Confessor
Puritan Board Senior
I have been trying to develop a theodicy regarding the existence of evil (as opposed to regarding the persistence of evil, which I believe I have covered), and the most difficult topic by far is the cause of Lucifer's rebellion and fall. Although God, insofar as He is the cause of everything, is the ultimate cause of evil (Isaiah 45:7), it is wrong to charge Him with being the proximate cause of any sin or being the author of sin.
By keeping consistent with a compatibilist view of free will (as espoused by Jonathan Edwards and others, where our moral characters determine our actions), I have been wondering how Lucifer's character could be affected to the point that he would choose disobedience. Is it permissible to say that God could lower Lucifer's moral character, or that God created Lucifer as less than morally perfect?
I'm just trying to figure out how Lucifer could be morally tainted (if ever so slightly) without disparaging God's goodness. Some help would be awesome.
If anyone wants passages of Scripture relating to Satan's fall, here are the ones I know of:
Isaiah 14:12-14
Ezekiel 28:12-18
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As a side note, I just discovered the PB Theological Journal section, and I am ecstatic. I don't know how I missed it earlier.
By keeping consistent with a compatibilist view of free will (as espoused by Jonathan Edwards and others, where our moral characters determine our actions), I have been wondering how Lucifer's character could be affected to the point that he would choose disobedience. Is it permissible to say that God could lower Lucifer's moral character, or that God created Lucifer as less than morally perfect?
I'm just trying to figure out how Lucifer could be morally tainted (if ever so slightly) without disparaging God's goodness. Some help would be awesome.
If anyone wants passages of Scripture relating to Satan's fall, here are the ones I know of:
Isaiah 14:12-14
Ezekiel 28:12-18
-------------
As a side note, I just discovered the PB Theological Journal section, and I am ecstatic. I don't know how I missed it earlier.