First time I heard about the news, I did not jump into a conclusion. I did not want to judge the president at once. I thought I had to watch the said video first before opening my mouth. Somehow, I got his point. I remember Miriam Santiago also said before that "God is an underachiever"...
This is not new to us..
I am not here to defend God because I believe God does not need me. I am not His lawyer. He is sovereign and can defend Himself if He may. I am also not reacting towards the rejection of my faith. I am used to it. In fact, it is Biblical. Rejection is already a part of my Christian walk. My role is to forgive, pray, and only act according to God's Word.
Now, back to the video....
He was trying to be logical and rational as possible. But some of his comments pronounce his ignorance of the Scripture. It seems that he needs to understand exegesis, which most of us don't normally get a hold of. I myself is guilty of this because I am also not perfect and still in the process of understanding God.
First, some things I have sensed from the President's comments:
1. He thinks God is stupid
He thinks that creating everything perfect and then looking for a way to destroy it was stupidity.
2. He hates Roman Catholicism (so much)
3. His context is influenced by his bad experience with some priests in the past. (Pedophilia)
3. He won't accept that Jesus is God.
4. He believes in God, but that God is not the same God of the RC.
5. The God He believes in is the universal God who takes control of everything in the universe.
"I cannot accept it.. " He said, about God being the creator of a perfect world and then looking for a way to destroy it...
That's the point. The president made a choice. He chose not to accept. And that's exactly the answer- FREEWILL. God created the world perfect and along with that was His gift of FREEWILL.
And yes. He already knew it's (sin's) going to enter the creation because He is omniscient. Was that His intention? No. He just knew it will happen. His intention is not to destroy us but to restore us and make us reconciled to Him. Why? Because He loves us. Though we abused His freewill, He still loves us. He still made a way to redeem us though we don't deserve it. That's grace.
Angels failed. Humanity failed. All because of PRIDE.
Does it make Him a failure God? No.
Nothing is beyond repair to Him.
He has made a way through Jesus.
God came to earth to identify with us so as to reach us and save us.
Man to man.
This is INCARNATION.
His act of incarnation is the TOTAL OPPOSITE OF PRIDE.
He HUMBLED Himself down to make sure we have a way to heaven.
And that only way that was made was Himself, Jesus Christ.
His humble work on the cross destroyed pride,
which Adam and Eve struggled with in the Garden of Eden,
and which also brought 1/3 of the heaven's angels with lucifer now satan,
to eternal condemnation.
I understand Pres. Duterte wants to rationalize things.
All of us may come to such faith crisis.
But no matter how we try rationalizing God, we cannot.
God is God.
Well at least with History (His story), we can prove that Jesus existed.
With common sense we could prove that General Revelation makes sense.
But to totally explain God is impossible otherwise, He is not God anymore.
I may sound like an agnostic but I believe that God came to earth to reach you and me
in the flesh.
Then again, it is up to us whether we accept Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for us. John 1:12 says God will give the privilege to be called His children to those who accept Him.
And John 3:16 says that God so loved the world and gave His only begotten Son to redeem it, and that only those who believe in Him will not perish.
We are all sinners. We need a savior.
And as per the Word of God, that's Jesus Christ.
We all have a one and a half kilogram brain in our head.
And I guess that is not enough to boast about rationalizing God.
Seek the truth.
Humble down.
Nobody is accurate enough when it comes to Theology.
But time will come, that God will explain everything.
Are we ready?
