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Should Abuse Lead to No Use?
Let me pose few questions for your consideration. Is it fair to stop manufacturing vehicles just because of the accidents? Is it wise to cease using fire just because of the fire accidents? Is it reasonable to end using electricity just because of electrocutions? We all well understand that it is unwise to completely discard something which is so good and helpful just because of the possibility of bad. Someone rightly said, “The remedy for misuse is not disuse but right use.”
Likewise, God did not stop to create man as a free being because of the potentiality to abuse his freewill. If man could do bad because of the abuse of free will, He could not even do good voluntarily without the right exercise of his moral freedom. Despite the risk involved in misusing the freedom, God had still created man as a morally free being. Although there are those who choose evil and grieve Him, God’s ultimate delight is in those who freely choose to love and obey Him. Is it not a risk worth taking for at least the few who voluntarily and joyfully choose to obey?
Allow me to share few more instances to clarify the dilemma. We hear a lot of crime reports on the news. There are times I have read and heard how people murder others for money. Not even once did I hear anyone grumbling and accusing the person who had invented gun or knife. The natural accusation was on the murderer who was greedy and inhuman.
I wonder, why then many accuse God for keeping the tree of the knowledge of good and evil when it is man who should be blamed for abusing his free will!
Moreover, is it fair to blame the educational institutions for having grading system just because of some folks committing suicide for failing in exams? And what about sex? How many people are dying because of HIV/AIDS! Shall we stop having sex because of these deadly and incurable diseases? Think—is the problem truly with sex itself or with the misuse of sex?
Therefore, why is God held responsible for evil when it is man who abuses his freewill to do evil? Does the real problem lie with God who has given freewill or with man who abuses his freewill? You know, sin is nothing but the abuse of freewill God has given to man. And God created us in such a way so that we can rightly exercise our freedom of choice and become like Mother Teresa or abuse our freewill and become like Adolf Hitler.
Final Words
I have nothing but appreciation for God’s marvellous creation. He didn’t create us as robots nor did He manipulate our freedom. He created us in His own image, i.e. as volitional, relational, rational and moral beings, so that we would reflect His glory. God made man as a free being, i.e. with an ability to make moral choices. In consideration of this fact, there is no created thing on earth as beautiful and wonderful and mysterious as mankind. David rightly expressed, "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Ps. 139:14)
Well, the goodness of God is that, even though man disobeyed God and sinned against Him by abusing his freewill, He didn't give up on man to face his own eternal destruction. Here is the good news: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus Christ], that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (Jn. 3:16).
Therefore, I urge people to cease blaming God for putting the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and rather repent of their sins and gratefully accept the gift of forgiveness given through Christ Jesus, who is the one and the only in the history of the world who died on the cross and rose again from the dead to give hope to the perishing world. [go to first page] | 3 of 3
Let me pose few questions for your consideration. Is it fair to stop manufacturing vehicles just because of the accidents? Is it wise to cease using fire just because of the fire accidents? Is it reasonable to end using electricity just because of electrocutions? We all well understand that it is unwise to completely discard something which is so good and helpful just because of the possibility of bad. Someone rightly said, “The remedy for misuse is not disuse but right use.”
Likewise, God did not stop to create man as a free being because of the potentiality to abuse his freewill. If man could do bad because of the abuse of free will, He could not even do good voluntarily without the right exercise of his moral freedom. Despite the risk involved in misusing the freedom, God had still created man as a morally free being. Although there are those who choose evil and grieve Him, God’s ultimate delight is in those who freely choose to love and obey Him. Is it not a risk worth taking for at least the few who voluntarily and joyfully choose to obey?
Allow me to share few more instances to clarify the dilemma. We hear a lot of crime reports on the news. There are times I have read and heard how people murder others for money. Not even once did I hear anyone grumbling and accusing the person who had invented gun or knife. The natural accusation was on the murderer who was greedy and inhuman.
I wonder, why then many accuse God for keeping the tree of the knowledge of good and evil when it is man who should be blamed for abusing his free will!
Moreover, is it fair to blame the educational institutions for having grading system just because of some folks committing suicide for failing in exams? And what about sex? How many people are dying because of HIV/AIDS! Shall we stop having sex because of these deadly and incurable diseases? Think—is the problem truly with sex itself or with the misuse of sex?
Therefore, why is God held responsible for evil when it is man who abuses his freewill to do evil? Does the real problem lie with God who has given freewill or with man who abuses his freewill? You know, sin is nothing but the abuse of freewill God has given to man. And God created us in such a way so that we can rightly exercise our freedom of choice and become like Mother Teresa or abuse our freewill and become like Adolf Hitler.
Final Words
I have nothing but appreciation for God’s marvellous creation. He didn’t create us as robots nor did He manipulate our freedom. He created us in His own image, i.e. as volitional, relational, rational and moral beings, so that we would reflect His glory. God made man as a free being, i.e. with an ability to make moral choices. In consideration of this fact, there is no created thing on earth as beautiful and wonderful and mysterious as mankind. David rightly expressed, "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Ps. 139:14)
Well, the goodness of God is that, even though man disobeyed God and sinned against Him by abusing his freewill, He didn't give up on man to face his own eternal destruction. Here is the good news: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus Christ], that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (Jn. 3:16).
Therefore, I urge people to cease blaming God for putting the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and rather repent of their sins and gratefully accept the gift of forgiveness given through Christ Jesus, who is the one and the only in the history of the world who died on the cross and rose again from the dead to give hope to the perishing world. [go to first page] |
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_______________________________
Enquiries:
cstephendavid@gmail.com (or) stephen@tents-india.org
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