[Christianity] God's "Divine Plan"

Many philosophers over the years have wrestled with the problem of evil. One of the solutions for it is that there be a greater good. In logic, there are things called necessary and sufficient conditions. For example, a dog is a sufficient condition to conclude that the thing is an animal. By definition of it being a dog, it must be an animal also. Likewise, being an animal is a necessary condition for being a dog; for if the thing is not an animal, then it cannot be a dog. This leads to us concluding 'if it is a dog, then it is an animal." Thus, many philosophers have argued in the problem of evil that a greater good is a sufficient condition for evil. This does not mean that a greater good begets or causes evil; this only means that it is a sufficient condition for evil to exist. In other words, evil is a necessary condition for a greater good. But what might this 'greater good' be? Proverbs 16:4 establishes for us that everything everything has a purpose from God: "The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble." From this, we can know that God is using Pharaoh for some sort of purpose. This is why Romans 9:17-23 tells us the following: For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory" So, in total, we don't know the will of God, though we can speculate as to what it might be. My own theory of this, going along with what Romans 9 tells us, plays on the Genesis account. Here is what I posted a while ago on a different site about this very 'why' issue: As philosophers, both atheistic and theistic, have studied the problem of evil, many have come to the conclusion that it can be solved by assuming for a higher good, something that could only come about through evil. Though this does not make God the author of evil, nor responsible for evil, as they have noted, the "higher good" has yet to be understood. Could the very beginning of the Bible answer this? Genesis 2:9 states the following: "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Right after this, God determines that it is not good for Adam to be alone, and decides to make a helper fit for him (Genesis 2:18). However, before God makes Eve in Genesis 2:22, God marches all of the animals in front of him, showing that a suitable helped has not been found (Genesis 2:20). Could it be that evil is [to help in man's understanding of and recognition for] the need of God, as Adam was shown the need for woman? Could it be that evil is simply so that we might have not the intellectual, but the personal knowledge of what evil is? Psalm 107 preaches a similar thing about suffering, and Romans 3:26 tells us that the cross was to show God's righteousness, being the just and the justifier. Could it be that suffering, evil, and all the bad things in the world are simply a result of the eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, in which spiritual death immediately resulted? Could it be that this tree garnered us a knowledge of our personal need for God in all ways? So, as I had posted, the 'why' might be answered by pointing to evil being a necessary condition for the greater good, which is a first hand understanding of the effects of evil. God gave Eve to Adam after he had an understanding of his need; so too will He give Himself once we understand our need for Him, knowing the impacts of evil. This is why Romans 5:20-21 reads, "Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." From these thoughts, onto the latter questions, there are two levels of predestination. First is the absolutist kind: God working all things. Second is in the salvation sense: God must change the heart of the before he can come to Christ. Jeremiah 13:23 says the following: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil." Man cannot change his own heart, though he can harden it. This is the difference of total and utter depravity. Total depravity is that man is essentially evil, and all that he does is evil, as Genesis 6:5 says, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Utter depravity is the degree to which the evil is: one can harden one's heart and do worser or lesser sins, which is why God sets aside abominations (Proverbs 6:16-19): There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. Only God can essentially change the heart of man. Paul quotes the Psalmists, as recorded in Romans 3:10-18. as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." In this we can understand that in a carnal state of man, no one can believe God. "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot" (Romans 8:7). "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). Truly, no person can believe in God, or do good--harkening back to bad trees only bearing bad fruit--unless the Holy Spirit moves within them and prepares the heart, which is baptism of the Holy Spirit, being made a new creation: being 'born again.' Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again." The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8) This is what baptism symbolizes and what circumcision did symbolize in the Old Testament. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26) And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. (Deuteronomy 30:6) This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. (Genesis 17:10-11) However, God's divine plan comes into play here. While the Spirit prepares the heart for being born again, God's divine plan brings the Word to His elect, those who have been predestined to believe; John 6:37 says, "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out." Romans 10:13-17 says this: For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. So, all in all, everyone whom God has chosen to believe will believe, eventually having heard the Word, eventually being converted. God doesn't owe us anything, meaning that He could let everyone perish. He saves us out of the goodness of His love, even though we have sinned. If He owes us something, namely life or any sort of blessing, then we are trailing into works based doctrine. But we are not saved by works; for if we were, then we would have to fulfill the entire law, as Galatians 3:10-14 says. Not only this, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace" (Romans 11:6). In fact, Isaiah 64:6 says, "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment [i.e. a woman's menstrual rag]. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." God saves us out of who He is, being love, us deserving of death.