~ Simple Questions, But Profound Answers Are Needed ~
On April 3
this year the ALN post was entitled “Inferior
AND Guilty” and recently I received the following comment.
The Question
~ “Who made all? Who made
all such that sin could enter the world in the first place? Who made me? Who made
me inferior and guilty? God Bless You. I tearfully pray for clarity on this.”
My Quick Reply
~ “You have asked some simple questions which require profound answers—of which I am not capable. Tomorrow I
will post a few words about these questions. The only satisfying answers must
come from the Spirit of God directly to you, largely through the written Word
of God and I will be praying for His Spirit to provide you with some deeper
insights than I can give. May God richly bless you.”
A Partial Answer
~ These are great questions… On
the surface the answers are simple. Beneath the surface the answers are very
difficult and my reply is, “I don’t know!” The simple answer to all four
questions is “God”! But beneath the surface of the second question is where the
struggles lie. The complexity of the other three would be diminished if we could
only understand the mind of God with regard to the second question. Since I am
not God, it remains mysterious to me. But here are some thoughts—beginning with
the easiest questions to which the Scriptures give plain answers.
Who made all?
~ “In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). “In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things
were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him
was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:1-5). “He is
the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all
things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things
were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him
all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the
preeminence” (Colossians 1:15-18). The answer to this question is “God.”
Who made me?
~ “And the Lord
God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on
Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its
place. Then the rib which the Lord
God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man” (Genesis
2:21-22). Also see the verses in the answer to the previous question. The answer to this question is also “God.”
To this point we have clear authoritative answers to two of the four questions.
Who made me inferior and guilty? ~ In Genesis 3 we read that Adam and Eve chose
to disobey God and through pride (wanting to be like God) they sinned. Then
they became ashamed of their actions (guilt entered in) and they hid from God. “Then the Lord
God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ So he said, ‘I heard Your
voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ And
God said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of
which I commanded you that you should not eat?’ Then the man said, ‘The woman
whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.’ [Adam blamed
Eve] And the Lord
God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate’ [Eve
blamed Satan] (Genesis 3:9-13). Also see the verses in the answers
to the two previous questions. The answer to this question
is also “God” in the sense that He gave us a decision-making ability. He allows
us to choose between options.
It appears
to me that the root concern of all these questions is with the second
question.
Who made all such that sin could
enter the world in the first place? ~ From
the previous answers above, the answer to this question is also “God.” Now, for
some related thoughts.
Have you
ever loved someone deeply? Has anyone ever shown by their actions that they
really do love you? If you have children, do you love them? Do they love you?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, how would it change that love if
they could only love you—they had no option but to love you? But having a
choice to love or not is what is known in Christian circles as the doctrine of
the “free will” of man. God, our Creator, did not make us robots but gave us
the ability to make decisions. The first man, Adam, chose to disobey God (sin)
through his pride and then blamed God’s best gift to him. The first woman, Eve,
chose to disobey God and rather than admit her sin she passed the buck to
Satan. When they were confronted by their loving God, they were both ashamed
(felt guilt) and guilt has been with the human race ever since.
In God’s
omniscience (all-knowledge without time restraints) He knew that this would
happen. God was not caught by surprise. He knew from before He created the
earth that His created beings given free choice would sin. But what kind of
love is a love which has no choice but to love? It pleases God when some of His
created beings choose to love Him. “We love God because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Now that is real love.
In God’s
infinite love for us He had a plan from the very beginning to justify (make you
just as if you had never sinned) and redeem you (buy you back from the slavery
of sin), but He did it with conditions. The conditions are that you have a
choice to make—which makes your love for God meaningful. The only acceptable way
to be back in a right relationship with God is to realize you are guilty, acknowledge
your sin, comprehend that you are unable to save yourself, and then be humble
enough to accept the payment for your sin by Christ’s sacrifice on your behalf
at the Cross of Calvary. “Jesus said to Thomas, ‘I am
the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
Me’” (John 14:6).
Do I fully
understand it all? Emphatically no. But someday, in heaven, I will. Jay, may
God, through the Word of God and the Spirit of God, provide meaningful insight
to you. May I suggest you spend significant time reading the Word of God rather
than listening to reasoning from men like me. The Gospel of John would be an
excellent starting place.
An Appeal
~ Do other readers have comments
they would like to share?
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
