Why did He create man?

      A couple of weeks ago I was in a class and was asked an interesting question. The person wanted to know that since God is omnipresent and omniscient – everywhere and all knowing (Heb. 4:13; Psa. 139:7-10), if He knew man would be so wicked, why did He create man?

Although this is a question that only God can answer, there are some things revealed in the scriptures that might give us some insight. We need to remember that just because our God is all knowing, it does not mean He cannot chose NOT to know things, He can. When Jeremiah spoke to the people of Judah, God said, “they have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind.” (Jer. 19:5).

Since our God did not think of something, did that limit His power? Of course not. Now, if God chose to know everything it would seem a little strange that in Genesis 5:6, we would find these words, “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”  It would seem odd that God would create man in the beginning, knowing full well that the world would become so evil, that He would be upset about it.

 The scriptures reveal that God put in place a plan of redemption before the world was even created (Eph. 1:3-4). Does this mean that God knew that Adam and Eve would sin? It is not out of the realm of possibility. However, having a plan in place to help redeem mankind if they sinned, doesn’t mean our Creator knew it. I am not suggesting He didn’t know, all I am saying is, there are things our God can choose not to know.

Am I thankful mankind was created? Absolutely. But regardless of whether our Father chose to know everything, it doesn’t remove His great love for with He loved us. Giving us a soul that can live with Him forever – that is awesome just to think about (Gen. 1:26; Matt. 16:26).

                                                                                                                                                                                                           Chuck

Overcoming a struggle

Struggles come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very addictive, which makes it even harder to stop. But for those who want to go to heaven, one of the best ways to cease doing that which is wrong is to admit what it really is – sin! Calling sin “a struggle” can lessen the severity to some degree. Moreover, it also conveys the idea that quitting is not controlled by the individual.

The sooner people see what sin really is, the sooner they can understand how to properly deal with it. Every person I know who drank alcohol, smoked or used hard drugs and now does not had to decide to quit! Unless one makes up their mind, they will continue to give in to “that struggle.”

In writing to the Ephesian brethren, Paul stated that we should not give place to the devil (Eph. 4:27). By that, he specifically mentioned, “put away lying…be angry and sin not….let him who stole steal no more…let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth….” (verses 25-29). One does not overcome anything if they do not repent, which means to turn away from (Luke 13:3). By turning away, measures are put in place to help one not do it again. In the Ephesians text, Paul said instructed the reader to not steal and instead begin labor with hands. For those who spoke corrupt words, Paul admonished them to begin speaking words that edify. In essence, the audience was to told to replace their bad, sinful habits with good ones.

I realize that people who become addicted to something will genuinely struggle to overcome it. However, all sin can become addictive. Some people cannot seem to stop being jealous or envious. Other cannot seem to stop lying to themselves and making excuses for not serving the Lord as they should. Every sin is serious and causes people to be separated from God (Isa. 59:1-2; Rom. 6:23).

Everyone struggles with sin, but everyone has also been commanded to STOP sinning (I John 2:1). May we grow in the desire to never sin as the first step in turning away from those sins we personally struggle with.

 Chuck

What grace is not

If you teach someone that 2+2=4, you should not have to also teach everything that 2+2 does not equal (2+2≠5, 2+2≠3, etc.). If someone was raised to believe that 2+2=5 though, you would have to teach both what 2+2 does equal (4) and also what it does not equal (5).

This is a common challenge when trying to teach what God’s word actually says. You might think that whenever someone teaches what the Bible says, they would not have to also teach what the Bible does not say. Sadly though, many people think the Bible teaches certain things that it does not. In this article, we will teach what grace is. But we also have to point out what grace is not. Why? Many religious teachers spread confusion by making claims about grace that are NOT Biblical.

The Biblical meaning of grace

The simple definition of grace is “a gift”. Paul stated that we are saved by grace through faith and not of works (Eph. 2:8-9). This shows that we can never earn our salvation – it is a gift from God and thus something that we do not deserve. If we did deserve it, it would not be a gift thus would not be considered grace. Specifically, God’s gift to us was the sending of Jesus Christ and providing a plan of salvation that leads to heaven (Eph. 2:1-7). 

Despite the Bible’s clear teaching, religious teachers have muddied the waters. Here are some things that grace is NOT:

Grace is not a license to sin

The brethren at Rome were told God’s grace was great due to the amount of sinfulness in the world (Rom. 5:20). Paul did not want them to get the wrong idea though, so he posed a question: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Rom. 6:1). In essence, Paul asks if the brethren should sin more to make God’s gift even more necessary. He strongly answered his own question: “Certainly not!” (verse 2). The point of Christ dying on the cross and giving His life as a gift for us was so that we would no long live under sin (Rom. 6:2). Willfully turning to sin is a rejection of this gift. Therefore, grace is not a license to sin!

Grace is not God overlooking sin

For some reason, people want to believe that “the grace of God” means He sees Christ’s blood when we sin rather than seeing us commit the actual error.  This makes no sense. Mankind was in sin, so the Father sent His Son (Rom. 5:8) to help us find forgiveness (Eph. 1:7). Does this mean God will overlook sins after someone becomes a Christian? In the Bible, Christians who sinned were told that God saw their wrongdoing (I Cor. 5:2; I Cor. 1:11; Rev. 2:4, 14; 3:1, 15-16). They were never told these sins were overlooked.

