caused them to experience.
My response: You seriously think that the salvation of Christ’s cross did not occur to God until Satan chose evil? That sums it up perfectly! You said, “If it was not for Satan of His individual free will choosing the evil of rebelling against the holy and good God, Christ would not have suffered the cross as the sinless lamb of God so that we could be recipients of God’s undeserved mercy and unmerited favor.” You said it yourself, without Satan’s free will choice, the cross would not have occured and Christ would not have come to save the world. You credit Satan with the salvation of the world. If Satan didn’t do what he did, then God could not save the world through Christ. You are correct that God needed Satan in order to serve evil’s purpose and for Christ to come. However, scripture credits God with the salvation of the world, not Satan. God uses Satan’s evil as a foil so that He can show His love by sending His Son. This is God’s plan, not Satan’s. Satan is a creature that reacts to the Creator, the Creator does not react to Satan. You seriously credit Satan with the cross. Read Acts 4: 27-28 that speaks of the evil that Pilate, Herod, the Jews, and the Gentiles commited when they conspired against Jesus. This was the greatest evil in the history of the universe…to murder God’s son. Yet, this all happend according to God’s plan as His hand and His counsel designates beforehand to occur (Acts 4: 27-28). I ask again, you seriously think that the salvation of Christ’s cross did not occur to God until Satan chose evil?
Satan has no ‘free will’ and can only act according to God’s intention, not His stated will, but His intention. There is a difference.
Saved ignoble 
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