THE CHALLENGES OF EVIL AND THE IMPERFECT WORLD
by Ven
Dr I. U. Ibeme http://priscaquila.t35.com ; or http://www.scribd.com/ifeogo ;
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CONTENTS
The
Imperfect World and The Challenges
It
is obvious to all that the world as it is today, is imperfect which has led to perplexing
challenges upon challenges for all who live on the face of the earth. The “World” i.e. creaturely “formation” (by divine agency) and
fashionable or orderly “arrangement”
(by divine, demonic or human agency) has three shades of meaning in the Scripture:
(i) the terrestrial
world (by divine agency) i.e. The Earth globe with its fauna and flora,
which are of the Lord’s handiwork (Ps 24:1-2; 37:9-11) and for the inheritance
of the saints (Gen 1:28; Matt 5:5): this is groaning under a curse now (Gen 3:14-19), but
shall be redeemed from bondage
and renewed eventually (Rom 8:21; 2Pet 3:12-13);
(ii)
the human world
(by divine and human agency) i.e. The Inhabitants of the Society, under a curse but beloved of God, for whom Christ was sent to die and save
from sin and condemnation (John 3:16; Act 17:24-31); and
(iii)
the immoral world (by demonic and
human agency) i.e. The Mundane concerns, vainglory and ungodly value systems of
this age which are of the devil, in rebellion against God; so is under God’s wrath and doomed to pass away (1John 2:15-17).
This doomed immoral world system is characterised by wickedness, crookedness,
rebellion towards God and His Word, is subject to elemental mystical
manipulations and is controlled by demons of disobedience working in the hearts
of people (Eph 2:1-3; 6:12).
The word “Imperfect”
according to the WordWeb
dictionary means defective or inadequate in moral strength, courage or will, or
wanting in divine attributes. “Challenges”
means tasking, demanding or stimulating situations. How did things get to this
ever worsening imperfection and increasing challenges? And is there any hope of
a way out? Has the Gospel or the
“Evil” describes heartless
and immoral impulse or harmful and defiling impact (whatever constitutes offense and transgression
before God or causes distress
and destruction to humans).
Evil came by the fall and sin of Satan and Adam which led to God’s proper curse
on them and the creation within their domains (Gen 3).
Christ came to save the loved human world from the doomed demonic immoral world, so that redeemed humanity will inherit and liberate
the groaning terrestrial world in
the Millennium (Rom 8:18-23), before all temporal matter is dissolved to be
replaced with the imperishable New Heaven and New Earth for eternity (Eph
2:4-9; 1Pet 3:10-14; Rev 20 and 21).
Until it is done away
with, at the coming of Christ, “evil” (i.e. sin and suffering) shall remain a
constant reminder of our misuse of our freedom in rebelling against God and the
subsequent deserved, divine, righteous displeasure against all ungodliness (Rom
1:18-28).
“God” refers to the uncreated Creator of all spiritualities and
temporalities, Who is the Author and Finisher of all
things, Alpha and Omega of all beings, Beginning and Ending of all ages. The
true God that is fully God is The One Who is the embodiment, not only of love
but also of holiness, not only of kindness but also of righteousness. The true
God is He who has the full power as Sovereign Ruler and Judge
to punish and pardon, to redeem and condemn, to bless and
curse, as He deems necessary in His sublime
wisdom. This is understandably why
God undertook to make humans with similar attributes of freedom of choice but
the responsibility to bear the consequences of their choices under God’s
sovereign rule. This is why God also delegated
humanity with similar governmental capacity in this world, under God’s
sovereign rule.
Today,
some cowardly spiritists (superstitious mystics but not
inspired spirituals), and childish philosophers (or “foolosophers”?),
motivated by rebellious delinquency, perplexity and futile thoughtlessness,
have wishfully speculated and are indeed advocating a false god, who should
have power only to love and bless but lack the power and sovereignty to punish
and curse. However such a god is not consistent with nature and realities of human experience as well as disagrees
with prophetic inspiration and revelation found in the Scripture. Some even wishfully think that there is nothing like
a supernatural, moral and sovereign God,
yet they paradoxically claim to be super-beings through evolution; and while
some strive to be supernatural through mysticism, others either strive to be
super-intelligentsias through science or be super-powers through politics. Spiritualism, science and society without a sovereign God is entirely
absurd.
