• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Why does God(s) test some more than others...?

Nimos

Well-Known Member
This is obviously meant more for religious people that believe that God(s) tests us, but anyone can answer if they please.

It's not uncommon to hear that God(s) tests us in different ways, whether that is through faith or some other means, like diseases, hunger, war and so forth.

So according to you, why do you think that God(s) would choose to test people differently? Some are born into wealthy families where they don't really have to concern themselves with making it through the day or healthcare and so forth, while others might be born into a poor country with war and hunger.

If the soul/spirit enters the body sometimes during impregnation depending on what people believe, are those souls/spirits linked to those people as a punishment or doesn't God(s) have anything to do with, which soul/spirit get assigned to which body and it is basically a huge divine lottery or why would a soul choose to be assigned to a life of suffering, and if it doesn't have a choice is it just randomly selected/created and again just unlucky? And if God(s) have nothing to do with it, then how is it really a test, when the playing rules are completely different from soul to soul?

Anyone thought about how this is suppose to work? Would be very interested in hearing different views of what people believe in regards to this in relationship to whatever God(s) they believe in.
 

amorphous_constellation

Well-Known Member
Sometimes I say to myself (in my head , or out loud) the phrase 'I don't know,' and I do this when I am thinking about the meaning of something, or trying to decide what to do etc. So I intuit the error in doing this, and now every time I say 'I don't know,' I follow that up really quickly with the phrase, 'I should know.' And so that feels a little better, like I am orienting the ship in a slightly more stable direction

And so I think about the characters I've encountered in my life , that life has thrown into my path. They are complicated characters sometimes. I think about the situations I have been in. There have been a variety of situations , some were heavy. Sometimes, oftentimes, these things would toss me a hard riddle of problem, of some kind. And so, a stone into my mind is thrown, or soul, which it works to digest. I feel the stress, that weighs down on me from the internal to the external. The Hope , is that there is something in me, my soul I suppose, that I have faith in, to subconsciously move through problems

From my position, or whatever position, I want to say that the hope is the goal of reaching some state of synergy, between novelty and Freedom.. but every life has a series of Walls between it and that goal.. This very hard to say of course, because we all have heard of lives that we think of as being irrevocably rough , but it's the only way for me to think about it.. But I think it has something to do with using the mind or the soul to reach a state of freedom
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
This is obviously meant more for religious people that believe that God(s) tests us, but anyone can answer if they please.

It's not uncommon to hear that God(s) tests us in different ways, whether that is through faith or some other means, like diseases, hunger, war and so forth.
The Bible addresses these things....

First of all God does not test anyone personally.
James 1:13-15....
"When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone. 14 But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn sin, when it has been carried out, brings forth death."

All of the things that befall us are random. God is not responsible for any of them. Random events happen when someone is in the wrong place at the wrong time, or was born with an immune system or DNA that makes them a target for disease. Accidents are not planned by anyone either.

As Solomon said...Ecclesiastes 3:18-20....
"I have seen something further under the sun, that the swift do not always win the race, nor do the mighty win the battle, nor do the wise always have the food, nor do the intelligent always have the riches, nor do those with knowledge always have success, because time and unexpected events overtake them all."

So if its not a test, what about temptations?....1 Corinthians 10:13....
"No temptation has come upon you except what is common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out so that you may be able to endure it."

Any temptation to lead a person away from God and his laws and principles is common to all...but our response to these temptations can either prove our strength or expose our weaknesses. God says he will not let his worshippers go beyond what they can bear. That does not hold true for everyone. If we want God's protection in this, we must become one of his own and live as he commands us to live.

We can learn from those temptations but if we know better and fall into the trap, then we have no one but ourselves to blame for the outcome.....in the words of a famous song writer...."some mistakes are built to last". :(

So according to you, why do you think that God(s) would choose to test people differently? Some are born into wealthy families where they don't really have to concern themselves with making it through the day or healthcare and so forth, while others might be born into a poor country with war and hunger.

No one has control over these things...not even God. Its all random. It's what we do with our life and how we live in our circumstances that tells the story of our character. We are either showing God our potential to become a citizen of his Kingdom...or we are disqualifying ourselves from ever entering it.

If the soul/spirit enters the body sometimes during impregnation depending on what people believe, are those souls/spirits linked to those people as a punishment or doesn't God(s) have anything to do with, which soul/spirit get assigned to which body and it is basically a huge divine lottery or why would a soul choose to be assigned to a life of suffering, and if it doesn't have a choice is it just randomly selected/created and again just unlucky? And if God(s) have nothing to do with it, then how is it really a test, when the playing rules are completely different from soul to soul?

