Level: 1, Lesson: 13
GOD'S NOT GUILTY
OUTLINE

James 1:13-17, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

God is the author of good things. If it’s good it’s God and if it’s bad it’s the devil. John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

If you believe everything that happens in your life is totally of God and that God for some reason is using it to try and punish or change you, it puts you in a passive position. If God is the author of it then you can’t resist it or you’d be fighting against God.

There is a force of evil alive in this world and not everything that happens in your life comes from God. If you don’t understand this you’ll end up submitting yourself unto the devil and actually empowering him. James 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

"All things work together for good . . ." according to Romans 8:28. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" only for those who love God and who are the called according to His purpose which, according to I John 3:8, is to resist and destroy the works of the devil, "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."

Satan loves to disguise himself and try to make you think that it’s God who is the author of the problems in your life. Then you’ll submit to them because you don’t want to resist God.

God doesn’t control everything in your life. You have to willfully recognize that God’s not guilty of all that comes into your life. Some things are demonic attacks and some are natural.

"Sovereign" literally means independent - where you set your own rules and government. It does not mean you are lawless and can’t be predicted. In this sense, God is sovereign. God is independent; no one tells Him what to do.

Many people misuse the word "sovereign" to mean that you never know what God is going to do. He can’t be put in a box. It is true that He’s not going to fit into our box with our little doctrines and theology, but God has bound Himself by His Word. God will never violate His Word. God can be predicted to do exactly what His Word says. Psalm 138:2: "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."

God created the earth and then He set down laws and He gives you and me the choices to make. " . . .Therefore choose life." Deuteronomy 30:19, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"

GOD’S NOT GUILTY
Lesson Text

The word "sovereign" is not used in the King James Version of the Bible. It is used 303 times in the Old Testament of the New International Version, but it is always used in association with the word "LORD" and is the equivalent of the KJV’s LORD God. Not a single one of those times is the word "sovereign" used in the manner that it has come to be used by religion in our day and time. Religion has invented a new meaning for the word sovereign which basically says that God controls everything. However, there is nothing in the actual definition that states that. The dictionary defines "sovereign" as

1. Paramount; supreme
2. Having supreme reign or power
3. Independent: a sovereign state.
4. Excellent.

None of these definitions means God controls everything.

It is supposed that, since God is paramount or supreme, nothing can happen without His approval. But that is not what the scriptures teach. In II Peter 3:9, Peter said, "The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." This clearly states that it is not the Lord’s will for anyone to perish, however some will. In fact, Jesus said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat . . ." (Matthew 7:13). Relatively few people are saved compared to the number that are lost.

This is not because the Lord wills anyone to perish. He paid for the sins of the whole world (I John 2:2; I Timothy 4:10). People choose to perish by not choosing Jesus as their Saviour. God has a perfect plan for every person’s life (Jeremiah 29:11), but He doesn’t make us walk that path. We are free moral agents with the ability to choose. He tells us what the right choices are (Deuteronomy 30:19), BUT he doesn’t make those choices for us.

God created us to be dependent upon Him, and our independence is at the root of all our problems. As if it wasn’t bad enough for a man to try and run his affairs independent of God and His standards, it has been made even worse by the religious teaching that all our problems are actually "blessings" from God. That is a faith killer. It makes people totally passive.

James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Some things are from God and some things are from the devil. We must submit to the things that are from God and resist the things that are from the devil. The word "resist" means "to actively fight against." Saying, "Whatever will be will be," is not actively fighting against the devil. If people really believed God was the one who put sickness on them because He was trying to work some good in their lives, then they would not go to the doctor or take any medicine. That would be resisting God’s plans. They should let the sickness run its course and thereby get the full benefit of God’s correction. Of course, no one advocates that. That is absurd. It is even more absurd to believe that God is the one who makes people sick. Acts 10:38 says that Jesus healed all those who were oppressed OF THE DEVIL. It was not God who oppressed them with sickness. It was the devil. It’s the same today.

GOD’S NOT GUILTY
(Additional Material)

The "Goodness of God" is described as:

A perfection of God’s character which He exercises towards His creatures according to their various circumstances and relations (Psalms 145:8-9, 103:8; I John 4:8). Viewed generally, it is benevolence; as exercised with respect to the miseries of His creatures it is mercy, pity, compassion, and in the case of impenitent sinners, long-suffering patience; as exercised in communicating favour on the unworthy, it is grace. Goodness and justice are the several aspects of His one unchangeable, infinitely wise, and moral perfection. God is not sometimes merciful and sometimes just, but he is eternally infinitely just and merciful. God is infinitely and unchangeably good (Zephaniah 3:17) and His goodness is incomprehensible by the finite mind (Romans 11:35-36). God’s goodness appears in two things, giving and forgiving.

(Adapted from Easton’s Bible Dictionary, 1897)

Here are some questions to think about for this lesson

Level 1 Lesson 13 Questions
GOD'S NOT GUILTY

1. According to James 1:13, does God cause men to be tempted by evil?
2. According to James 1:17, where do good gifts come from?
3. According to John 10:10, who is the thief?
4. What are his purposes?
5. What is the reason Jesus came?
6. God is a good God and the devil is a bad devil. According to James 4:7, what is the result when we resist the devil?
7. Does Romans 8:28 say that all things are from God?
8. According to this verse, to what kind of people do all things work together for good?
9. What was the purpose that the Son of God was manifested? See I John 3:8.
10. Is sickness from God?
11. We need to willingly choose to believe the truth about God — that He is a good God.What does Romans 8:31 say?

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