God's Credibility

Think of what this universe would have been left with if God had instantly "nuked" Lucifer out of existence.

Suppose that a celebrated member of the press, known for her accurate insider reports of goings on in the White House, accused the President of the United States of the outrageous act of embezzling billions of dollars of tax payers money and laundering it into a Swiss bank account for his personal use after completing his term in office.  And suppose that on the very day the scandalous report broke, the President himself shot and killed this esteemed reporter, claiming that by shooting the reporter he had acted in the best interests of the nation by sparing it the agony of an extended, senseless debate on such absurdly false charges.  Would the President's action indeed prevent debate, or rather intensify it?  (While this illustration may seem a bit far fetched, it is a matter of record that such things have happened routinely in some countries.)

God was certainly capable of crushing Lucifer's rebellion outright and demanding total compliance or else.  But He was unwilling to subject His children to  the climate of fear that would have resulted.  He chose instead to allow Lucifer's rebellion the time it needed to demonstrate itself as the hideous "Dark Side" that it is, inherently evil beyond imagination, destructive beyond belief, and ultimately  self-destructive.

God does not desire a forced obedience or mere dutiful compliance from any of His children.  He desires only a voluntary allegiance based on love and trust.  He created all of His children to experience the wonder and joy of eternal life in a climate of loving relationships based on trust.  But to all He grants the freedom to choose such a relationship with Him, the Author and Sustainer of life, or to reject it.  1 John 5:11-12

Would you like to respond to a God like that?

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