Weekly Devotional 7-25-15 Complicit In Sin?
In that God is God, all knowing (omniscient) and all powerful (omnipotent), and yet there is sin in the world, is He complicit in it? Could He have ended it as soon as it entered into the world, or not allowed it in the first place? If He is not complicit in it, did sin then take Him by surprise? These questions were asked of me recently by an acquaintance. Thus, the reason of this work.
The quick answers are no, sin did not take God by surprise. He is not complicit in it. Further, He could have ended it as soon as it entered the world, or not allowed it in the first place. The longer answer is more difficult, but hopefully will satisfy the curiosity of my aforementioned acquaintance and perhaps others.
In God’s own summation of His creative works, He observed that everything He had made was exceedingly good (Genesis 1:31). He created with perfection similarly but not exact to His own perfection. Sin, therefore, was not part of His original creation, nor was it decreed by Him. Sin did not originate with Creator God, it originated outside of Him. It originated in the creature, not the Creator; more directly, within a creature. Ezekiel 28:13-15 speaks figuratively of Satan, an angelic being, who was created without flaw as were all things created by God. Isaiah 14:12-14 further indicates that this angelic being, in pride, coveted God’s throne and sought to be worshipped as God.
God could have destroyed Satan immediately and that would have been the end of sin, but destroying Satan would forever be a testimony of failure. Instead, God knowing before He created him what Satan would do, that he would be lifted up with pride, would rebel and introduce sin into the world of mankind planned a path by which He could deal with sin. God Himself would be the rectification and the rectifier. John the apostle writes that “16God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17 NKJV).
God didn’t just create and then look on to see what Satan and man would do. He knew what they would do. However, why if He is a loving God, create beings that would sin given the consequences? Because He is a loving God and love must have an object. Man was and is that object. God takes no pleasure in sin and could have prevented man from sinning, but how then could he express His love mercy and grace toward man?
The apostle Paul reminds us of God’s love, mercy and grace in his letter to the Ephesians. To them and us he wrote; “1And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:1-9 NKJV).
Do you see it? Because of sin man in his natural state is dead toward God, but because of His love for man God extended His mercy and grace, saving him from that state, giving him newness of spiritual life, and placed him in heaven, into the very presence of God. Why? So that in the ages to come He might show His love for those who are made alive. This He could not do in such a profound way if He had not allowed sin into His creation.
By whom will His love be experienced? By the redeemed, those who turned to Him for salvation. We now experience God’s love in part, but will have full realization of it when we are in His presence.
God, therefore, did not create sin, nor was He complicit in it. He in fact hates sin and His wrath will eventually be poured out against sin when He banishes Satan and the Powers of Darkness to the lake of fire; but not only these, He will also banish unredeemed man to this same destiny. Consider Revelation 20:10-15. “10The devil, who deceived them (unredeemed man of the last days), was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (NKJV).
No, God did not create sin, nor was He complicit in it. God hates sin and will judge all those who do not repent or turn away from it; who because of their love of sin reject His goodness and love.
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man