There is no "spirit" or "soul" that enters a body at birth or at any time during the process of pregnancy. The soul is not a separate entity and neither is the spirit. Any such belief is a departure from what is taught in scripture. Souls are mortal....they die. (Ezekiel 18:4) Our spirit is what animates us and makes us "alive"....much like the electricity that powers an appliance. It is sustained by breathing which oxygenates every cell in our bodies, keeping them energized. Once breathing stops, it like unplugging that appliance. No power means no life.

Our future existence however, is not dependent upon any part of us continuing to live. God promises a resurrection, which is a restoration of the life we had, not a continuation of it in an invisible form, in some foreign place. We are made for the earth and the earth is made for us...this is where we will live forever.

Anyone thought about how this is suppose to work? Would be very interested in hearing different views of what people believe in regards to this in relationship to whatever God(s) they believe in.

That is what I believe the Bible teaches...and it is what makes perfect sense to me and to my brotherhood.
 

Kenny

Face to face with my Father
Premium Member
This is obviously meant more for religious people that believe that God(s) tests us, but anyone can answer if they please.

It's not uncommon to hear that God(s) tests us in different ways, whether that is through faith or some other means, like diseases, hunger, war and so forth.

The word "test" is an interesting word that sometimes gets misapplied in scripture. As Deeje said, God doesn't "test" with evil so it isn't applied to diseases, hunger, war etc. However, in these situations God can provide a way out if faith is present.

The word "test" as in God "tested Abraham" is more along the lines of enacting the covenant. If we were to use an insurance policy as a analogy, you would "test the veracity of the contract" when it was needed because of some need.

If the soul/spirit enters the body sometimes during impregnation depending on what people believe, are those souls/spirits linked to those people as a punishment or doesn't God(s) have anything to do with, which soul/spirit get assigned to which body and it is basically a huge divine lottery or why would a soul choose to be assigned to a life of suffering, and if it doesn't have a choice is it just randomly selected/created and again just unlucky? And if God(s) have nothing to do with it, then how is it really a test, when the playing rules are completely different from soul to soul?

Actually, God has no need to "punish" anyone since the punishment of sin was already satisfied through Jesus Christ (if we are looking at it in the Christian sense). However, the natural and spiritual laws are still working. If you drive drunk, you still can get hurt or hurt an innocent person. If you sow good seeds, you still get good fruits. If you sow bad seeds you still get bad fruit.

Anyone thought about how this is suppose to work? Would be very interested in hearing different views of what people believe in regards to this in relationship to whatever God(s) they believe in.

So, faith is God's answer to every problem.

When there was sickness, Jesus healed. When there was hunger he fed. God has an answer to every problem. At the least there is a future with Him when we pass from this temporal world. At the most, He has a door to escape the problems that we face on the earth. Everyone has problems (rich and poor) - but He still wants to move supernaturally in every situation. IMV.
 
Last edited:

Nimos

Well-Known Member
The Bible addresses these things....

First of all God does not test anyone personally.

The word "test" is an interesting word that sometimes gets misapplied in scripture. As Deeje said, God doesn't "test" with evil so it isn't applied to diseases, hunger, war etc. However, in these situations God can provide a way out if faith is present.

But isn't the ultimate goal to be saved and earn a place in heaven or the new Earth depending what one believe? And we already know according to the bible that this is not granted to certain people due to various reasons. So people are not "tested" collectively but individually, otherwise one's bad deed should prevent everyone from being saved.

So if the grand prize is the resurrection and this can only be obtained by living according to certain rules, why is that then not a test? In the same way as if I said that I would give 1 million dollars to anyone, but only if they could live according to my rules and if they couldn't they wouldn't get the money. That automatically turns it into a test, even though I might not actually use the word itself.

Besides being saved there is nothing to "win" in this whole setup, right? So that must be the ultimate goal as I see it. Especially because the bible doesn't really offer an equally good alternative to it.

"No temptation has come upon you except what is common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out so that you may be able to endure it."
But isn't that the same?

God must believe that people starving or suffering a lot in poor countries must be able to handle it. Whereas us in the more developed ones, are barely able to handle anything apparently given the luxury we have?

But as you said, God doesn't test us through diseases and such things and that these are just randomly applied to people, but I think that argument falls apart fairly quickly. Because it is through such things that people's faith is probably tested the most, without such things I doubt any religions based on the bible would have made it very far.

