Divine Limitation

Divine Limitation:

If God has all the power, why then does He limit Himself? According to our human reasoning, far too many things occur where God should intervene, halt, and even alter the outcome. It is apparent that man has way too much freedom and dominion. Both were grants from the Creator (Genesis 1:28; 2:16-17), and both were abused quickly and frequently throughout history. A handful of individuals have managed to rise above their fellow human beings and subdue them by coercion and other means. In the Old Testament, God would step into history to correct and punish abuses, as He did in the days of Noah and Pharaoh. During Jesus’ time, the Divine Hand was visible in individual miracles like healing and supplying different needs. Many Christians will testify that they too encountered God’s direction and help. Most of these conclusions were reached by hindsight and not by foresight. But that still does not explain why evil continues to grow?

First of all, God made a covenant with Adam and after the flood with Noah that He would not interfere in the affairs of man. He left man in charge of the world (Genesis 1:26; 9). It is man who must eliminate evil and not God. Instead of obeying God, man partnered with Satan and discovered good and evil (Genesis 3). From the beginning of the history of creation, Satan determined to destroy the world and the “Image of God” (Isaiah 14:12-15). Satan and his legions are on the loose and they cause chaos in the world and in man (Ephesian 6:12). Natural disasters and atrocities are the devil’s trademarks. Contrary to popular belief, it is Satan and not God who is in charge of the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:4-10; Luke 4:5-7). Jesus was sent to defeat the prince or ruler of the world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). But without man’s assistance, Jesus cannot cast out the demons. All the people, whom Jesus delivered from Satan’s power, came to Jesus and desired to be set free (James 4:7). One person housed more than two thousand demons (Mark 5:9-13). The devil is disguised as an “angel of light” and he is set on deception (II Corinthians 11:14).

Second, God gave man a Law to live by and govern himself by. God will not go against His own Law. God endowed man with reasoning and with a free will so that he could obey and apply the Law justly. Before Moses gave man a set of rules, the Law was written in man’s conscience (Romans 2:14). Again, with the help of the adversary, man was led to believe that God did not really expect man to take Him seriously (Genesis 3:4-5). The same thing is happening to the Ten Commandments. Humanistic liberalism has taken control of our courts and government and is ousting God’s Law from our schools and public life. Hence, we have moral, religious and social decay. The root of humanistic liberalism is evolution and evolution is a product of Satan. The writer is very familiar with Nazi and Communistic evolution where the fittest only survived. The American evolution is not just for the fittest, but also the most cunning that shall survive. It is a mixture of Epicureanism and Hedonism. In both philosophies, man is the measure of all things and pleasure is his aim. To the Apostle Paul, “their God was their belly” (Philippians 3:19). Pleasure is determining equal rights. That is why the Bible and God are out of place in a pleasure-dominated society. What most of us may not realize is that only two to five percent controlled Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. How many control the USA?

Third, God sent men, including Jesus, His Son, as witnesses against Satan and Satan’s forces. Unfortunately, these witnesses have always been a small minority, just like the Prophets and the disciples. Before Jesus departed from this world, only the disciples still remained with Him (John 6:66). In spite of all the positive talk about Christian progress, Jesus predicted that faith in Him would decline (Luke 18:18). How could this be? Just listen to what we hear popular ministers tell us. All we have to do is believe in Jesus and tell Him that we are sorry for our sins and He shall take care of us, no matter what the world is coming to. Oh how I wish it was that simple! Jesus went to the cross for what He believed, taught, and lived and told his followers that they too must take up their crosses (Matthews 10:38; 16:24). Jesus knew that before there could be peace, the sword would have to show its power (Matthews 10:34; Luke 22:36). The sword is also the Word of Truth with two edges (Hebrews 4:12). If Christians would unite in our country, they could clean up our nation and most of the world. And that is precisely what the evil forces cannot permit to happen.     

Finally, how shall it all end? Christians hope that God will come down and blow evil away. Again, God shall not destroy the world or mankind, nor shall God sit in judgment. God left that task up to man who is in charge. “What a man sows that shall he reap” (Galations 6:7). Evil sows corruption and self-destruction. Evil shall annihilate itself and the world. Unfortunately, the hands-off theology people and all the other innocent ones shall all suffer and physically die. Satan has no power beyond the grave; only God has (Matthew 10:28). Then comes the Judgment Day and everyone shall appear before Christ the final Judge (Matthew 25:31-46). On that day, no one shall ask what anyone believed, but what everyone has done (Romans 2:6; 14:10; II Corinthians 11:15). Hence, there shall be rewards and also punishments. Many of us shall be fortunate to escape punishment as if by fire (I Corinthians 3:15). But the devil and his angels shall go to their world for what they have done to God’s creation and to “His image.”