The second coming and remedy for problems of evil

From

MPhil  

2003 The Problem of Evil: Anglican and Baptist Perspectives: MPhil thesis, Bangor University

Statement eighteen: This statement stated: The remedy set in motion through Christ’s atoning work on the cross will not culminate until Christ’s second coming.

For Anglicans, 68% agreed, 18% were not certain, 14% disagreed. For Baptists, 66% agreed, 12% were not certain, and 22% disagreed. I am in agreement with this statement that obviously Christ’s work will not be culminated until he returns and fully establishes his kingdom.

From

2010 Theodicy and Practical Theology: PhD thesis, the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, Lampeter

Erickson writes that God plans to eventually eliminate evil from the culminated Kingdom of God which will not contain sin or evil of any kind. From a Reformed, Calvinistic perspective for this Kingdom to be inhabited by human beings as God created them there is first a period of time, the duration only known by God, for which the problem of evil exists.

The doctrines of the last things, including the Second Coming of Christ, the Resurrection, Judgments, the Millennium and the Final State. Thiessen (1956: 440).

(In contrast)

Clarence Darrow doubts there are proofs available for life after death, and states there is strong evidence against the idea of personal consciousness after death. For Darrow the immaterial soul does not exist and cannot be reasonably conceived. It is true that a culminated Kingdom of God is not presently empirical, but has been presented as Biblical teaching and theology in academic circles for two millennia.

October 14, 2019 

The scripture presents documented, religious history that claims God revealed self in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament (manuscripts full and in part). This is in a sense, empirical evidence for Christian faith and philosophy.

I am not stating that the immaterial, infinite, eternal, triune, God is ontologically, empirically provable  God is immeasurable and untraceable by scientific, finite, means. But there is biblical evidence for God revealing self to humanity. There are the writings of the Church Fathers that quote and rely on the New Testament books.

The New Testament does present a documented, resurrection of Jesus Christ as the God-man. This historical premise supports the second coming and restored creation as premises.

DARROW, CLARENCE (1928)(1973) ‘The Myth of the Soul’, in The Forum, October, in Paul Edwards and Arthur Pap (eds.), A Modern Introduction To Philosophy, New York, The Free Press.

DARROW, CLARENCE (1932)(1973) ‘The Delusion of Design and Purpose’, in The Story of My Life, October, in Paul Edwards and Arthur Pap (eds.), A Modern Introduction To Philosophy, New York, The Free Press.

ERICKSON, MILLARD (1994) Christian Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.

ERICKSON, MILLARD (2003) What Does God Know and When Does He Know It?, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.

THIESSEN, HENRY C. (1956) Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology, Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Why does this realm contain evil?

Caught speeding by...

2003 The Problem of Evil: Anglican and Baptist Perspectives: MPhil thesis, Bangor University

MPhil link

Statement seventeen: The seventeenth statement stated: The Bible does not fully explain why God’s creation contains evil. 

For Anglicans, 68% agreed, 12% were not certain, and 20% disagreed. For Baptists, 60% agreed, 10% were not certain, and 30% disagreed. I would take the position that Scripture does not fully explain the problem.

October 10, 2019 

Within my Christian worldview and my Reformed tradition, I embrace the view that the triune God has revealed divine self historically and progressively from the Hebrew Bible to the New Testament. A reasonable contextual exegesis and evaluation of this scripture will lead to a reasonably correct interpretation of both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, texts/books. 

The corruption, fall and further corruption of humanity is explained in Genesis 3, in the Hebrew Bible and then in particular, theologically explained within the Apostle Paul's, New Testament, Book of Romans (but not only in Romans). Such biblical texts and others including the gospels and Revelation explain the nature of human sin and evil, in contrast to the holiness and perfect goodness of God.

The key theology of the bible is that God the Son, God incarnate, Jesus Christ, working within the trinity, provides atonement from sin, and ultimate resurrection (victory over death, post mortem) for those in Jesus Christ leading to an eventual culminated Kingdom of God (2 Peter 3, Revelation 20-22) where this present realm is recapitulated with a new perfected realm.

However, I do not reason that the Bible, with either Testament, exhaustively explains why God's creation contains evil. I agree with the majority of the responders.

I therefore, within my MPhil and PhD theses, and on my websites, besides bible and theology, have relied highly on philosophy of religion. For me, theology provides me with biblical explanations in regards to problems of evil; philosophy of religion provides me philosophical explanations is regards to problems of evil.

As Reformed, my final authority in worldview matters is the scripture, and therefore is Christian theology, but as all truth is God's truth, reasonable and good philosophy of religion can also provide truth. It certainly aids my theology in my academic study of problems of evil, theodicy, free will and determinism. My British work was completed in religion and theology departments, but roughly, as many of my exemplars were within the fields of philosophy and philosophy of religion, as theology.

