The Christian faith is solid in its belief in an all knowing and loving God of creation. However, God’s creation went quickly awry when Eve succumbed to temptation and sin entered into the world. Because Christians also believe that God is omnipotent and omnipresent, there are questions as to God’s implication, if any, in sin and evil. This paper will look at some of those issues. Though there are several Hebrew terms to signify sin, no special word is used for the first sin, that sin committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when the serpent enticed Eve to eat an apple from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve were faced with the first common dilemma – whether to obey divine will or to pursue human desire. Immediately,
…show more content…
He argues that, per Greek tradition, all persons have sinned (Romans 3:23). He traces the roots of this dilemma, per Judaic tradition, to Adam’s actions (Romans 5:12, Genesis 3:1-7). Paul believed that, via his resurrection, Jesus conquered both sin and death. John’s gospel (John 15:22, 24) seems to state that those who hear Christ live sinless. 1 John 4:12-17 states that sin cannot reside where love is present. Ultimately, Acts and the gospels dominated, making readers aware that the gospels were addressed to sinners on behalf of sinners. Luke makes the most references to sin. Jesus’ community was a collection of sinners seeking forgiveness. Matthew’s version of sin is closer to the Torah. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus’ demands surpass the requirements of the Torah. He emphasizes the choice between good and evil (Matthew 7:13-14), and separation of good from bad. Matthew teaches that, in spite of the great potential for failure, there is always a choice between sin and salvation. (Freedman, …show more content…
God is the creator who created out of nothing. God is good and his creation is good. Seeing evil as privation, i.e. a lacking of good, evil could not exist if God did not exist because if there were no good, there would be no evil. However, this does not implicate God in sin. He created man with a free will, which man was allowed to exercise as he wished. While God may know all things, he does not control all things, man is free to exercise his free will. It was because God was able to see all things and know the sins of mankind that he decided to send Jesus to earth to be fully man and fully God and to be crucified for the sins of mankind. God did not create sin, but he created an avenue to save sinful mankind from its actions. Jesus’ death on the cross is God’s ultimate redemption for mankind, but not the only references to God as redeemer. Job tells us in 19:25 that his redeemer is alive and there are references to mankind’s redeemer in Psalms and Proverbs and Isaiah makes many references to God as redeemer. Jeremiah also states that the Lord of heavenly forces is redeemer. In the New Testament, Luke and Galatians refer to God as redeemer. God created man, giving him free will, which man then exercised in disobedience to God’s command. This separated mankind from God and caused sin to enter the world. God did not suspend the consequences for mankind’s disobedience, Adam and Eve were forced from the Garden of
He argues that, per Greek tradition, all persons have sinned (Romans 3:23). He traces the roots of this dilemma, per Judaic tradition, to Adam’s actions (Romans 5:12, Genesis 3:1-7). Paul believed that, via his resurrection, Jesus conquered both sin and death. John’s gospel (John 15:22, 24) seems to state that those who hear Christ live sinless. 1 John 4:12-17 states that sin cannot reside where love is present. Ultimately, Acts and the gospels dominated, making readers aware that the gospels were addressed to sinners on behalf of sinners. Luke makes the most references to sin. Jesus’ community was a collection of sinners seeking forgiveness. Matthew’s version of sin is closer to the Torah. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus’ demands surpass the requirements of the Torah. He emphasizes the choice between good and evil (Matthew 7:13-14), and separation of good from bad. Matthew teaches that, in spite of the great potential for failure, there is always a choice between sin and salvation. (Freedman, …show more content…
God is the creator who created out of nothing. God is good and his creation is good. Seeing evil as privation, i.e. a lacking of good, evil could not exist if God did not exist because if there were no good, there would be no evil. However, this does not implicate God in sin. He created man with a free will, which man was allowed to exercise as he wished. While God may know all things, he does not control all things, man is free to exercise his free will. It was because God was able to see all things and know the sins of mankind that he decided to send Jesus to earth to be fully man and fully God and to be crucified for the sins of mankind. God did not create sin, but he created an avenue to save sinful mankind from its actions. Jesus’ death on the cross is God’s ultimate redemption for mankind, but not the only references to God as redeemer. Job tells us in 19:25 that his redeemer is alive and there are references to mankind’s redeemer in Psalms and Proverbs and Isaiah makes many references to God as redeemer. Jeremiah also states that the Lord of heavenly forces is redeemer. In the New Testament, Luke and Galatians refer to God as redeemer. God created man, giving him free will, which man then exercised in disobedience to God’s command. This separated mankind from God and caused sin to enter the world. God did not suspend the consequences for mankind’s disobedience, Adam and Eve were forced from the Garden of