Answering the question "Is God good?" is one of life's fundamental questions, Jacob. If you get past, "Does God exist?" with a, "Yes", then the very next question is whether or not He's worth paying any attention too. And so whether, you want to admit it or not, at some point or another, you not only asked that question, you answered it, whether directly or by implication.
What's more is that I haven't even asked you whether God is good or evil! Every question I've asked doesn't even make any sense outside the presumption of God's goodness! I'm not asking you whether God is good, I'm asking you about the nature of good and evil. What makes good good and evil bad? Is it because of a fiat declaration that God has made? If so, then in what sense does is it meaningful to call God good?
These are not new questions. They've been asked for millennia and some of the greatest human minds that have ever existed have spent their lives attempting to answer them, some more successfully than others. And thanks to the technology available to us today, normal average people like you and me have access to much of that work and can explore it and can learn from both their successes and their errors. Doing so requires courage though. You can't be scared to think through someone else's ideas for fear of your own crashing down around your ankles.
Do you even hear yourself think? Biblical knowledge of God and His word, and Jesus Christ (same thing) IS PHILOSOPHY!!!!
What it true is true, whether its in the Bible or in your back yard! The truth does not contradict itself, Jacob! Every truth claim, whether the claim is made in the Bible or on PBS, is either true or it is false (given a specific context). We do not trust the bible by virtue of the fact that its the bible but because we trust God! Why do we trust God? You would answer because the Bible tells us that we can, but you haven't thought it through enough to realize that this is not only circular reasoning but that it puts the bible above God! The bible is NOT the source for truth, Jacob - God is! The bible is true only if God is both real and righteous! And exploring such questions is what is called Christian philosophy a.k.a. Christian theology.
Philosophy = Philo- "loving" + sophia "knowledge, wisdom," or sophis "wise, learned;" = the love of learning or the love of wisdom or the love of knowledge.
Theology = The logos of the Theos. The knowledge of God!
Why are you here?
I don't mean, why are you alive on planet Earth, I mean, why are you participating on a theology forum? Is it not to discuss and debate theological issues? Is it not to perhaps learn something from someone as well as to maybe teach something to someone else? Is it not to test your metal against those who might disagree with you and to see if what you think you know is really true and worth knowing? I'm giving you a second chance to sharpen your steel against mine.
I think that the topic you've raised is one of the most important topics that can be raised and I really enjoy discussing it with just about anyone I find who is willing to do so. But I'm not interested in discussing it with myself. Discussions include a two way exchange where one party asks questions and the other gives answers which typically lead to other questions until finally a major point is made and either agreement happens or perhaps the question/answer exchange switches direction and another aspect of the issue is explored. If both parties participate with honesty and courage both are edified whether any agreement is ever reached at all. This kind of exchange is what I'm trying my hardest to get you to participate in. It's both interesting and fun precisely because it isn't easy and it isn't safe. If you aren't interested in having your most basic beliefs challenged, even by someone who is not your enemy, then I recommend finding another hobby. What in the world are you going to do if your beliefs are ever challenged by someone who is actually hostile to your beliefs?
So, having said all of that, would you agree with the following....
If God were to say that its just fine to murder your neighbor so long and he has made you really, really mad then that would not make murder right, it would mean that God is evil.
That's because right and wrong are not determined by fiat. God is NOT arbitrary. God is not good because He says so but because He does rightly. Right and wrong are not so because God said it, God said it because it is so.
Resting in Him,
Clete
