Roger,
A student asked me, “Who created sin? If God created all things, then it follows that God also created sin and therefore is the author of evil.” He then challenged me to show a specific verse in the Bible that it was Satan and not God who created sin. Can you answer this?
—Joe
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Dear Joe,
Why does your student need a verse to prove this point? Our doctrinal standards bring out that not everything we believe needs to be supported by a specific text but that reasonable and necessary deductions are adequate. This means the conclusion is unavoidable if we apply reason.
We have no analysis in Scripture on the Trinity or whether women may take communion, nor on other views and practices common to Christians. We base these on unavoidable considerations in the Bible, though they may not be explicitly stated.
Numerous texts show God is holy, always does right, and never tempts anyone. This evidence is enough to deduce that God cannot be the author of evil. The burden of proof is therefore on your student to show a text that God, not Satan, is the author of evil.
You might put the question back to the student in this form: Yes, the Bible says God is holy. But it does not say he is not unholy. Therefore maybe God is unholy after all. This will expose the irrationality of the question.
God does not treat us like small children, unable to connect two dots on a paper. He assumes we are adults capable of simple reasoning like, if not X then Y. Or, if not God, then Satan. Or, if God is not a tempter, and Satan is the tempter, who did the tempting?
It might help to show your student the difference between control and manipulation. A prisoner is under the control of a warden. This means the warden limits the opportunities of the prisoner to do wrong. If the prisoner is released this gives him greater freedom to express evil. The warden is not the author of the evil a released prisoner commits.
If a man has a son who commits murder, do we hang the father? Though the parents are the creator of the son, this does not make them the cause of his decisions and actions. So when we say God is the creator of all things, we do not mean that God is the cause of all the actions and decisions of his creatures.
In teaching, try to remember to put the burden of proof back on the student when the student challenges reasonable and necessary deductions.
I hope this helps.
Roger
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