So if we imagine that all bad things were removed from a person's life, there would be no way to test faith? Because even having doubt can be considered a bad thing, as it can cause confusion, stress and so forth. So if none of life's bad things are suppose to test our faith in there being something good or better in the end of all of this, why is bad things then needed at all? Because again the ultimate goal must be to be saved, as that is the end of the road. But if none of these things are important for that and God doesn't test us in regards to whether a person can be saved or not, then what is the purpose of it all? Couldn't God just have skipped the whole Earth thing and went straight for the new one instead then?
 

Kenny

Face to face with my Father
Premium Member
Good and thoughtful questions...

But isn't the ultimate goal to be saved and earn a place in heaven or the new Earth depending what one believe? And we already know according to the bible that this is not granted to certain people due to various reasons. So people are not "tested" collectively but individually, otherwise one's bad deed should prevent everyone from being saved.

So if the grand prize is the resurrection and this can only be obtained by living according to certain rules, why is that then not a test? In the same way as if I said that I would give 1 million dollars to anyone, but only if they could live according to my rules and if they couldn't they wouldn't get the money. That automatically turns it into a test, even though I might not actually use the word itself.

Besides being saved there is nothing to "win" in this whole setup, right? So that must be the ultimate goal as I see it. Especially because the bible doesn't really offer an equally good alternative to it.

I think the foundation here is off-centered. And it really isn't "living according to certain rules" that measures whether or not you "earn a place". (And I hope I express it succinctly enough to be clear)

If we are looking at this through the lens of Jesus and the word he have us... from Genesis 1:26 - the earth was already leased to mankind with vested authority and dominion to rule. One could say correctly that the problems today are man created and not God created. Earth was a gift from God to mankind... not earned but given because of love.

Lack of love by man caused him to loose his dominion. Love through Jesus Christ brought back the dominion to man. What we do with it is our responsibility.

The gift isn't so much about "being saved" but rather the gift is coming back to its original intent of man having dominion. To experience correct rulership by using ones authority to serve and not be served. It isn't a test, it is a position due to relationship.

So it isn't "If you live by my rules I will give you a million dollars" but rather everyone starts at the beginning line of relationship with dominion and you can go as far as you want to.

Obviously there are rules. Gravity is a rule, not for testing but just rules that are in place regardless. There is a rule of "love" since God is love. If you violate the rule of love, like gravity, you fall in capacity but you don't fall from relationship. You can still pick yourself up and move forward.

But isn't that the same?

God must believe that people starving or suffering a lot in poor countries must be able to handle it. Whereas us in the more developed ones, are barely able to handle anything apparently given the luxury we have?

But as you said, God doesn't test us through diseases and such things and that these are just randomly applied to people, but I think that argument falls apart fairly quickly. Because it is through such things that people's faith is probably tested the most, without such things I doubt any religions based on the bible would have made it very far.

So if we imagine that all bad things were removed from a person's life, there would be no way to test faith? Because even having doubt can be considered a bad thing, as it can cause confusion, stress and so forth. So if none of life's bad things are suppose to test our faith in there being something good or better in the end of all of this, why is bad things then needed at all? Because again the ultimate goal must be to be saved, as that is the end of the road. But if none of these things are important for that and God doesn't test us in regards to whether a person can be saved or not, then what is the purpose of it all? Couldn't God just have skipped the whole Earth thing and went straight for the new one instead then?

So, if we take that principle and apply it... the reason people are starving and suffering isn't because God is testing but rather man isn't exercising their dominion correctly. There is enough food to feed the hungry in this world but because man has dominion, greed, wars, dominion pursued without servanthood has created what we have today.

Yes, faith is used to combat the problems of today. But in Heaven there is not sickness, no death, no crying and yet the God of faith is in and through all.

It still takes faith (without the problems) to start a business, to help the needy etc. We tend to quantify when we need "more faith", yet Jesus said whether to say "Your sins are forgiven or take up your bed and walk" it is still the same simple faith that made it possible.

So... the ultimate goal isn't "to be saved" but rather to exercise the dominion correctly. Salvation is a gift and not an earned right.
 

1213

Well-Known Member
The Bible addresses these things....

First of all God does not test anyone personally.
James 1:13-15....
"When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone. 14 But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn sin, when it has been carried out, brings forth death."....