Evil
was not created by God; it was innovated by responsibly free creatures (Satan
and Humanity). Some ancient religions had tried to resolve the problem of evil
by dualism (the idea that creation is shared between two equal gods of Good and
of Evil). Modern philosophers imagining that evil damages the proof of the good
and powerful God revealed in the Scripture, proffer a phony god that could have
made a creation where evil is impossible. Others frustrated by the challenges,
either deny the reality of the good God or deny the reality of evil. However,
these superstitious beliefs, revisionist speculations and reactionary
postulations are so unrealistic and shallow that they are self disannulling.
This shows how perplexed, naïve and despondent the wisdom of man, unaided by
God’s Spirit, could become when engaged with sublime matters (Ps 14:1; 1Cor
1:20; 3:19). However, great minds always appreciate the validity of the
revealed faith.
Max
Planck (1858-1947) the Father of quantum science said:
“Man needs science in order to
know, religion in order to act.”
And
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) the Father of science of relativity said:
“Science without religion is blind, religion without science is
lame.”
Superstition
is groping in the dark (Act 17:26-30), speculation is guess-work, unbelief is
futile foolishness (Ps 14:1; Rom 1:18-22), but scriptural revelation is sure
truth being prophetically inspired. God is Spirit, moral and sensible. He
created nature sensible and to be
mastered through science, a sociable
world to be ordered by morality, a spiritual
man to be sustained through faith and revelation. A full man is one who is
spiritual, moral and scientific, in the image of God. To ignore the spiritual is foolishness, to ignore the
moral is wickedness, and to ignore
the scientific is nonsense. Courage
and wisdom to make sense of all these is the way forward, not denial of these
out of despair.
The
truth is that God is NOT only all-good
and all-powerful (as some philosophers limit themselves to think), He is ALSO all-wise and all-sovereign,
Holy and Love, and working out His purpose in creation, providence and
redemption. Each of these attributes must take the others into cognizance.
That is why, for instance, the all-powerful
God cannot lie (Tit 1:2).
1Co 2:4-16 ISV
(4) My message and my preaching were not accompanied
by clever words of wisdom, but by a display of the Spirit's power,
(5) so
that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on God's power.
(6) However, when we are among
mature people, we do speak a message of wisdom, but not the wisdom of this
world or of the rulers of this world, who are passing off the scene.
(7) Instead, we speak about
God's secret wisdom that has been hidden, which God destined for our glory
before the world began.
(8) None of the rulers of this
world understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of
Glory.
(9) But as it is written, "No eye has seen,
no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for
those who love him."
(10) But God has revealed those things to us by
his Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the deep things of God.
(11) Is there anyone who can understand his own
thoughts except by his own inner spirit? In the same way, no one can know the thoughts of God except God's Spirit.
(12) Now, we have not received
the spirit of the world but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we can
understand the things that were freely given to us by God.
(13) We don't speak about these
things in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit,
as we explain spiritual things to spiritual people.
(14) A person who isn't
spiritual doesn't accept the things of God's Spirit, for they are nonsense to
him. He can't understand them because they are spiritually evaluated.
(15) The spiritual person
evaluates everything but is subject to no one else's evaluation.
(16) For "Who has known
the mind of the Lord so that he can advise him?" However, we have the mind
of Christ.
God’s all-wise goodness
demands that if He made humans and
angels morally free, they must be free in every way to choose either perfection
or reprobation, either self-dependence or God-dependence, either obedience or
disobedience and be entirely responsible for their choices. Otherwise their
freedom is nullified, coerced and incongruous with perfect goodness on the part
of God. God’s goodness therefore necessitates that moral aberrations be
judged and moral rectitude be rewarded. In His infinite wisdom, God had purposed that evil should be
possible but mastered from the beginning and triumphed over in the eschaton
rather than being excluded as impossibility in the history of creation.
Gen 2:15-17
(15) And the LORD God took the man, and put him
into the garden of Eden to work it and to keep
it.
(16) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat:
(17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall
surely die.
This is the enigmatic nag of the realities of
creation, freedom and goodness. The
introduction of evil into creation by the Devil is a stupefying blow on the
human mind against communion with or appreciation of God. Nevertheless,
without the possibility of evil, goodness is neither good nor virtuous, since
it would be either unnecessary or devoid of righteousness. Again without moral
creatures, there is no moral Creator. But God’s wisdom and power are shown in
His provision of necessary temporal help
in trouble and eternal redemption
for those who freely turn to Him through faith in Christ.
