Thread by @cdevidal

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ Think I know the question you're getting at, & it's a juicy one. How could "very good" beings sin?

Spent about 18 months pondering this, so I prob won't explain it convincingly in a few posts 😆 Bear with me, this is profound.

I noticed a few things. I'll also unroll this: 1/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ * In Gen 2:17, it's called "The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil."

I've heard many pastors speak about the evil they would come to know in eating of it, but I've never heard anyone speak of the GOOD they'd come to know. 2/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ They would come to know the goodness of God in sending a Savior. Couldn't have known that had they never sinned.

It's like asking a fish, "How's the water?" "What's water?" 3/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ * We are made to worship. Isa 43:21 says, "The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise."

But worship is a verb that needs an object. Worship what? 4/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ * I noticed that God was not visibly present when they sinned. When the origin of the image (the thing the image should make you think of) was not visible, the worshippers turned to the image itself in worship. Self-worship. 5/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ This historical event was also a parable. (The Bible has other dual-purpose actual/parable events; see Gal 4.) The parable was intended to show that we cannot worship rightly--or even survive--without His presence. 6/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ * So you might object, "God did it!" There is a similar story in Job 1-2 where satan goes before God and God intentionally brings up Job. God is no idiot. He knew exactly what would happen. So when Job said in verse 2:10, 7/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" it sounds like laying responsibility at the feet God, even though satan was the author of sin in that story. But the inspired author of Job informed us, "In all this Job did not sin with his lips." 8/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ In Genesis, Joseph's bros sold him into slavery, which enabled him to protect the same bros from starving. Joseph said, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen 50:20) Meant it. God meant it, though they were the authors of that evil. 9/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ There is also a similar objection that Paul addresses in Rom 9, which is too long to paste here. "You will say to me then, 'Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?'" (v19) Suffice to say the Bible is not surprised by our objections. 10/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ * So, the author of evil in the garden tempted us. It was the snake's idea, but God meant it for good, that we could know the Savior, & that we'd know how much we need His presence. This is a rich paradox that I can't easily explain in a few Tweets. 11/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ * If you are in Christ, "the Spirit of God dwells in you." (Rom 8:9) So does sin nature. "Wretched man that I am!" (Rom 7:24) The Spirit compels us, sin tempts us. And in heaven, only the Spirit powerfully loving Christ through us, so we'll never have a desire to sin. 12/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ * When we do what we're made to do (worship Him) it gives satisfaction. I'll be so happy to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." (Matt 25:23) I did good because of Jesus--He alone gets the glory. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. 13/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ * An unbeliever might say, "These events teach that the God of the Bible is the author of evil."

First, know that this does not disprove He exists; at best, it proves He is contradictory.

Second, I don't find that satisfactory because as I said above, evil has no basis 14/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ in reality if there is no God. Just chemicals popping in your brain, nerve synapses firing. It's just your opinion that He is evil.

Third, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways" (Isa 55:8-9) 15/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ The testimony simply is that God ordains that evil come to be w/out Himself being the author of evil. I don't know exactly how that works, but the Bible has so many satisfactory answers that I trust this testimony. His thoughts are not my thoughts, His ways not my ways. 16/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ You might not agree or even understand, and that's OK. Others are also reading our conversation, and I'm also speaking to them. Maybe it'll resonate with one of them. Took me a long time to ponder it, and I don't expect you'll agree in a few minutes LOL 17/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ The Bible is rich & thick with deep things to ponder, which should not surprise us because the universe is rich & thick with deep things to ponder. I invite you to read the Bible if you haven't. It gives the most satisfactory answers I've found. 18/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ I've spent enough time on this today, this was fun! Sorry if that didn't answer all of your questions, I must be moving on now. Praying for you, that you would come to know the goodness of the presence of Savior even more than I do! 19/19

@KangintheNorth @Thomas_Banacek @MartinTweats @monta2__ @threadreaderapp unroll