Nice to see that here are also other people who know that. I was just going to post that same scripture. :)
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
But isn't the ultimate goal to be saved and earn a place in heaven or the new Earth depending what one believe? And we already know according to the bible that this is not granted to certain people due to various reasons. So people are not "tested" collectively but individually, otherwise one's bad deed should prevent everyone from being saved.
According to my beliefs, it’s a simple matter of qualifying for life in the “new earth”. (2 Peter 3:13) We were offered a magnificent home free of charge with everything supplied, and all the Landlord asked was that we take good care of his property. It was a great deal.....but as tenants, we have let the Landlord down, big time. We ignored his rules and damaged his property by our greed and neglect.

Now, any good Landlord will give his tenants notice, and time to clean up their mess, but if that opportunity is met with opposition and more damage, what would he be entitled to do?

The simple fact is that the ‘old earth’ with all its political, commercial and religious mismanagement is going to be removed, along with all who abuse their free will and break the rules of our tenancy here. Like it or not, we all have the same Landlord, and life here on his property is conditional. If we want to live here, we have to respect his rules or an eviction notice will be served......but since there is nowhere else to live, that eviction will mean our removal from his property, permanently. How is that not fair?

So if the grand prize is the resurrection and this can only be obtained by living according to certain rules, why is that then not a test? In the same way as if I said that I would give 1 million dollars to anyone, but only if they could live according to my rules and if they couldn't they wouldn't get the money. That automatically turns it into a test, even though I might not actually use the word itself.

The “grand prize” is what it has always been......everlasting life on this beautiful planet with no bad tenants messing things up. Many will attain that life either by resurrection, or by surviving the “end times” which I believe we are facing now.

God does not “test” us with evil things. So all the evil in this world is our own doing.

Besides being saved there is nothing to "win" in this whole setup, right? So that must be the ultimate goal as I see it. Especially because the bible doesn't really offer an equally good alternative to it.

Nothing to win? How do you figure that? Life itself is the prize.
What are we being “saved” from? The ultimate eviction...the permanent end of our existence. Not worth having? The damaged property will be repaired and new tenants will move in.....if we want to be among those new tenants, well, that is up to us....is God asking too much?

But isn't that the same?

God must believe that people starving or suffering a lot in poor countries must be able to handle it. Whereas us in the more developed ones, are barely able to handle anything apparently given the luxury we have?

Whatever situation people are born into, is random. We don’t choose our parents or the place or circumstances of our birth. Whatever is the situation where that occurs, has nothing to do with God. What we do in our personal circumstances and how we overcome adversity, or even how we deal with our wealth, tells God what sort of person we are. Our character is not determined by our circumstances.

Our spirituality is inherent, so some of us are born with a strong sense of the spiritual, whilst others are not. This appears to be a ransom thing. Even within the same family, you can find very different personalities....so it doesn’t depend entirely on our circumstances, but these and cultural practices can influence our actions. Adults reach a point where they have to make choices about these things. They either go with the flow...or they stand up and do something about their inner feelings.

Spirituality usually moves people to search for God, but even then, that search has to be correctly motivated. They either search for a god who serves their interests, or they are willing to search for the god whose interests they are willing to serve.

Strong spirituality itself is no guarantee that God is interested in anyone, but is at least something that ticks a box from the Landlord’s perspective. It gives a person potential to become a tenant in the “new earth” that is coming....but they must be willing to accept his terms. You can’t keep breaking the landlord rules and expect to stay accommodated.

So if we imagine that all bad things were removed from a person's life, there would be no way to test faith?

The first humans had no bad things to deal with.....what tempted them to break the rules?......Influence from another defector who planted an idea that was false. He implied that all the good things they had could be so much better if they were free to make their own rules.....despite everything being idyllic, the woman was fooled into believing him. She then influenced her husband and they lost all the good things they had.....so the influence of others features strongly in human behavior.

Because even having doubt can be considered a bad thing, as it can cause confusion, stress and so forth. So if none of life's bad things are suppose to test our faith in there being something good or better in the end of all of this, why is bad things then needed at all?
Doubts can be harnessed for good. Questioning the important things in life can be a powerful tool for research and analysis of all the basic fundamentals we have grown up with. If we search with a genuine motive, then God has something to tap into.

We all have an inbuilt desire for the truth. No one wants to be lied to. So for something as important as our search for meaning in life, we need to have good, reliable sources of information...not just propaganda designed to lead the “sheeples” of the world in the wrong direction. God will not interfere with our free willed choices, nor will he force us to serve his interests....that has to come from us.

Because again the ultimate goal must be to be saved, as that is the end of the road. But if none of these things are important for that and God doesn't test us in regards to whether a person can be saved or not, then what is the purpose of it all? Couldn't God just have skipped the whole Earth thing and went straight for the new one instead then?

