Evil

This is a response to a Facebook post by a Chaplain I know. If you’ve read it before-I’m old now and can’t always remember what I’ve posted-I apologize but I think it is fundamentally important for us today. 

The first appearance of evil, or Satan, or the Accuser-the force opposed to God-is in Genesis 3: “Now the serpent...said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say...God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’.” He shows up again in Job-considered by many scholars to be the oldest Biblical book-: “Then Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘Does Job fear God for no reason...stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face’.”

It seems to me this is where evil begins-God is a liar and cannot be trusted (the first instance of gaslighting?) closely followed by humans are liars and only want God for what we can get (how modern is that?)

And yet we have God’s response-the cross (one time for all) and the resurrection life (on going for eternity). 

I believe these passages ask two of the deepest, most fundamental questions for humanity-Can God be trusted; and is God worthy of our love solely because of who God is? Before the Incarnation, before the cross, before the resurrection, maybe even before there was an Israel, these questions were asked and answered by the Biblical writers. Now it’s our turn.