That was a requirement to pass my MPhil and PhD theses, that being a significant use of both theology and philosophy of religion.

BARCLAY, WILLIAM (1976) The Letters of James and Peter, Philadelphia, The Westminster Press.

BRUCE, F.F. (1986) ‘Revelation’, in F.F. Bruce (gen.ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Marshall Pickering/ Zondervan.

ERICKSON, MILLARD (1994) Christian Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.

FEINBERG, JOHN S. (1994) The Many Faces of Evil, Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishing House.

FLEW, ANTONY, R.M. HARE, AND BASIL MITCHELL (1996) ‘The Debate on the Rationality of Religious Belief’, in L.P. Pojman (ed.), Philosophy, The Quest for Truth, New York, Wadsworth Publishing Company.

FLEW, ANTONY AND A.MACINTRYE (1999) ‘Philosophy of Religion’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd.

PAYNE. DAVID F.(1986) ‘2 Peter’, in F.F. Bruce, (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Marshall Pickering/Zondervan.

PHILLIPS, D.Z. (1981) Encountering Evil, Stephen T. Davis (ed.), Atlanta, John Knox Press.

PHILLIPS, D.Z. (2005) The Problem of Evil and the Problem of God, Fortress Press, Minneapolis.

PLANTINGA, ALVIN C. (1977)(2002) God, Freedom, and Evil, Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

PLANTINGA, ALVIN C. (1982) The Nature of Necessity, Oxford, Clarendon Press.

POJMAN, LOUIS P. (1996) Philosophy: The Quest for Truth, New York, Wadsworth Publishing Company.

MACKIE, J.L. (1955)(1996) ‘Evil and Omnipotence’, in Mind, in Michael Peterson, William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach, and David Basinger (eds.), Philosophy of Religion, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

MACKIE, J.L. (1971)(1977)(2002) ‘Evil and Omnipotence’, in The Philosophy of Religion, in Alvin C. Plantinga, God, Freedom, and Evil, Grand Rapids. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1990) The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Honour The King

Italia: Ernest Hepnar photo

Grace Baptist Church: Honor The King

Another sermon from Grace Baptist Church

1 Peter 2:17 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the [a]king. Footnotes: a 1 Peter 2:17 Or emperor

Romans 13: 1-2 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 13 Every [a]person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except [b]from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore [c]whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

Footnotes: a Romans 13:1 Or soul b Romans 13:1 Lit by c Romans 13:2 Lit he who

Cited from sermon notes

(In regards to the western Christian Church)

We no longer respect our leaders-unless they're in the same party we are or implement the policies we support. 
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Bluntly, many Christians on the left, centre and right, biblically and theologically, should be more respectful to politicians and leaders that they dislike and disagree with. Like it or not, persons are under divine sanctioned authority. As a Christian scholar, theologian and philosopher of religion, I have to agree with 1 Peter and Romans, in context that I, and others in the Christian Church, should honour the government (s) and its leaders. We are to obey the State, as it maintains law and order.

However, for balance to what Michael Phillips preached on in the sermon, Jesus Christ did call King Herod 'that fox' in Luke 13: 32...

Bible Hub  

Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 258: ἀλώπηξ ἀλώπηξ, (εκος, ἡ, a fox: Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58. Metaphorically, a sly and crafty man: Luke 13:32; (in the same sense often in the Greek writings, as Solon in Plutarch, Sol. 30, 2; Pindar Pythagoras 2, 141; Plutarch, Sulla 28, 5). Strong's Exhaustive Concordance fox. Of uncertain derivation; a fox, i.e. (figuratively) a cunning person -- fox.

ἀλώπεκι

Bible text.com

Part of Speech: Noun Case: Dative Gender: Feminine Number: Singular
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Based on the Lord's example as God-incarnate, there is some room for negative, intellectual rebuke of political leaders by those within the Christian Church, perhaps? If we view Jesus Christ as 'the' example here.

Back to the sermon

Cited

Are you willing to turn off the radio talk shows, walk away from the gossip, and simply obey Jesus Christ because you are His disciple?
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Concerning Romans 13, F.F. Bruce writes that human government is a divine ordinance and has the powers of coercion and commendation which it has been given by God. By Christians obeying the state, they are serving God. Bruce (1987: 221). Bruce reasons that Paul does not deal with the issue of unrighteous government here, but as with Acts 5: 29, Christians must obey God and Christ and not the state when the state claims divine honours. Bruce (1987: 221).

Cranfield explains that in Romans 13, Paul is not asking for an uncritical obedience to the state, but rather that God has placed the state in authority over persons. Cranfield (1992: 321).

Mounce states that in Romans 13, that there is a divinely sanctioned role of government and that Christians are responsible to that government. It did not make any difference that the governing authorities were secular. God is the sole source of authority and established the authority for the state. If the government oversteps its rightful domain, then according to Mounce the Christian should not obey the ruler and he notes this was done in Acts 4: 9 and 5: 29.

