In my previous post, I shared Part 3 of 5 of the Blame and Praise Debate which demonstrated a sad example of a person attacking the character of God in order to justify themselves. As I ponder this behavior once again, especially in regards to Part 4 of 5 of this debate, I am reminded of the chain of blame in Genesis 3. After Adam and Eve commit high treason against God, the following events occur:
Adam and Eve try to cover their shame with fig leaves (Gen 3:7) and hide themselves from the presence of God (Gen 3:8)
God questions Adam (Gen 3:9-11)
Adam essentially blames both Eve and God for his sin when he says “the woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” (Gen 3:12)
God questions Eve, and Eve blames the serpent (Gen 3:13)
Now, obviously God was not fooled by the blame game. Adam, Eve, and the serpent were all held responsible for their evil, and God pronounced a curse (Gen 3:14-19). We are born with the sin nature of Adam and Eve and suffer from the same curse to this day (Rom 5:12, Rom 8:20-21).
Roughly six thousand years later, the same hide and blame game continues. Humanists hide themselves from the God of the Bible by pretending He does not exist. Moreover, they use their own standard of judgment (i.e. personal opinion) to reason that He would be “evil” if He did exist. This is exactly what JS attempts to do. Below is Part 4 of 5 of the debate.
JS:
God cannot be all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good. If he knows a child is being raped, has the power to stop it, and doesn't, then he is evil. If he knows a child is being raped, wants to stop it, but can't, then he is not all-powerful. If he wants to stop a child from being raped, has the power to do so, but doesn't know it's happening, then he's not all-knowing. Your God cannot exist. And since y'all are so focused on the all-knowing and all- powerful aspects of him, us atheists conclude that he is, in fact, evil. Because only a soulless, heartless monster would allow a child to be raped.
Me:
JS, if God were to execute immediate judgment on all evil, then you would be condemned right away for your own sins. Have you ever bullied somebody in your life? Have you ever cut somebody down? Have you ever hated somebody enough that you would be happy if they were physically harmed or killed? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, then biblically speaking, the intentions of your heart make you a murderer (Matthew 5:21-22). Might even your "heartless monster" and "evil" descriptions of God be considered murder of the heart? Interestingly, it was murderous anger that caused the Jews to nail God the Son to a cross (Mark 15:13-14). God gave you life…eyes to see, ears to hear, taste buds to enjoy food, special talents and abilities, and yet, you curse Him. For a temporary time, God is not executing immediate judgment in every single instance of evil, because if He did so, nobody would ever be saved (2 Peter 3:9)*. However, there will come a time where sin and evil will be done away with forever, and unrepentant rapists, murderers, etc., will be severely punished in the eternal fire of hell (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Revelation 21:8). Only those who repent and accept God’s free gift of salvation will have eternal life in a world free from sin, suffering, and death (1 Corinthians 6:11; Revelation 21:1-5). By the way, by what ultimate standard do you judge God to be “evil” and a "heartless monster" in your worldview? Does your materialistic, evolutionary worldview support an ultimate standard of right and wrong? Or is that your personal opinion? *God wants you to be saved as well, if you are willing to repent and ask for His forgiveness.
God’s Word being the Ultimate Standard provides countless confirmations of the fact that God is perfectly holy, righteous, and just (Deut 32:4 and many other verses). On the other hand, humans are considered “evil” (Matthew 7:11, and many other verses). Yet, in the midst of our evil, God the Son died for us (Romans 5:8). Even while pronouncing the curse in Genesis 3, God promised the Savior.[i] God defines justice, love, and mercy with His Word and His character. The God of the Bible is worthy of our worship and praise (Revelation 4:11).
I did not see any further comment from JS. I hope and pray that JS and many other humanists will repent and place their trust in the person and work of God the Son: Jesus.
[i] I highly recommend the Answers in Genesis article entitled “Seed of Promise in Genesis 3:15” by Dr. William Varner. Here’s the URL: https://answersingenesis.org/gospel/seed-promise-genesis-315/