September 13
THE PURPOSE OF EVIL / PART 5
THE PURPOSE OF EVIL
According to Randy Bonacorso:
-The following is a passage from: The Gospel Of Maturity, Randy Bonacorso … "When we begin to understand
the purpose of evil in God’s plan, we begin to see past the pain. The writer of Deuteronomy tells us that it was God
Who “led Israel through the great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought,
where there was no water.” Then we are told why: “That He might prove them, to do good to them at their latter
end” (Deuteronomy 8:15,16). The deepest truths are often the simplest truths. And this one is simple: If it weren’t
for the darkness of sin we wouldn’t know the light of God’s grace. Good and evil are both gifts of love. The Samaritan
was a “good” Samaritan because he performed an act of kindness to someone in need. Need provided the occasion.
For God to have created a perfect world without sin and suffering would have been pointless. If God hadn’t found us
in the gutter, He would have had no opportunity to reveal His love. There would be no hymns of gratitude, no “Amazing
Grace.” Seeing that God created His own opposition, it’s easy to see why He will reconcile the enemy in the end.
What a miscarriage of justice it would be if God created Pharaoh to be the enemy and then sentenced him to endless torment
for what he did. As we have seen, God did not merely allow Pharaoh to do what he did; Pharaoh was “raised up”
to do it. Pharaoh provided an occasion for God to make a name for Himself throughout the earth. As well, Joseph’s brothers
cast him into a pit and left him for dead. A group of Midianites rescued Joseph and took him into Egypt where they sold him
as a slave. Every child who has attended Sunday school knows the story of how Joseph rose from Pharaoh’s dungeon to
become the governor of Egypt. Years later, when Joseph was reunited with his brothers, he explained to them, “But as
for you, you thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph’s brothers had merely
performed God’s will. God used them to demonstrate His power to take Joseph from the dungeon to the throne. And so,
in the end, love will more than compensate for evil. It will “superabound!” Pain is the breaking of the shell
that imprisons understanding. And one day we will see that pain and suffering were indispensable in bringing man to a full
revelation of God’s love." ( Randy Bonacorso )
-The purpose of evil …
-IS TO BRING ABOUT GOOD!-
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