To
make sense of evil, one must go beyond philosophical speculation (which
operates within the limits of fallen creation) and ascend to biblical
inspiration which has access into the genesis and original purpose of creation.
The Scripture reveals that God made the creation good and meant it for good
use. Misuse of creation is evil and
results to painful consequences. The Scripture affirms that God is both merciful and righteous (Exo 34:5-7), altogether great, good, purposeful and
trustworthy. Amen.
Every creature was created good but
subject to change (i.e. under
probation for possible improvement or degeneration). This distinguishes the Creator, Who is absolutely perfect and NOT subject to change (i.e.
neither improvable nor degradable). The direction of
development or degeneration of the creation depended on how the human race
exercised their dominion. The perfect
purpose of the creation is to fully please and glorify God. When creation
serves to displease God, it loses its glory. The responsibility of the
human race (as God’s image) was to run God’s creation and the human society
according to God’s full pleasure and praise. This is also the order in heaven:
Rev 4:8-11
(8) And the four living creatures had each of
them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not
day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is,
and is to come.
(9) And when those living creatures give glory and honor
and thanks to him that sits on the throne, who
lives forever and ever,
(10) The four and twenty elders fall down before
him that is sitting on the throne, and worship him that lives forever and ever,
and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
(11) You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for
you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created.
Originally,
the earth was created “good” (Gen
1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25), yet there was the
initial challenge for the human race
to fill-up, subdue and dominate the earth, as God’s viceroys or caretakers
(Gen 1:26-28). The human being was likewise created “very good” (Gen 1:31), but was yet to fulfil the divine mission of
subduing the earth. To provide a base from which humanity would launch their
challenging viceroy mission, God planted the Paradise Garden of Eden as a
special, beautiful dwelling place of nourishment and spiritual fellowship for
the Adamic race (Gen 2:8-9).
After
Satan fell and invaded the earth, he tempted Adam and Eve to rebel against God.
At the very first opportunity to subdue, humanity failed woefully by rather
subjecting themselves under Satan
and sin! By this failure the Adamic race lost their divine glory (Rom 3:23) and succumbed to shame and death (Gen
2:15-17; 3:8-10). To worsen the situation God, in His righteousness, had to
further subject the sinful and fallen Adamic family
to judgement that brought the curse of condemnation
on all humans as well as bondage
on the whole creation under Man’s rule. Worse still humanity was separated away from God’s presence (Gen
3:16-24). This left us with:
(1) a
fallen, dying and accursed human race, faced with the challenges of
(2) subduing
an accursed earth and
(3) liberating
a demon-infested world.
However,
God gave the promise of salvation through Christ to help Man’s infirmity:
Rom 8:26-35
(26) In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to
pray as we should. But the Spirit himself intercedes with groans too deep for
words,
(27) and the one who
searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, for the Spirit intercedes for
the saints according to God's will.
(28) And we know that he works all things together
for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
(29) For those whom he foreknew he also
predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be
the firstborn among many brothers.
(30) And those whom he predestined, he also
called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he
justified he also glorified.
(31) What, then, can we say
about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
(32) The one who did not spare
his own Son but gave him up for all of us-surely he will give us all things
along with him, won't he?
(33) Who can bring an accusation
against God's chosen people? It is God who justifies them!
(34) Who can condemn them?
Christ Jesus, who died-and more importantly, who has been raised and is seated
at the right hand of God-is the one who is also interceding for us!
(35) Who can separate us from
Christ's love? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger,
or a sword?
This
salvation was fully inaugurated IN
GRACE at Christ’s first coming, but shall be finally consummated IN GLORY at His second coming. Meanwhile the
Church’s duty is to occupy herself (Lk 19:13) with
working-out and spreading-forth this Salvation through her witness and worship, by
the word of Truth and by works of righteousness. The core Gospel
message of this salvation in Christ Jesus is simply this:
“The
time has come for
the fulfillment of God’s loving promise
to “bless (i.e. grant
SALVATION/Eternal Life to) all nations”
{through the “Seed” of Abraham (Gal
3:8) and of David (Act 13:33-35)}.
This blessing comes as:
remission of sin (or deliverance from darkness and destruction),
bestowal of the Holy Spirit, Who assures us of
reception into God’s heavenly kingdom and
empowers us to
conform as sons in the image of Christ.
