Anyone who purports to instruct on the “world,” and doesn’t begin with evil and justice is deceived and deceiving.
God’s justice and His mercy are always seen in scripture in this light. If there is no evil, there is no need for mercy. Justice not only responds to evil and all of the injustice situations it provokes, but also points to God’s sovereign orchestration and control over evil.
There are many nuances to understanding this. But, ultimately, the “world” and everything connected to it, must begin with God. The only other alternative is to start with Man. When we start with Man, all of the other related ontological topics: time, eternity, evil, justice and mercy, are clouded at best, dangerously misunderstood at worst.
We were not made (created/built) to know evil.
“You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate (Genesis 3:4-6).
But God had already said, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:15-17
Jesus said, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” John 7:7
“Without a true anthropology, it is idle to discuss soteriology – diagnosis must precede treatment. The gospel is unique in both respects. It alone diagnoses accurately; it alone has the remedy. ” pgs 515-516
Excerpt from:
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
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