Hopefully this post will answer those questions....:shrug:
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
What an anthropomorphic God, giving tests. Not my God. If there are tests, it is the God of Experience.

Sometimes, on the path to moksha, life is more challenging than at other times. But one can't really fail. The sojourn continues, one way or another.
 

Nimos

Well-Known Member
Now, any good Landlord will give his tenants notice, and time to clean up their mess, but if that opportunity is met with opposition and more damage, what would he be entitled to do?
But God did not make any rules in regards to how we ought to treat Earth as far as I know. At least that is not his main concern when looking at the rules and punishment he is handing out.

Remember he flooded the world because people were wicked and doing things he didn't like, not because they were treating Earth as such badly.

Most rules God applies relate to how society, human rights and morality ought to be handled. There are certain rules in regards to how you ought to treat animals and slaughter them etc. But these are very few and more in relationship to humans rather than the well being of animals/nature or Earth.

I understand your view and how you look at it, and think it is better in the sense purpose and so forth. But I see little relationship to what the bible or God wants or tell us in the bible that he find important.

The “grand prize” is what it has always been......everlasting life on this beautiful planet with no bad tenants messing things up. Many will attain that life either by resurrection, or by surviving the “end times” which I believe we are facing now.

God does not “test” us with evil things. So all the evil in this world is our own doing.
But if you succumb to evil, whether that is to believe in another God, being homosexsual and acting on it or whatever God doesn't like. Then you are not getting into heaven right? So wouldn't it be fair to say that such people would "fail" the wishes of God and therefore the test as God won't allow such behaviour, if you want to enter into heaven. Remember that these things are often referred to as evil deeds or on par with other things that he doesn't like.

So God might not cause someone to be of a particular sexsual orientation, but that doesn't change that he find this being so bad that they ought to be killed for it, should they act upon it? What I mean is that if this is not a test in regards to people with such sexual orientation, then why would God think they should be prevented from getting saved then? Because clearly there is no logic in why such people should be considered as doing something so wrong or evil that they should be killed and basically receive eternal banishment for it.

The damaged property will be repaired and new tenants will move in.....if we want to be among those new tenants, well, that is up to us....is God asking too much?
I honestly, based on the bible don't think God asked for it at all, or said in another way, I don't think he is concern about it at all and have absolutely no interest in it. Which is purely based on reading the bible and not remembering anything where God stand up for Earth or nature due to something that humans do, besides the topics I already mentioned above, about slaughtering etc. which honestly when reading it, doesn't seem to have anything to do, with God being especially concerned about the well being of animals, compared to him wanting the blood, because it is sacred or belong to him, which could probably be argued is more due to health reasons rather than anything else, again in regards to human health.

So I like your way of looking at it from a purpose point of view in relationship to Earth and what is going on. But I don't think it have a lot of meaning in regards to what the bible tell us about God desires or wishes from humans.
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
This is obviously meant more for religious people that believe that God(s) tests us, but anyone can answer if they please.

It's not uncommon to hear that God(s) tests us in different ways, whether that is through faith or some other means, like diseases, hunger, war and so forth.

So according to you, why do you think that God(s) would choose to test people differently? Some are born into wealthy families where they don't really have to concern themselves with making it through the day or healthcare and so forth, while others might be born into a poor country with war and hunger.

If the soul/spirit enters the body sometimes during impregnation depending on what people believe, are those souls/spirits linked to those people as a punishment or doesn't God(s) have anything to do with, which soul/spirit get assigned to which body and it is basically a huge divine lottery or why would a soul choose to be assigned to a life of suffering, and if it doesn't have a choice is it just randomly selected/created and again just unlucky? And if God(s) have nothing to do with it, then how is it really a test, when the playing rules are completely different from soul to soul?

Anyone thought about how this is suppose to work? Would be very interested in hearing different views of what people believe in regards to this in relationship to whatever God(s) they believe in.

I believe Jesus said it this way: To whom much is given much is required. Abraham for instance was given a land and a nation but required to show faith by offering his first born son.
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
I don't know a lot about hinduism, but it's about cycles right? so each cycle is a new test or what, is that what you mean?

I suppose then it would not be pass fail but if one doesn't meet expectations just keep taking the test over and over and hope for better results. I got Jesus to take the test for me and He knows all the answers so I automatically pass.
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
What an anthropomorphic God, giving tests. Not my God. If there are tests, it is the God of Experience.

Sometimes, on the path to moksha, life is more challenging than at other times. But one can't really fail. The sojourn continues, one way or another.

