God gets blamed for many things. So we need to ask the question, is God a child abuser?
God gets blamed for everything from people dying to bad economic conditions and more. Since we are called God’s children, the question must be be asked, “Is God a child abuser?”
The answer is “No”.
This blog is one of several covering this topic. Prior posts will be linked at the bottom.
The reason God is blamed for so many things is that there is not a clear understanding about God, His Word, free will, God’s responsibilities and man’s responsibilities.
If you read the Bible carefully, especially a more literal translation of the Bible, there is a very exact way and wording to the scripture.
We know that words have meaning and the exact way words are used have even more meaning.
A mother calling, “Johnny, come here,” is different than “Jonathan Mills Smith”, come here right now!”
A problem can arise when a child, or God’s child, does something he should not have done or omits doing something that he should do. There can be a negative consequence, but that is not God’s fault. That is a sowing and reaping consequence of breaking some kind of natural or spiritual law, or combination thereof. God is not to blame for our lack of obedience to His Word and ways.
God is not a child abuser.
Rather than blame God, we need to check up on ourselves, where we are missing it with either sins of omission or sins of commission, or a combination thereof.
I Corinthians 11: 31 For if we discerned ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are punished by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
God will help us if we are in line with the Word of God and God’s way of doing things.
Mark 16:20 They went out, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.
Note that it is “the Lord working with them”, but generally man transposes that pattern in his mind and heart to “man working with the Lord” to mean that after the Lord does something, then man will do something. But that is not the pattern.
In today’s modern society, that is so dependent on weakness and “someone do something for me” there is a subtle transposition of that to the Lord and expecting God to do anything and everything. Then there is a blaming of God if something does not happen. But expecting God to do everything is not scriptural. So there is no need to blame God for something we have failed to do. God is not a child abuser. “Ask and it shall be given you,” not “it shall be given you because God knows your need”.
If we don’t know what we should be doing according to scriptural patterns, that is why we need to be going to church, reading the Bible, praying, and learning all the time. I would add tithing and giving tithes and offerings to that list. The more you know, the more you can grow in the things of God.
Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Malachi 3: 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned away from my ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of Armies. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with the curse; for you rob me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be room enough for. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field,” says Yahweh of Armies. 12 “All nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says Yahweh of Armies.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.
The scriptural pattern is that man does something in obedience to God’s Word and then God moves.
Moses stretched out the rod over the Red Sea and the waters parted.
Exodus 14:15 Yahweh said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward. 16 Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. Then the children of Israel shall go into the middle of the sea on dry ground.
Exodus 14:21 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 The children of Israel went into the middle of the sea on the dry ground; and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
They followed the directions of the Lord regarding Jericho and the walls fell. The full history is in Joshua chapter 6.
Joshua 6:20 So the people shouted and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight in front of him, and they took the city.
The man with the withered hand stretched out his hand and it was healed.
Matthew 12:13 Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out; and it was restored whole, just like the other.
As they went, they were cleansed.
Luke 17:14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were cleansed.
But in today’s world, there is an expectation for God to do something first. That is totally contrary to the pattern of God as laid out in the scriptures.
Speak the word only, and thy servant shall be healed. In this case, the requirement of speaking the Word came first.
Matthew 8:5 When he came into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking him for help, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant lies in the house paralyzed, grievously tormented.”
7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
8 The centurion answered, “Lord, I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am also a man under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and tell another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and tell my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard it, he marveled and said to those who followed, “Most certainly I tell you, I haven’t found so great a faith, not even in Israel.11 I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven,12 but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”13 Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed.” His servant was healed in that hour.
And again,
Mark 16:20 They went out, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.
So there is a relationship between what God does (or does not do) related to what man does (or omits doing) when he should do it according to the admonition of the scriptures.
God is not a child abuser. Man can either do things he should not do (sins of commission) or omit doing things he should do (sins of omission) and end up with a bad result and blame God. But God is not at fault for man’s lack of obedience.
God is not the source of evil.
James 1:12 Blessed is a person who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed. 15 Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin. The sin, when it is full grown, produces death. 16 Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.
John 10:10 The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
I [Jesus]came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
This post is one of several focused on the topic of whether God is to blame for bad things. Related posts are:
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