George Constanza, when all went awry, ranted "Why did God do this to me?" Seinfeld remarked "I thought you didn't believe in God." George replied "Just when bad things happen!"
Gnostics believe in three Gods: 1) The demiurge Abraxas (the Archon) who is tha bad creator God for all material is evil and is the Old Testament God we call JHWH. 2) The "good" god is Monad (the Absolute) and represents the spiritual world and good. 3) The female goddess Sophia (wisdom) and is the female aspect of God who somehow did wrong and fell from grace. She helped create material things.
In effect Constanza believed in the demiurge, but not our God "JWHW", later called Jehovah. Although this episode of Seinfeld was tongue-in-cheek, it hit the nail on the head as far as the way people think!
When bad things were happening to the righteous man, Job, Zephar said to him: Job 11:4 " For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes. 5 But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;"
Zephar (and his friends) were "Constanzas". You've must have done something wrong because God is punishing you! Is that the case?
Job 1:12 "And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he (Job) hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord."
All that Job had was destroyed: his land, his crops, his flock, his children and his wife. Even Job's health was sacked! However, Job never wavered in faith! Who did "bad" things to Job? Was it God or was it Satan? God allowed Satan to test his servant, Job, but Satan is the evil-doer. There is no bad God nor good God. God is the only God and God is great!
Exodus 18:11 "Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them."
This is Moses speaking. The man who stood on Holy Ground and met God at the burning bush. He met the creator God, JHWH (Jehovah) and said "the Lord is greater than all gods" for there were many false gods. Gnosticism is an evil philosophy and undermines the "One True God". Crediting evil to God is giving God the blame for what Satan has done! Our God is a merciful God!
Deuteronomy 7:9 "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"
Since God is unchanged from generation to generation, He's the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, our modern God is the same merciful God who looked into the eyes of our patriarchs thousands of years ago. This same merciful God is the same as Jesus the Christ, the promised Messiah! No, Constanza! Satan is responsible for bad. God is the author of good! It's defilement of God which brings forth bad!
I dated a girl several years ago. Her younger sister had died. This girl blamed God for her sister's death and had lost her hope. She no longer had faith in God! She never reconciled that God sees death differently than we do. Death is a reward God bestows upon his children. A life of tribulation, poor health and disease is wrought by Satan. This girl gave God the "credit" for evil when it was not his doing at all! Perhaps our merciful God took the life of this ailing girl to stop the agony of her life! In any event, it was God's will that she should "come home" where he had a room awaiting because she professed Christ!
Quit blaming God for the evil of this world. Quit blaming God for bad things which happen. Satan is the "prince of this world" where he rules with dictatorial powers. He has no mercy and is the father of calamity. Blame Satan. Give credit where it's due! To God be the glory!
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