I believe I like Him that way. As He said "His yoke is easy and His burden is light."
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
God did not make any rules in regards to how we ought to treat Earth as far as I know. At least that is not his main concern when looking at the rules and punishment he is handing out.
If you read the Genesis creation account you will see that the assignment given to humans was to “fill the earth and subdue it”. What do you think was involved in ‘subduing the earth’ ?

God planted the garden and put the humans in it. He made them custodians of his creation and told them to extend the boundaries of their paradise to “subdue” the whole planet. Endowed with God’s qualities, intelligence and creativity, they were to transform the area outside of their garden home.....so the earth itself was a prime concern to God from the beginning but he was going to allow them to participate in the project........aren’t we all naturally drawn to beautiful places that fit our idea of paradise? I believe that we are ‘programmed’ to live there.

Remember he flooded the world because people were wicked and doing things he didn't like, not because they were treating Earth as such badly.
This was not just humans messing things up.....this was demonic interference which affected human behavior in such an adverse way, that it called for drastic action. In dealing with this situation, God created a pictorial reference for the future. (Matthew 24:37-39) He will take drastic action again when the world becomes as wicked as it was back then, heralding the time for Christ’s return.
Look around you....

Most rules God applies relate to how society, human rights and morality ought to be handled. There are certain rules in regards to how you ought to treat animals and slaughter them etc. But these are very few and more in relationship to humans rather than the well being of animals/nature or Earth.
Humans were not given permission to eat animal flesh until Noah came out of the ark. God made laws about how animals were to be humanely slaughtered and treated. Hunting was only for food, but wicked men began to hunt for sport. Blood sport never had God’s sanction.

I see little relationship to what the bible or God wants or tell us in the bible that he find important
I can only say that if you think that, you have not really read the Bible. The death penalty has been in force for breaking God’s laws since the beginning. I don’t think it gets more important than that....
Mankind had left off caring about God’s laws in the days of Noah, so not being held accountable by anyone in authority resulted in anarchy. (Genesis 6:5-6; Ecclesiastes 8:11) If violence and immorality was so widespread, perhaps it was a case of “if you can’t lick ‘em....join ‘em”?

But if you succumb to evil, whether that is to believe in another God, being homosexsual and acting on it or whatever God doesn't like. Then you are not getting into heaven right?

Since God never offered us heaven as the final destination, getting into heaven was never a consideration. It was life or death on earth that was the primary concern. It was really simple...obey God and live...disobey and suffer punishment or death. Not rocket science. (Deuteronomy 30:19)

So wouldn't it be fair to say that such people would "fail" the wishes of God and therefore the test as God won't allow such behaviour, if you want to enter into heaven. Remember that these things are often referred to as evil deeds or on par with other things that he doesn't like.
Obeying God is not difficult or impossible for the majority of people. Choosing to disobey, knowing that penalties apply is rather foolish as any jail inmate will tell you....ask those on death row if they regret their actions?

Those who find God’s laws too difficult, or who rebel against them, don’t belong in his plans for the future. We are responsible for our own actions.....aren’t we? Actions follow reasoning, so if our reasoning is faulty, our actions will be too. We are good at justification, but that doesn’t mean that God is swayed by our excuses. (Matthew 7:21-23)

So wouldn't it be fair to say that such people would "fail" the wishes of God and therefore the test as God won't allow such behaviour, if you want to enter into heaven. Remember that these things are often referred to as evil deeds or on par with other things that he doesn't like.
Again....tenants must comply with the Landlord’s wishes or else they can find somewhere else to live......the trouble is, this planet is the only place where humans can live, so eviction means forfeiting life itself. As the Creator of life, God has the authority to give life and to end it as he sees fit.....there is no “Complaints Department”. Who are you going to complain to? This is one “Father” who does not respond well to tantrums. “Shape up or ship out”.....those who sign up for the military know what that means.

So God might not cause someone to be of a particular sexsual orientation, but that doesn't change that he find this being so bad that they ought to be killed for it, should they act upon it? What I mean is that if this is not a test in regards to people with such sexual orientation, then why would God think they should be prevented from getting saved then? Because clearly there is no logic in why such people should be considered as doing something so wrong or evil that they should be killed and basically receive eternal banishment for it.
As I said....the Landlord sets the rules. It is not evil to be born with an ‘abnormal’ sexual orientation, but it is against God’s law to have sexual relations with one to whom you are not legally married. SS couples cannot marry (scripturally) and therefore have no right to engage in sexual acts. After all, why did God create the sexes in the first place? What did he tell those first humans to do? He created male and female for procreation. The fact that sex was pleasurable was a bonus so that married couples could enjoy intimacy and if a pregnancy occurred, that child was welcomed into a loving family with committed parents.