Concerning 1 Peter 2 13-15, Barclay explains that the concept of anarchy by the Christian is far from New Testament thought. Barclay reasons what belongs to Caesar (the state) should be given to it, and what belongs to God should be given to God (Matthew 22: 21). Barclay (1976: 205). Both Cranfield and Barclay mention that Paul is discussing the concept of submitting to an authoritarian state, as in the Roman Empire of the New Testament era. Barclay (1976: 206) Cranfield (1992: 321). Barclay correctly point out in my view that in our modern West the need for Christians to participate in democratic government as it is for and by the people, at least idealistically. Barclay (1976: 206).

Cited

And what about "honor the king"? We have no king in America, yet the word is not limited to a king, but it stands for all men in authority. We know this by comparing our verse to others very much like it. Just a few verses before, Peter says we're to "Submit ourselves to every ordinance of man, whether to the king as supreme or to governors."

Cited  

Paul makes the same point in Romans 13, where he lumps together kings, governors, judges, and even tax collectors, as "the governing authorities".

Not live link: see link at top of article

Cited  

Including the Caesars of Imperial Rome. Yet it was these men Peter had in mind when he told his readers to "honor the king". If you know the history of Rome at all, you know the men who got to the throne were-without exception-bad men. Every one of them demanded worship for himself; most of them persecuted the Church and some of them were perverts! If you want to look up the names, start with Nero and Caligula! Jesus Christ commands us to honor such men.

Archives accessed for article

BARCLAY, WILLIAM (1976) The Letters of James and Peter, Philadelphia, The Westminster Press.

BRUCE, F.F. (1987) Romans, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

CRANFIELD, C.E.B. (1992) Romans: A Shorter Commentary, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1995) The New American Commentary: Romans, Nashville, Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Remedy to problems of evil

Conwy Castle, 2001

From

2003 The Problem of Evil: Anglican and Baptist Perspectives: MPhil thesis, Bangor University 

MPhil 2003

Statement sixteen: This statement was stated as: The only true solution to the problem of evil is through the death and resurrection of Christ. 

Here we have 82% of Anglicans in agreement, 8% not certain, 10% in disagreement. With Baptists, there is definitely a stronger opinion, as 96% are in agreement, with 4% not certain. I placed this statement after the philosophical statements because I believe that the true solution to the problem of evil, in practical terms, is the work of Christ. His work leads to the culminated Kingdom of God where evil is arrested. At this point, the philosophical problem may still exist, but it is rather academic!

From

2010 Theodicy and Practical Theology: PhD thesis, the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, Lampeter

As a moderate conservative that holds to Reformed theology, I reason that the atoning and resurrection work applied to believers in the eventual culminated Kingdom of God is the ultimate remedy for the problem of evil. Mounce (1990: 369-397). I must be clear: theodicy is not the remedy to the problem of evil, but a speculative, and in my case, Biblically based attempt to explain how God deals with evil in his creation. In similar fashion, practical and empirical theology do not offer solutions to the problem of evil, but are theological disciplines which assist persons to understand how evil is comprehended and dealt with in the Christian community and in society at large.

Philosophy (Philosophy of Religion, within Philosophy, in particular) and theology have assisted human beings throughout history to better understand life, but neither of these disciplines can provide a remedy to the problem of evil; however, they can help to explain evil and suffering through effective theodicy.

CALVIN, JOHN (1539)(1998) The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Translated by Henry Beveridge, Grand Rapids, The Christian Classic Ethereal Library, Wheaton College.

CALVIN, JOHN (1543)(1996) The Bondage and Liberation of the Will, Translated by G.I. Davies, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.

FEINBERG, JOHN S. (1994) The Many Faces of Evil, Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishing House.

MOLTMANN, JÜRGEN (1993) The Crucified God, Minneapolis, Fortress Press.

MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1990) The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1995) The New American Commentary: Romans, Nashville, Broadman & Holman Publishers.

October 3, 2019 

I will add that my PhD work also dealt with concept of problems of evil.

Quote:

I can interject and state that academically solving the logical and gratuitous problems of evil by tying them back to God is an ultimate intellectual solution, but there are still practical ramifications to deal with, such as why certain evils occur. The fact that a sovereignty theodicy can logically and reasonable solve its problem of evil, does not mean that suffering often comes with an explanation.

The atoning and resurrection work of God the Son, God-incarnate in Reformed, Christian, biblical, New Testament, theology, applied, ultimately remedies all problems of evil, logical and gratuitous. This includes the eventual biblically promised existence of post-mortem, perfected, resurrected persons in Christ (1 Corinthians 15), the judgement/judgment of those whose names are not in the Book of Life (Philippians 4, Revelation 3, 20, 21) and the restoration of creation to the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21-22). I would reason this equates to a restored universe, solar system and planet earth.