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

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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).

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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."

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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

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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.

Depression from disappointment with others (sermon)

Above the Fraser River

Grace Baptist Church sermon from November 2007: Spiritual Depression #6: Disappointment with Others 

Sermon

A sermon from Pastor Michael Phillips, I have listened to a few times, recently.

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Today, with God's blessing, we'll move on with the study we began last month called Spiritual Depression. 'Depression', you know, is a sorrow that stays with you for weeks, months, or years. And 'Spiritual' depression is the kind that has no medical cause. If you've been down for a long time, and can't imagine why, go to the doctor. He is God's gift to you, and you mustn't be ashamed of taking what the Lord has given you. 

The depressions I have in mind, however, cannot be healed by doctors. They can treat them and cover them up, but they cannot get rid of them because spiritual sicknesses need spiritual cures. Which come to us, most of the time, through the reading and preaching of God's Word.

Importantly, the message is emphasizing the need for professional medical and psychological help with types of depression, when required. It is not a spiritualized sermon to the point of error.

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When they're not the way we expect them to be, we become disappointed in them, and when they fail time and time again, we slide into bitterness, and, when that's not repented of, we give up all hope and fall off into depression. Other things may contribute to the depression, but the real cause of it is disappointment in other people. 

As I have noted in my online work, all person's are finite and sinful, and only Jesus Christ, God-incarnate, divinely taking upon himself a finite body, did not exercise a corrupted, fallen, sinful mature. The rest of us in humanity are corrupted products of the fall of humanity (Genesis) that cannot follow the ten commandments (Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5) perfectly.

Humanity posses sinful natures (for example: Romans 1-8)...

Romans 8:6-10 English Standard Version (ESV)

6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Those regenerated (Titus 3) through the Holy Spirit via Christ's work are also legally justified by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, by grace through faith (for example Romans 3)...

Romans 3: 21-22 English Standard Version

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

Romans 5: 16-19 English Standard Version

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

Sinful nature leads to sinful thoughts, desires, wills, choices, acts and actions. Ultimately, outside of Jesus Christ and his applied atoning and resurrection work, persons are damned post-mortem to the lake of fire because of deeds (NASB)...

(There is a theological discussion on whether or not post-mortem, unregenerated souls/spirits receive a resurrected body, but as it is the second resurrection in Revelation, an actual resurrected body of sorts is considered.)

Becoming, in a sense, ultimate disappointments to God, that have a depressing, disappointing everlasting existence apart from God.

Now I am very much aware that being apart from the biblical God, will please many folks, but simultaneously he/she will also be separated from God's common grace and every good in this present realm which comes from God.

It is not just different realm and new location with a freedom from God, it is simultaneously a negative divine judgment for the embracing of sinful nature through committed sin (s).

Revelation 20: 11-15 New American Standard Version Bible

1 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose [a]presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and [b]books were opened; and another [c]book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the [d]books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if [e]anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. ---

The spiritual state of fallen humanity, even those in Jesus Christ awaiting perfection through resurrection (1 Corinthians 15) is corrupted and fallen in this present realm. Disappointment with others and other's disappointment with us, is to be expected.

I can appreciate Phillip's advice from the sermon:

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Is disappointment in other people wrong? No it isn't. Our Lord Himself felt this way more than once, and it cut him to the bone.

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Are you depressed because someone has let you down? If you are, welcome to the club, everyone has been let down, including Elijah, and the Lord Jesus Christ. The disappointment hurts us badly-it hurt them badly, and Christ worst of all. 

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Loving others increases the likelihood that we will be hurt again. But this is the risk we must take, for Christ took it, and we're called to follow Him.

CRANFIELD, C.E.B. (1985)(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.

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