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| Ernest Hepnar |
2003 The Problem of Evil: Anglican and Baptist Perspectives: MPhil thesis, Bangor University
For my MPhil surveys, I received fifty each, completed of Anglicans and Baptists who have attended a post-secondary denominational college, University or seminary, or are members of one of those denominations who have studied religion at a post-secondary level.
Statement six:
This statement stated: Absolute Dualism, a universe containing two co-eternal Gods, one good, the other evil, is Biblically permissible. Of Anglicans 2% were uncertain with this statement, while 98% disagreed with it. With Baptists 2% agreed with the statement, 2% were uncertain, and 96% disagreed with it. Scripture seems to strongly indicate that Satan and his fallen angel partners were created by God, and thus not infinite or equal to God.
In Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:16, and Revelation 4:11, it is pointed out that God alone is the creator of all things, and as stated earlier, no being appeared to have existed with God prior to creation.
September 2, 2019
In Trinitarian theology...
There is one God (Isaiah 43-45) that is triune (Matthew 28), as examples...
Colossians 2:9-10 (Him is Jesus Christ)
'New American Standard Bible (NASB)
9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made [a]complete, and He is the head [b]over all rule and authority; Footnotes: a Colossians 2:10 Lit full b Colossians 2:10 Lit of '
N.T. Wright explains in regard to Colossians 2: 9-10, it is an continuation of 1:19 (109), 'for all the fulness to dwell in him.' (NASB). 'He is uniquely God's presence and his very self'. (109). Wright reasons that Paul is teaching monotheistic doctrine here and not that Jesus Christ is a second deity. (109). Christ is the embodiment of full deity. (109). God the Son, is not a second deity, God the Holy Spirit is not a third deity.
The Holy Spirit as God, regenerates those within salvation (Titus 3: 5).
New American Standard Bible
Hebrews 1: 3 3 [a]And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature... ὑποστάσεως (Hypostasis).
From Bauer... ὑπόστασις 'substantial nature, essence, actual being, reality'. (847). In the context of Hebrews 1: 3 (ὑποστάσεως my add), the Son of God is the exact representation of God's real being. (847). In other words, God the Son, even as in a finite human body, incarnated, still represents the nature of the infinite God in bodily form.
As I have noted in previous recent articles:
If God actually was infinitely and eternally evil, this would actually be what is good, and there would in reality be no distinction between good and evil. But based on the scripture, reasonable theology and reasonable philosophy of religion, that is not the case.
Being almighty implies infinity and without finity and/or faults related to finity. If God was infinite and contrary to my biblical theology, both good and evil; in my view evil would not be evil at all.
Further...
If Satan or a like evil entity, as part of the Godhead was true (blasphemy in our actual reality, see Genesis 3, Revelation 20-22 as examples), it would not be within an absolute dualism, as the Godhead logically and reasonably is of one essential nature, even with trinitarian distinctions within that nature. As God alone is absolutely necessary, what is absolutely necessary and is of absolute necessity is what is good. Therefore all within the Godhead would be infinite, eternal, holy and good.
Biblically, Satan and satanic beings are finite, opponents of God (Genesis 3, Revelation 20-22 as examples) that are a significant aspect of problems of evil, as is fallen humanity.
BAUER, WALTER. (1979) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Translated by Eric H. Wahlstrom, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press.
WRIGHT, N.T., Colossians and Philemon, (1986)(1989), IVP, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.
