The Attributes of God – God’s Holiness and Majesty, Part 4
The lecture addresses God’s essential attributes — His goodness and holiness — and confronts the problem many ask: if God is good, why is there evil, sin and suffering on earth? His Holiness Pope Shenouda III distinguishes between the meaning of “evil” in the Holy Scripture (sometimes meaning sin and sometimes meaning calamities and afflictions), and explains that sin does not originate from God but opposes His will.
Freedom and human will
God gave rational creatures free will as a noble value; goodness done by freedom has greater value than coerced goodness. Because of this valuation of freedom, God allows the possibility of falling into error but provides, amidst that, repentance, divine revelation, prophets, and pastors to lead people back by their freedom.
Sufferings, afflictions and their spiritual benefits
Sufferings are not God’s intent to wound people, but they have spiritual benefits: they may lead to repentance, prepare the heart for life with God, plant compassion among people, and awaken conscience. The hour of suffering can be a means of drawing near to God and experiencing His intervention; sometimes it becomes an entry to communal and individual repentance as in biblical examples.
Redemption and appreciation of divine freedom
From the greatness of God’s goodness is His valuation of freedom to the point of being ready for redemption — God is prepared to assume incarnation and redemption to respect human freedom and give it worth. Likewise, the Holy Spirit illuminates the conscience to guide it to right judgment and good.
A call to the right handling of pain
The fault is not in the existence of pain itself but in our response to it: do we crush it and surrender, or accept it as a means of purification? The saints and martyrs accepted pain with humility and thus received crowns of glory; we must seek the spiritual benefit from pains and respond with thanksgiving when the Lord removes them.
Practical conclusion
The lecture concludes with an invitation to accept the Coptic Orthodox understanding: God is good, grants freedom, allows temporary evil and suffering to lead to eternal good when met with repentance and acts of a conscience enlightened by the Holy Spirit.
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