In the beginning God created Evil

I like the quote but unless there were two prominent theologians named Ray Stedman you've got your facts wrong. The Ray Stedman I knew graduated from the Dallas Seminary but never was President. He was Pastor of the Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto CA for 40 years and had great insight into the scriptures. I attended his church in the mid-70's when I lived out there. I believe his Bible commentary is still on blueletterbible.com.

Ray C. Stedman
http://www.joyofliving.org/html/authors.html#ray

Ray Stedman is the author of the commentary portions of Psalms of Faith and Psalms from the Heart, both taken from the book Psalms of Faith (Regal, out of print); Nehemiah and Job, each based on a series of his sermons; Mark (Part 1), from the book The Servant Who Rules (Discovery House); and Revelation, from the book God’s Final Word: Understanding Revelation (Discovery House).

He was a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and a highly respected Bible expositor. While still in seminary, Ray served two summers in youth ministry at the Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles, pastored by Dr. J. Vernon McGee. Immediately following graduation from seminary, Ray traveled with the well known Bible teacher, Dr. Harry A. Ironside, who for many years was pastor of Moody Bible Church in Chicago. Ray, his wife Elaine and their family then moved to Palo Alto, California, where Ray served 40 years as pastor of the Peninsula Bible Church, before retiring in 1990.

Ray and Elaine were blessed with 4 daughters and eventually 11 grandchildren. Ray went home to be with the Lord in October 1992.

 

Jesus is not the best guide - He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Do you know of another way?

It seems to me that, by reading many of your posts, that you are trying to cast doubt on the reliability of the Bible. Is that your point?

 

So you're claiming that everything that you understand God does? We differ on that point. I don't think you or anyone else understand all of God's ways. It says that in the Bible. Check it out and "understand."

 

You'll never understand it mentally, GIAM.

Check out 1 Corinthians 2:1-16.

Instead of questioning God intellectually, get into His Word spiritually. For that, you need lots of time in prayer, surrender, humbleness.

 

Somehow this didn't come out right. I was saying that we can't understand everything about God.

 

IMHO someone hit the nail on the head by saying God is power and justice.
Does God does something 'just' (as in justice) because it is the right thing to do or is everything God does 'just' because he is God? If the former then who decides? Surely not me.
So if you can accept that everything God does is 'just', then you can answer your question by saying that it was more 'just' to allow man to fall and evil to enter the world than to kill Satan.
Why that is more just we cannot answer -- for now. But perhaps soon...

I think it is good to seek God both intellectually and spiritually. Intellect can strengthen faith, but can never replace it.

 

(smiley with eyes popping and mouth wide open)

 

Wow. I don't say this to be offensive, but I wouldn't want to be your mentor, GIAM. I've got a BUNCH of books you can read, though. You can probably get them locally or thru Amazon.com. After about 6 months with them I think you'll clear away some of the fog that's getting in the way of your walk with Christ.

Hang in there........ :wavey:

 

Where did you get that?

God is love, God is light.

 

You persist in trying to squeeze God into your limited and finite human understanding. God is perfectly logical - He is the essence of logic and He reveals that logic in His perfect written word. You seem to prefer man's flawed humanistic logic to God's perfect logic.

The logical choice is to by faith accept His perfect logic and let God out of the little box that humanists try to create.

How does one follow the Light? How does one follow the Love? How does one follow Jesus? They put their faith in the one perfect logos instead of the corrupt human sorry excuse for logic.

You have warned several here of the danger of not understanding God as you define Him.

I am compelled to warn those who try to box God into their puny human reasoning - you do so at your own peril. God is so much more than you are allowing Him to be.

God, as revealed in His word makes perfect sense and it totally logical to those who will realise that only His logic is really logical and He reveals that logic in the living and the written logos.