I often hear people say that "God is in control".
I disagree. I think that He CAN exercise control, but that He does not always do so.
Trying to extract Gods Hands out of actions in His creation can never really compute, can they? John 1:1-3, Col. 1:16-17, Heb. 1:3, Rev. 4:12 all show Gods creation of all things, upholding all things, by Him all things consisting. When we, by our own impositions and suppositions depart from these understandings we have only done ourselves a disservice.
Why would we isolate God from adverse actions? His adverse actions are well set to print just as easily seen as the good. What we are really horrified about is a God that created, deployed and uses evil and death. But that side of the equation is where we are inevitably compelled to look. In the realm of theology it's a subsection termed theodicy. The scriptural studies of vindication of Perfect God in relationship to evil/death/sin in the creation.
When I first started studying this general subject, I was perhaps fortunate to try to engage trying to "define" just exactly what Perfect God really means. I found out I couldn't really define or limit, from my quite limited by comparison perspective, what that really means, because logically, reasonably, we are instantly stymied if we can't see our own limits in such feeble attempts. Understanding my own limits gave me appreciations for the term "eternal." I instantly distrust anyone who says "they captured" the Mystery of God in Christ. It can not be done, legitimately. That's why God is termed A Great Mystery. I might even say "An Eternally Great Mystery." At that point of understanding I left off that side of the ledgers to examine the other side of the equations, as they are more tangible. Every "thing" else
must logically, reasonably fall under and below The Eternally Great Mystery of God. Basic hinge point.
I often hear "God's will always happens",
I disagree. I think that His will DOES often happen, but not always.
I'd say His Will always happens, regardless, by reasons of simple Superiority.
I often hear people say, "If it happened, then it was God's will".
I think that many things happen that are outside of His will.
If the above three italicized statements are all true, then, well, abortion happens. Is abortion, at least sometimes, God's will? (I say no. You will have a very hard time convincing me otherwise.)
God is not extracted from matters of death. By His Own Words, HE KILLS. This fact can not be avoided:
Deuteronomy 32:39
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me:
I kill, and
I make alive;
I wound, and
I heal:
neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
I'd just have to call that Divine Superiority. There is no other way to reasonably see it.
1 Samuel 2:6
The Lord killeth, and
maketh alive:
he bringeth down to the grave, and
bringeth up.
Again, same observation as prior. Divine Superiority.
Deuteronomy 30:15
See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and
death and evil;
I haven't found any reasonable way to get past any of the above.
See, my position is that God allows a LOT of stuff that is NOT in His will. I MUST take this position, otherwise, I must accept that His will includes some things that I find contradictory to what I understand His character to be.
Ultimately, IF we see that in His Divine Superiority over "all things" and works "all things" for Ultimate GOOD, I believe God to be completely and totally "exonerated" in any exercises of good and evil. And Paul points us directly to that sight, here.
Romans 8:28
And we know that
all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
IF I didn't believe the above, I'd have given up on God in Christ and theology in general long ago.
We just have to turn up our own dials of understanding His Far Surpassing Superiority over "all things" and not try to drag Him down, to "equalize" Him with His creation, which is a shame, really. What people don't understand is that God can create and deploy any particular thing, power, working, and NOT be the same as that which is created. This is where the theological train wreck happens, when we equalize God to created things or created powers, adverse.
I do not post here for a debate or argument, I instead ask others to offer me their view, their wisdom. Am I overlooking something within logic or scripture? Can some of you help me out here?
Pretty much. I've seen a myriad of believers who try to dissect God away from His Own creation. It doesn't work. And these same all do so on the quite false basis of "equalizing" The Divine Sovereign to "things" in His creation, which is the essence of the problem.
Allow me to provide a very small example of Divine Reasoning, which Paul uses, and I can cite by scripture, but I'll summarize it thusly:
IF God created evil to demonstrate His Eternal Mercy to us by using that adverse power OVER us, IS He justified in doing so?
I say Absolutely He Is Justified in doing so. In this He shows both His Divine Superiority and His Mercy.
We might even see that God in Christ, in the context of unlimited Power and unlimited Authority, can take every evil and make it as if it NEVER even happened. IF it all works out to the good. And, IF then His Superiority over "all things" is demonstrated to us, what a Mighty God we serve.
Christian theological food for thoughts and contemplations. Give God more credit. Thank Him for "all things." Give thanks in "all things." Expect not only a good, but A PERFECT outcome.
