[CS-FSLUG] OT: bailout

[Jon Glass]

On Sun, Feb 8, 2009 at 2:13 PM, Ed Hurst <ehurst at soulkiln.org> wrote:
> Jon was right, in that the issues is the definition of "evil." Concrete
> logic with precise and inflexible definitions is the best approach in
> computers and software, but cannot be applied to God's Word. The Hebrew
> culture itself rejects such a notion.
>
Since you invoked me, I feel a need to clarify my own stance. I cannot
say I agree with what you wrote. What I meant was quite simple.....

We'll start with Joseph. His brothers did an evil thing--they sold him
to slavery, and told his dad he had been killed. Imagine selling your
own flesh and blood to slavery--to unimaginable horrors. That _was_
evil. There is no grey in this. HOWEVER.... As Joseph himself told his
brothers, "You intended it for evil, but God intended it for good"!
Man proposes evil, accomplishes evil, but God, in His sovereignty and
omnipotent power, can turn the results of that to good--even the
greatest good! Look at Rahab, the harlot. She _lied_ to protect the
Jewish spies--and God rewarded that? Well, no, He rewarded the faith
that caused her to side with Israel in that war, but even better, she
ends up being the great, great, great (something) grandmother of
David, who, as we all know, is the "father" of Jesus Christ. And what
with Him? The greatest evil in the world, the powers that be conspired
to murder Him, a completely innocent man--but more so, the Jewish
Messiah! The Anointed One of Israel--and they _knew_ it! (or at least
knew it to be possible), for what reason? To protect what they had.
This is the greatest betrayal of all time--yet God meant it for
Good--our good--the greatest good of all time--the redemption of
mankind. We, ourselves--all of us--are evil. Yet, He died for us, the
just for the unjust, while we were yet evil sinners, He died for us.
Yes, it is evil what happened--and we are evil--yet God's grace and
God's predeterminate plan, and in His omnipotence, He worked it all
for our good. So, from our perspective, Pharaoh was evil, and had evil
plans (although, I do not personally believe that what he and Joseph
did during the 7 years of plenty was evil, nor what they did during
the 7 years of famine). Pharaoh, in his evil character, caused the
death of millions of Egyptians, as well as untold suffering--Yet it
was the direct hand of God that was responsible. Was God guilty of the
evil? or Pharaoh? Yet, out of that evil, good came--again, our
redemption.

Essentially, this was all I meant by what I said. You and I look upon
something as being evil, yet God can and always does, work things for
His will--which is _never_ evil.


-- 
 -Jon Glass
Krakow, Poland
<jonglass at usa.net>

"I don't believe in philosophies. I believe in fundamentals." --Jack Nicklaus