Why can't God be in the presence of sin?

Question

Husband and I discussed this over breakfast this morning. A few things came up:

- God made the rules. He controls everything and set it in motion. He is limited by nothing. So why would He set this rule in place?

- By nature of His omnipotance, God is already "everywhere." He is, by his nature, in the presence of the most vile act and has been in the presence of every sinful act committed since the beginning of time.

- "God loves you unconditionally." But...if God can't be in the presence of sin, THAT is, by defintion, a condition that we have to meet (being sinless).

So can you help us understand why God can't be in the presence of evil? Thanks!

-

Answer 1

If god truly is god, god can do whatever he/she/it pleases including be in the presence of sin. God could be a sinner for all I know.

That's my short answer.

Here's my rant.

Three things come to mind:

1. I find it arrogant that any human being would claim to know what god is considering any being with such power as to create planets, people, . . . . everything . . . . would not limit itself to anything that we could conjure up in our limited little human brains. If god exists, god exists beyond our comprehension. Christians may know god in their hearts, but not a single Christian can say, "I have evidence of god's powers or appearance." We do not know. And if we were able to know, we likely wouldn't understand. So to say that god is the opposite of sin is rather presumptuous. Maybe by the Christian interpretation of god, that's true. But that's one take on it, and it certainly doesn't include all possibilities of what god is.

2. If I was god or Christ or any part of that whole Christian trio, I'd be pretty pissed off that anyone boiled me down to a binary opposition. If god can be the way and the light, if god can be a lover and a smiter, there is no way god is the opposite of anything. This is my biggest problem with simplistic thought (of which some of religion in general is included). Just because something is one thing does not necessarily make it the opposite of something else. This isn't to say opposites don't exist, but an all-powerful being would transcend that.

3. God created everything. I know few believers who would disagree with this. My definition of everything is everything on this planet and beyond it. Every thought. Every action. Every bug. Every droplet of acid rain (does that still exist?). As in everything. Yet . . . somehow . . . . homosexuality is a human perversion. How? How does that make sense?

If god exists, god created sin. That means god created murder, butterflies, child molesters, nuns, ice cream, and Vegemite. And if god created it, he/she/it can be in the presence of it if he/she/it chooses. Thems the kickbacks of being god.

Answer 2

BTW, that should be omnipresence, not omnipotence, which means that God is everywhere.

But let's step back a little. You say that "God made the rules" and that "He is limited by nothing". While there is nothing outside of God that limits Him, God cannot do something that is contrary to His nature or that is self-contradictory. For example, He cannot create another God because a "created God" would be an oxymoron. In this vein, God won't force His love on someone who has shown, by sinning and refusing to repent, that they do not want a loving relationship with Him. By the same token, repentance is a sign that we want God to remove the stain of sin and re-enter into a loving relationship with Him. Thus, sin cannot come into His presence because the person who bears it does not want to be in His presence.

Answer 3

How can light stand in the presence of darkness? God's presence is like a light and he is always shining. Sin is like the darkness. There is no way the two can exist at the same time in the same place. A sinless life is definitely the end result of what we are to become. It does mean that we will have never make a mistake. It mean that we a reach a point in our life where sin is no longer a part of our life. The more we practice to be like God the more of his light that we take on, so that when we are PEFECT we are like him.

Answer 4

Not being devout it's sort of a stretch to have got to feel in the ones phrases, however your factor has no good judgment to it, so right here is going... If God might no longer tolerate (which isn't the equal as condoning) the presence of sin we might no longer exist - his tolerance is demonstrated by way of the truth that we've loose will. However due to the fact that sin is simply yet another phrase for selfishness, and once we are egocentric it's we who can't tolerate the presence of God when you consider that we do not like to confess that we're being egocentric - when you consider that then we could have got to quit being egocentric. So so long as we select to disregard that factor we keep as a ways clear of the notion of God as we will be able to. (God being the title we deliver to that which we do not appreciate - specifically - how we and the whole thing else got here to be, how are we able to make judgments approximately that which we -by way of definition- do not appreciate, once more, no longer logical pondering.) Staying clear of the notion of God poses a situation due to the fact that the whole thing that exists is within God (the unknown) besides. Thus we create complexes upon complexes to check out to cover our possess selfishness (sin) from ourselves, which is not fairly viable so making an attempt could make us very disturbed. Jesus simplified the complex legislation which were devised to "the regulation is ONE - love God your father together with your complete center and love your neighbor as your self for the affection of God", which encompasses all ten commandments however continues it practical to preclude the confusion that had built with all of the complex types of the commandments devised by way of the political manipulators who have been in manage. Those who acquired his factor had their minds straightened out from that confusion - and misplaced their worry of the ones political manipulators - who then attempted to get it again by way of killing Jesus. As we will be able to see - they have been approach too victorious. Your different facets approximately shellfish and so forth - good you're proper - it's pathetic that humans might be so gullible and no longer see via that nonsense - however of direction that has not anything to with God.

Answer 5

I am not religious, but if I interprept that statement, I'd say god was there because at any time the "sinner" could decide not to go through with the sinning act. God is there as witness, as refuge should someone decides to do the right thing, or at least not the evil thing.

Does god care if I have that extra cookie?

Answer 6

Everything casts a shadow (except rainbows). Mankind is standing in the shadow of love. Our love is not as comprehensive, as God's. When we say we love something, someplace, or someone (Adam loved Eve) we stand in it's shadow. Adam loved Eve so much, that he took on death as a curse. This is no paradise.

When light and dark are used as symbols in the Bible, dark is as real as light in that context. Dark can enter, and cover light in the paradigm of spirit. The rules you speak of, were set in the beginning. The Biblical account of light, preceding the sun in creation illustrates this viewpoint. It wasn't until 4000 years after Eden, that God entered the dark world of death. Accept the allegory, with it's flaws, and there is no contradiction, only an anomaly that points to a greater understanding of Love.

The Holy Spirit can bring a person to that sinless state, and that spirit can shine from person to person.

Answer 7

Interesting question. I think you need to say that God cannot commit sin because He is pure and perfect. He allows sin to occur for reasons that are sometimes obvious to us, other times not known until later in life or maybe even never. I usually feel that God allows evil to draw us near Him and have a relationship with Him. Often this is true because when tragedy strikes we call out to Him. Well, He wants us to be in communication with Him all the time. Then, when tragedy strikes, He has His hand on us to guide us through it. The perspective then is not that of negativity, but of praise even in the dark times. God is not the creator of evil because He is without sin.

Answer 8

God "cannot" be in the presense of sin because sin by definition is separation from God.
Actually, God can do whatever He wants, but His gift to us of free will (we chose God or not God) is the reason why He is not in the presence of sin. We are talking about God honoring His gift to us when we say God cannot be in the presence of sin. Sin is choices we make to not be at one with God.

Answer 9

Okay, heres my theory:
God may exist, but people have created characteristics or traits for God. I don't think it says anywhere in the bible that God is omnipotent, omniscient, or anything else. If it did, then God would be having an ego, and that would contradict the idea that he is perfect. In any case, I think these are "characteristics" that people made up in reference to the bible. Oh, God can split the sea? He can do anything in existence! Its the same as this: "Any being powerful enough to create our universe must be the most powerful being ever." Do you see the fallacy?

Answer 10

In my opinion you've got it twisted. Sin cannot be in the presence of God. God is a consuming fire.

edit: meatbot, I must disagree with the comment that God can define sin any way He wants to. That is what the whole problem is, He cannot change His laws or the consequences of breaking them. They are eternal and unchangeable. If they could be changed He would not have sent His son to pay the price for breaking His laws.