Grace is not obtained without conditions

Many religious people today are confused about grace because they believe it is unconditional. They say that if there are conditions on grace, it would no longer be a gift. What about the conditions Jesus gave: “Unless you believe I am He you will die in your sins” (John 8:24)? Also consider this condition about repentance: “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish,” (Luke 13:3). And this condition about baptism: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). To not abide in the doctrine of Christ is to miss heaven (II John 9). Keep in mind what we read earlier – we are saved by grace through faith. This faith must be active, not dead (James 2:26). Grace is the Lord’s part, and faith is our part. Our faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17).

                                                                                         Chuck

Do we have to sin?

There is no way anyone in this world is ever going to take sin seriously if they accept the false notion that man must sin. A lot of this stems from the doctrine of depravity. This teaching promotes the idea that we sin because of Adam and Eve and that we inherit their original sin, meaning we are born in sin. This could not be any farther from the truth. Let’s take a closer BIBLICAL look.

We begin by looking at Adam and Eve. They both were given laws to obey (Gen. 2:16-17). We read in the next chapter how they both broke God’s law and were punished. Why did they sin? The Bible does not mention being born in depravity. Rather, the inspired word, brings up the concept of temptation. James states that sin comes about when we give in to temptation (Jas. 1:13-15). This is no different than what happens to every other person.

Some might conclude that Adam and Eve sinned because temptation is irresistible. Fortunately for us as God’s children, this idea is also not found in the Bible! Nowhere in the scriptures are we told we have to yield to temptation. Actually, we are told there is no temptation that cannot be resisted if one turns to God for help (I Cor. 10:13; Jas. 4:7). I am not denying the fact that all have sinned (Rom. 3:23). Even Christians were told if they say they have no sin, they are a liar (I John 1:8).  However, knowing that we will sin is not the same as saying we have to sin.

That difference is what we need to focus on if we are going to gain a proper understanding. That fact that we are commanded not to sin (I John 2:1) implies that we do not have to. To even suggest that everyone must sin implies that we have an unjust God. A just and loving God will not command us to do something impossible for us.  Let us also not forget the punishment for sin. Every sin has consequences (Rom. 6:23), meaning that men are held accountable for their actions. Again, why punish someone who could not help it?

     It is wrong for us to think that God’s grace and mercy means He overlooks sin because we are forced to transgress. This idea is not found in the Bible. God’s mercy and grace has been offered to mankind so he/she can obtain forgiveness for their SINS! There is no forgiveness without repentance (Luke 13:3). To repent means to turn about. How could we truly repent if we knew that sin was irresistible and would thus happen again? If we live our lives committing the same sins over and over, we are addicted to them. This person is not walking in the light but rather in darkness (I John 1:3-7).

     How many employers would accept the same lame excuse over and over for not arriving at work on time? How many spouses would accept the same lame excuse regarding adultery? As God’s people, we know there are sins we committed in the past and then successfully never did again. We succeeded because we made up our minds to turn away (repent) and not go down that pathway again.

    My point is that we can choose to make the right choice, but we do not always do this. We sometimes falter because we fail to walk in faith. When we do not walk by faith, we succumb to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye or the pride of life (I John 2:16). When we love the world, the love of the Father is not in us (verse 15).  When a person puts off the old man of sin (Rom. 6:3-6), the Lord and other Christians expect that they have left their former life of sin behind.  If they do sin, the Lord and other Christians are right to be disappointed because we have no excuse for sinning.

     God’s people get stronger by resisting sin (James 1:2-4).  Are they sinlessly perfect? No. But they are certainly sinning less and less.

                                                                                                                                                                                                 Chuck                                                                       

How not to sin

In our first article, we pointed out that we sometimes sin but are never forced to. Some may struggle with this idea and wonder how sin can effectively be resisted. While this is easier said than done, our Lord has left us with ways to escape temptations (I Cor. 10:13).

We must start by hating every false way (Psa. 119:104). It is impossible to resist temptation if we are comfortable with it and actually enjoy the evils that surround us.  It becomes easier to transgress when we think some sins are not as bad as others.

There is power in prayer. Jesus, early in His earthly ministry, taught His followers to pray. “Father, do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,” (Matt. 6:13). Also, during the night of our Lord’s betrayal He told Peter, James and John to pray to avoid entering into temptation (Matt. 26:41). These sorts of prayers are a good preventative measure and help us stay focused on spiritual things rather than the enticing nature of the temptation.

However, prayer is not going help a person who does not turn away. Paul mentioned that we ought to “Flee youthful lusts” (II Tim. 2:22). People who play with fire get burned. We need to realize that when a situation is obviously leading toward sin, we need to get out of that situation. Remaining in the situation and just trying to resist means we may eventually wear down and succumb. Consider how the Corinthians were told that evil companions corrupt good morals (I Cor. 15:33). We must know when to walk, or run, away.

Another great tool that can help us resist sin is to confess faults to one another (James 5:16). If brethren are aware of what tempts us, they can help hold us accountable. God obviously does, but our Lord also knows the value brethren can offer each other by bearing one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2).

Taking sin seriously is the only way we can have victory over it. Remember, sin is so bad that Jesus Christ had to sacrifice His own life because of it!  Let it not be in vain.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Chuck