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Elie Weisel

• The author tells the story of Elie Weisel, as told in Weisel's book "Night".... Weisel was a holocaust survivor and the book tells of his absolutely horrific experiences - - - and the author's conclusion was that human brutality to other humans shattered Weisel's faith in God.

Open Theists

• Open theists say - God is not responsible for this evil because he gave us freedom and he can't interfere with that freedom - - so, blame the people but you can't blame God.....
• But - - God can't be sovereign and not responsible for everything that happens - - evil evil....
• And - - God doesn't want to be let off the hook - - He put himself on the hook at the Cross...

The God of the Bible

• God never does evil.
• Yet - - God can and does create, send, permit or even move others to evil, for Scripture is clear that nothing arises, exists or endures independently of God's will.
  • Ephesians 1:11 - 11In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
• God can manage to turn the evil aspects of our world for His glory:
  • Exodus 9:13-16 - 13 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, 14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
  • John 9:3 - 3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
• God can manage to turn the evil aspects of our world for His people's good:
  • Hebrews 12:3-11 - 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." 7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
  • James 1:2-4 -Trials and Temptations - 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
• Nothing that exists or occurs falls outside God's ordaining will.....Nothing - including no evil person or thing or event or deed
  • Isaiah 45:7 - 7 I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.
• God can send evil
  • I Samuel 16:14-23 - David in Saul's Service - -14 Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. 15 Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better." 17 So Saul said to his attendants, "Find someone who plays well and bring him to me." 18 One of the servants answered, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him." 19 Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep." 20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul. 21 David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. 22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, "Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him." 23 Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.
  • God sent angels to destroy Sodom & Gomorrah (Genesis 19)
  • God sent 10 Plagues (Exodus 7-12)
  • He sent posonous snakes to grumbling Israelites (Numbers 21:6)
  • He sent a pestilence on Israel that killed 70,000 men (2 Samuel 24)
  • God sent foreign peoples against Judah to destroy it because of Manasseh's sin (2 Kings 24)
  • God sends Assyria against godless Judah (Isaiah 10)
  • God sent a plague to Assyrians soldiers - 185,000 died
• God can send delusions
  • 2 Thessalonians 2:11 - 11For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie
• God permits others to do evil
  • like satan - Job 1:12 - 12 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger."
  • other nations - Acts 14:16 - 16In the past, he let all nations go their own way.
  • like those who killed Jesus - Acts 4:24-28 - 24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: " 'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.' 27Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
• God moves others to do evil
  • Isaiah 19:2 - 2 "I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian— brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.
  • 2 Samuel 24:1 1 Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah."
• Nothing - no evil thing or person or event or deed - falls outside God's ordaining will......Nothing arises, exists or endures independently of God's will. So when even the worst of evils befall us, they do not ultimately come from anywahere other than God's hand...
• So, if all happens within the will of God - - are humans responsible for their actions?
  • Yes!
  • Romans 1:18 - 18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness
  • Romans 2:5-12 - 5But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6God "will give to each person according to what he has done." 7To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11For God does not show favoritism.
  • Romans 3:11-18 - "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." 13"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." 14"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15"Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16ruin and misery mark their ways, 17and the way of peace they do not know." 18"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
  • Neither God's foreknowledge or forordaining of all things, inlcuding all human choices and acts, preclude human responsibility:
    • Acts 2:22-23 - 22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
    • The response? an overwhelming sense of responsibility - - Acts 2:37-38 - 37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Choosing and Willing

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