How do we know for a certainty that God is not ultimately evil?
Answer: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, God’s own Son. The very allowing—in fact appointing!—of the Cross, Christ’s participating in suffering abuse, like us, in connection with the complete reversal and superabundant overcompensation of that unequalled evil via resurrection from among the dead, all prove irrefutably that God is ultimately, in the final analysis…in the Last Judgment, just and good. And He’s on our side! [3/9/03; 7/27/07]
What’s more, we also know the ultimate love and goodness of God by the Spirit that He has put in our hearts when we believe. (Romans 5:5) [3/9/03]
Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us:
- God’s precepts to keep, directing us to maturity
- God’s promises that raise hope, motivating us to endure
- God’s power through His Holy Spirit, helping us obey
- God’s pardon for our misdeeds, cleansing our conscience
What more do we need to inspire us to advance toward genuine human maturation as worthy citizens of His Kingdom? [3/18/03; 9/16/25]
There wasn’t enough blood in all the cattle and sheep and doves of ancient Israel to cleanse, in addition to the priests, Levites, and sanctuary with all its furnishings and utensils, also the other eleven tribes plus all their houses, buildings, possessions, storehouses, livestock, orchards, vineyards, etc., etc., much less to do that gigantic task every day. Such culture-wide wholesomeness is only possible in wake of the New Covenant with the overwhelming outpouring of the Spirit of wholesomeness resulting from Messiah’s sacrifice and outpouring of his own blood for cleansing and life-giving.
The shadowy images of the Old Covenant were but hints of what is now made possible by the indwelling power from on high. The very inner character and contents of Deity is now on the loose in the earth so that “Wholesome to Jehovah” may be inscribed on every cowbell and ratchet wrench! [4/6/03]
When Christians confess that “God is one,” we mean the Father and the Son are one in the Holy Spirit. This construction is discernible even in the Hebrew Scriptures. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one Deity—the Son begotten from the Father, after their kind, before the ages were even blueprinted. So, as we might suspect, They are identical in nature and contents—graciousness and truth.
When the Son subsequently was born as a human being—Jesus of Nazareth—he always submitted to his Father’s desire as that became known to him. Accordingly, he learned obedience through the discipline and even abuse he suffered on earth. Remaining yet sinless, he could qualify to die for our sins because he was eligible to be raised from the dead even if slain, with all the overcompensating gift of the Holy Spirit as promised. This he gives away in abundance to any and every sinner who trusts him, thus providing lasting life and pardon to all who desire to receive him. [5/16/03; 9/16/25]
Is it possible, when we forgive people of their offenses against us while they remain unrepentant of those offenses, that God will then take up our cause and do the avenging Himself, in His own time and as He sees fit? His explicit desire is that everyone should come to repentance concerning their sins and start loving innocently, without offense, in purity of motive and response. People who remain stubborn even after being forgiven by many faithfully obedient forgiving Christians, must necessarily evoke God’s eventual indignation for continuing to cause harm to others and refusing to change their minds and habits. [7/2/03]
God did not mind in the least that His dear people asked of Him signs and miracles. It’s only when He gave them a whole history of them and still they would not trust Him that He ran out of patience. It was only when He finally sent them His own beloved Son, the one begotten from His own bosom, yet, regardless, they continued demanding signs, having already murdered him and wiped their mouths from blood, but clamored for still more proof, that God finally said enough is enough. Very well then, you may go to hell since you resolutely insist.
Scan forward to 70 A.D. and desolating abominations. After 40 years of divine mercy following their crucifixion of their own Messiah, whose resurrection constituted the greatest sign and wonder ever bestowed on mankind—and on Jews in particular!—that still calloused, stubborn, hardhearted, stiff-necked generation was wiped out in such a show of internecine murder, torture, and even cannibalism as the nation had never before witnessed, nor ever since.
God is generous and kind to give sufficient extraordinary proof in every generation of history, but He wants to see some fruit from it, not petulant whining for more and more, because that’s simply bald disbelief masquerading as a sincere prayer request. [9/18/03]
The Premial Atonement 