Delve Into Jesus : Questions : Creation

Comments

Thanks very much for your questions. I don't align myself with any particular denomination, however I attend a Baptist Church and I would consider myself conservative and evangelical.

1) It's always tricky to try and determine why God did things one way or another, especially when He has not told us his reasons. You've asked about how sin might play into this equation, and it certainly does. In Genesis 1:29, there is a strong indication that in the beginning, all creatures, including man, were vegetarians. It reads, "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the groundeverything that has the breath of life in itI give every green plant for food.' And it was so" There was obviously a change, and this would most likely have been a result of man's sin (i.e the fall). When man fell, everything changed and one of those changes was that man and some animals became omnivorous (or carnivorous) Many other things changed, too - the world became a harsh place to live due to disease and natural disasters.

2) Is God cruel? The answer has to be no, by the very definition of the word itself. God is the standard by which we judge goodness, so his actions by definition are always good. If this sounds like a cop-out, ask your self where your sense of justice and righteousness come from. How do you know what is right or wrong? It has to come from God (where else could it come from?) I will be writing an article about this subject very soon, please let me know if you're interested and I will email it to you when it's done. You can also pick up a copy of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity which deals very well with this subject.

There is no difference between the God of the Old and the New Testament, it's simply that the two testaments focus on different aspects of His nature. The Old focuses on justice, and the New focuses on love, however it is the same God. You could certainly say that there was violence and brutality in the Old Testament to be sure. This troubles many people, and the best we can say about this is that because God has great justice, it had to be done and because God has great mercy, it could not have been done any other way. I have been planning to write an article on this as well, and I will try to do so quickly so that I can help you get to the bottom of this confusing issue.

In today's churches, we seem to want to focus only on his love and forget his justice, as if it were a bad thing, but justice is so very important. Without it, we would have no ability to even tell right from wrong. Justice and love are two sides of the same coin and both are necessary. If you have justice with no love, there will never be mercy (which God has in abundance). If you have love without justice, then you will permit wickedness in and for the sake of those you love (which a perfect God could never do). This article may help: http://delveintojesus.com/articles/5/Why-Did-Jesus-Have-To-Die.aspx

I've deliberately given you quick answers because I don't want to inundate you with too much stuff all at once, however I would be happy to elaborate on any of this, or discuss any areas which don't make sense. You can feel free to email me, you can ask more questions on the web site, or you can start or join a discussion at http://delveintojesus.com/Discussion.aspx. Either way, please don't hesitate to ask us whatever is on your mind. I'll be delighted to keep discussing these and other items with you for as long as you have questions.

10/9/2007 11:42:58 AM - Anonymous User, Executive Director, Delve Christian Ministries

Just an update to let you know that the article I'm writing on the Old Testament is about 80 done, and should be posted by mid-next week. I'll be sure to let you know when it's up on the site.

10/14/2007 9:34:51 AM - Anonymous User, Executive Director, Delve Christian Ministries

If you have an answer or some information to contribute, or you would simply like to say something to the author of this question, please feel free to leave a comment below. Don't forget that our forum is also open if you want to join or start a discussion.