This salvation is freely given to anyone who repents
of sin/ignorance and believes in
Jesus as the “Christ” {i.e. the One
divinely Anointed
to be the Son of God (Lk 1:35; Heb 1:5), submitting
to Him as Lord and Saviour of all (Isa 49:6): as proved by His life and resurrection
from death (Rom 1:4)}.”
The
power of the Gospel is that it saves the
human soul for now (from depravity, damnation and death) while preparing
the Saints for the eventual glorification of our mortal bodies as well as the liberation of this groaning creation, when Christ comes
again.
THE IMPERFECT WORLD AND THE CHALLENGES
Such
was the magnitude of the challenge facing humanity. A world initially created good and meant to be perfected by
innocent Man before the fall, but later had to be accursed because of reprobate Man after the fall. Humanity’s
assignment of a perfecting domination
as servants over the earth and its fullness (Gen 1:26-28) is now complicated by
the expectation of a liberating
manifestation as glorious sons to the groaning creation:
Rom 8:18-25
(18) For I consider that the
sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that
will be revealed to us.
(19) For the creation is
eagerly waiting for God to reveal his children,
(20) because
the creation was subjected to frustration, though not by its own choice. The
one who subjected it did so in the hope
(21) that the creation itself
would also be set free from slavery to decay in order to share the glorious
freedom of God's children.
(22) For we know that all creation
has been groaning with the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
(23) However, not only creation groans, but we who
have the first fruits of the Spirit also groan inwardly as we eagerly wait for
our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
(24) For we were saved with this hope in mind. Now
hope that is seen is not really hope, for who hopes for what can be seen?
(25) But if we hope for what we do not see, we
eagerly wait for it with patience.
Moreover,
as we approach the second coming of Christ, the Spirit has spoken expressly
that evil and peril shall pinnacle
(1Tim 4:1-3; 2Tim 3:1-5). However at the end of all these, we have the
assurance and hope that Christ will come again in glory to bring all
perturbation and perplexities to an end. Then all things shall be restored,
renewed and regenerated (Rev 20:11 to 21:1).
Act 3:19-26
(19) “Repent
therefore, and turn again, that your
sins may be blotted out,
(20) that times of refreshing may come from the
presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
(21) whom
heaven must receive until the time for
restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy
prophets long ago.
(22) Moses
said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.
You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.
(23) And it shall be that every soul who
does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.'
(24) And all
the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also
proclaimed these days.
(25) You are
the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers,
saying to Abraham, 'And in your
offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'
(26) God, having raised up his servant
[Jesus Christ], sent him to you first,
to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness."
Glory
be to God who sent His Son, Jesus Christ to make the
saving difference that has tilted the balance of the difficulties to our
advantage. Through Christ these endless challenges and imperfections shall surely
come to an end. Christ called
us through the Gospel, redeemed us
through the Cross and empowered us
as sons by the Holy Spirit, by Whom also He guarantees us eventual victory and inheritance in His Kingdom (Eph
1:13-14). Only those who are thus saved through faith in Christ become properly
equipped to face these endless challenges with assurance of victory.
In
Matthew chapter 24, while human wisdom speculated a better future for the
world, Christ warned that the world would experience increasing “birth-pain”
challenges which will be terminated when He comes again. This warning was
reiterated by the Apostles (2Tim 3:1-5). There are six main ramifications of
these challenges:
The
last three of these challenges may, to some extent, be within the reach of all
people (Civil Society and Government)
to solve, irrespective of creed, status and race; but the first three are to a
great extent, particularly solvable by the
Church. This is because the enabling grace for such enormous task has been
given to the Christian, through Christ. The way forward is not to despair or
succumb to these challenges, but overcome them to please and glorify God.
Therefore:
(i) while we call on all people all over the world to rise conscientiously to these challenges,
(ii)
the Church more so, is called upon to arise and shine the
light of the Gospel to the world, and salt the earth with the wisdom of God and the love of Christ.
(iii)
Also we invite all and sundry to repent, accept Christ and believe His
Gospel without further delay or disputation, for this is the sure means out
of this vicious quagmire.
The Gospel of Christ offers us redemption
from sin, revelation to understand mysteries and hope to endure
in the midst of challenges; as well as gives us the power to conquer and
triumph over all things, in a way that fully pleases and glorifies God as well
as purifies and preserves our souls.
Last Updated May 24, 2010
By Venerable Dr I. U. Ibeme
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