Sex is a privilege, not a right. No one dies from not having sex.

I honestly, based on the bible don't think God asked for it at all, or said in another way, I don't think he is concern about it at all and have absolutely no interest in it. Which is purely based on reading the bible and not remembering anything where God stand up for Earth or nature due to something that humans do, besides the topics I already mentioned above,
Animal welfare was important to God, but free willed human life was more important because of the damage they could do to the earth itself.

In Revelation 11:18 it says that God will ‘bring to ruin those ruining (destroying) the earth’....those of us in this 21st century know what that means because human beings have now brought the earth itself to the brink of ruin.....pollution, climate change, nuclear weapons and power hungry rogue leaders who are capable of starting a nuclear war. Yet in the first century it was a ridiculous notion.....no human had the ability to ruin the earth itself.

about slaughtering etc. which honestly when reading it, doesn't seem to have anything to do, with God being especially concerned about the well being of animals, compared to him wanting the blood, because it is sacred or belong to him, which could probably be argued is more due to health reasons rather than anything else, again in regards to human health.
Again, the welfare of animals used for sacrifice demonstrated the superiority of man in God’s eyes. As the Creator of both, he used one to foreshadow the means of forgiveness for the other.

So I like your way of looking at it from a purpose point of view in relationship to Earth and what is going on. But I don't think it have a lot of meaning in regards to what the bible tell us about God desires or wishes from humans.
On the contrary, if one reads the Bible as one complete story, everything falls into place. What we lost in the beginning is restored in the end, and all that transpired between was connected to that theme.
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
Hindus largely do not believe God tests us. He has no reason to.
 

Nimos

Well-Known Member
If you read the Genesis creation account you will see that the assignment given to humans was to “fill the earth and subdue it”. What do you think was involved in ‘subduing the earth’ ?
From my understanding to subdue something is to take control of it. You wouldn't say a gartner subdue his garden.

If you look at the definition of the word:
- to reduce the force of something, or to prevent something from existing or developing

So what God did was to give humans control of Earth and the animals, plants etc. But not as caretakers, but as supreme rulers.

This was not just humans messing things up.....this was demonic interference which affected human behavior in such an adverse way, that it called for drastic action.
Yes, but again, God found their behaviour to be wrong in regards to what they did. Had nothing to do with Earth itself, its in relationship to humans, intelligent being in form of divine beings etc.

Humans were not given permission to eat animal flesh until Noah came out of the ark. God made laws about how animals were to be humanely slaughtered and treated. Hunting was only for food, but wicked men began to hunt for sport. Blood sport never had God’s sanction.
Not sure where you got this from? The bible say that humans became evil and that is about it. Besides that, if God had no issues with the animals, he could simply have gotten rid of the humans and let Noah and his family live. But he wants to kill all the animals as well, besides the ones that gets on the Ark.

It is not exactly clear from what I can see, how the whole meat thing worked before Noah, because Abel probably sacrificed a sheep/goat to God and Cain a fruit. So unless he only had these for milk and wool, it's hard to tell if they ate them or not, purely based on the bible at least.

But it doesn't say anything about man hunting animals for sport or anything like that and that this was what caused God to be angry.

I can only say that if you think that, you have not really read the Bible. The death penalty has been in force for breaking God’s laws since the beginning. I don’t think it gets more important than that....
Yes, but what I don't see a lot of relationship with, is God's concern in regards to animals. There is not a lot in the bible, about how one ought to treat animals and as far as I know none of them gives the death penalty, maybe having sex with animals, not sure can't remember?

Since God never offered us heaven as the final destination, getting into heaven was never a consideration. It was life or death on earth that was the primary concern. It was really simple...obey God and live...disobey and suffer punishment or death. Not rocket science.
I think you missed my point, about whether it could be considered a test or not. Whether you go to heaven or not as a reward, doesn't really matter. The fact is that only certain people living up to the standard that God requires will be rewarded or said in another way. If you are unable to pass the test, whatever criteria God puts up, you will fail.

Obeying God is not difficult or impossible for the majority of people. Choosing to disobey, knowing that penalties apply is rather foolish as any jail inmate will tell you....ask those on death row if they regret their actions?
Well depends how you look at it, just because they are rules, doesn't mean that they are neither good, sensitive or morally sound. That homosexsuals for instance ought to be killed is neither of these. So if we are to simply follow his rules, because he say so and anything else is stupid, regardless of what God command, then he is more of a tyrant than a good God.

God can't say or judge himself as being good, only others can do that. And in case we allow him to do that, then there should be no discussion in regards to what is good and what is not. Because then the bible have already decided that, and therefore it is good to kill homosexsuals if they act on it, and no punishment should be given for people handing out God's justice in such case. It might sound ridiculous, but if God is allowed to proclaim to be only good and there is no debate, then that is the case.

Those who find God’s laws too difficult, or who rebel against them, don’t belong in his plans for the future. We are responsible for our own actions.....aren’t we?
Yes, but then why is it wrong to say that God tests us then? If you don't belong in his plan, then clearly you didn't make the cut.

Again....tenants must comply with the Landlord’s wishes or else they can find somewhere else to live......the trouble is, this planet is the only place where humans can live, so eviction means forfeiting life itself. As the Creator of life, God has the authority to give life and to end it as he sees fit.....there is no “Complaints Department”. Who are you going to complain to? This is one “Father” who does not respond well to tantrums. “Shape up or ship out”.....those who sign up for the military know what that means.
Well then there should be nothing wrong in arguing that God is a tyrant. Because and that he is testing us, its not about free will, love and caring as people often claim it is, because there is no such thing in such arrangement. Its either do or get the hell out of here.

As I said....the Landlord sets the rules. It is not evil to be born with an ‘abnormal’ sexual orientation, but it is against God’s law to have sexual relations with one to whom you are not legally married.
Sure its evil, if you decide to punish people for it and not even giving them the choice to choose.

After all, why did God create the sexes in the first place? What did he tell those first humans to do? He created male and female for procreation. The fact that sex was pleasurable was a bonus so that married couples could enjoy intimacy and if a pregnancy occurred, that child was welcomed into a loving family with committed parents.

Sex is a privilege, not a right. No one dies from not having sex.
I have no clue why God created us or even why he would care about married, when his command was to go fill the Earth. If that was the case, he should have made unmarried sex terrible, like extremely painful or something. God simply made humans and thought it was good, I don't think it is explained why he did it, besides that or what the purpose was. Even if it was so people could get married, or get to live on a new Earth or whatever, it still doesn't explain why he created us in the first place.

Again, the welfare of animals used for sacrifice demonstrated the superiority of man in God’s eyes. As the Creator of both, he used one to foreshadow the means of forgiveness for the other.
But its not animal welfare for them to be sacrificed to make up for human errors. At least not in my book.

On the contrary, if one reads the Bible as one complete story, everything falls into place. What we lost in the beginning is restored in the end, and all that transpired between was connected to that theme.
Im not sure I would agree with that, obviously they have tried to organise it as complete story, but there are lots of contradictions in it, which seems to add more confusion than clarity. It depends, how one interpret it.
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
I could write a book in response that reply Nimos, but I won't. You will never believe what you don't want to believe, or see what you don't want to see. The Bible's message is offered not forced.

Im not sure I would agree with that, obviously they have tried to organise it as complete story, but there are lots of contradictions in it, which seems to add more confusion than clarity. It depends, how one interpret it.
And there it is.....the difference between our idea of fact and fiction....understanding and misunderstanding.....interpretation.

What determines how we perceive our place here? Are we just an accident of evolution, or were we purposely put here? If we are an accident then there is no purpose for our existence....but if we were put here by God, then we owe him our existence and are beholding to him and whatever rules he deems to be necessary.

Does God leave us to figure it out for ourselves? I don’t believe so. According to the Bible, we are either the kind of citizen that God is looking for to inhabit his earth....or we are not. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) If we search for God with a genuine motive, we will find him, but if we want to dictate the terms of our tenancy here, along with our own delusions about telling God how to conduct his own business, we can expect an eviction notice. It’s really that simple.

God is choosing us as much as we think we are choosing him.
What sways his choice is our ability to follow his instructions. We either have no problem with that...or we chafe and insist on doing things our own way. What was Israel’s history with regard to complainers?

In any organization there has to be hierarchy or there is anarchy. Rank and order are seen in all successful human corporations. Every level has their assigned role and they follow the orders of a superior, but all answer to the CEO, or they will lose their job. We have no difficulty understanding that order, or the reasons for termination of employment, so why do we balk at God being the CEO of his own creation?

There is no arguing with our Sovereign. The clay does not get to dictate to the potter.....like it or not, we have full control over our own thinking and actions, and will be judged accordingly.

Like I said....even though he has reasons to forgive his servants, God does not have a “Complaints Department”.
He gets to complain about us, not he other way around.
 
Top