The Nature of Evil and the Gift of Our Free Will

Excerpted from Lesson 3.2: The Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Apostle & Evangelist John the Theologian, Series 3, by Fr. Peter Heers
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[@thattimestampguy]

1:56 Everyone chooses where and how and what they do. 2:24 Evil exists in the disposition of free choice in logical beings. 3:43 God tests the will of Adam and Eve. - with trials, temptations, and difficulties 5:09 Keep the Commandments, Love. Walking, Keeping, Praying, Continuous Love. Til The Last Breathe. 6:31 If your heart turns away, apostasize, you disobey, you serve the God of your ego, means you embrace a wrong way. 8:52 Choosing evil creates evil. Turning away from Light into Darkness. 9:24 Life is in our hands.

[@OrthodoxEthos]

Always grateful for your time-stamping! Thank you. Please keep it up. It is helpful for the brethren and blessed visitors!

[@IsraeliteSaint]

​God doesn't tempt man at all. James said this. ​@@OrthodoxEthos

[@nel7105]

Growing up Catholic I never understood why an all loving God would condemn and punish anyone to hell. Becoming Orthodox has taught me we in our free will choose the outcome and that makes perfect sense

[@ruhmuhaccer864]

If one wants to become Christian that Orthodoxy is surely a good way.

[@LadyMaria]

I wondered this too when I heard of Calvinist teachings (I heard about them in conversation with Calvinists, never looked into it to consider it). People are made just to be thrown into hell to show God's Might? No way. That makes no sense. God wanting all to be reconciled to Him in their own will, to choose Him, makes so much more sense!

[@Yasen.Dobrev]

@Ne L Hello. Yes, the outcome depends on our free will and the choices we make but that does not mean that God is not the one Who would reward the rigteous and punish the unrighteous. - that is in His power. Yet the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed declares that our Lord Jesus Chrust will judge men:,,from thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead;’’. God's punitive justice does not contradict His love. A supposed contradiction between the two was taught by the gnostic Marcion. St. Irenaeus of Lyon says the following about MAarcionism in ,,Against Heresies'', Book III, Chapter 25: … 2. Again, that they might remove the rebuking and judicial power from the Father, reckoning that as unworthy of God, and thinking that they had found out a God both without anger and [merely] good, they have alleged that one [God] judges, but that another saves, unconsciously taking away the intelligence and justice of both deities. For if the judicial one is not also good, to bestow favours upon the deserving, and to direct reproofs against those requiring them, he will appear neither a just nor a wise judge. On the other hand, the good God, if he is merely good, and not one who tests those upon whom he shall send his goodness, will be out of the range of justice and goodness; and his goodness will seem imperfect, as not saving all; [for it should do so,] if it be not accompanied with judgment. 3. Marcion, therefore, himself, by dividing God into two, maintaining one to be good and the other judicial, does in fact, on both sides, put an end to deity. For he that is the judicial one, if he be not good, is not God, because he from whom goodness is absent is no God at all; and again, he who is good, if he has no judicial power, suffers the same [loss] as the former, by being deprived of his character of deity. And how can they call the Father of all wise, if they do not assign to Him a judicial faculty? For if He is wise, He is also one who tests [others]; but the judicial power belongs to him who tests, and justice follows the judicial faculty, that it may reach a just conclusion; justice calls forth judgment, and judgment, when it is executed with justice, will pass on to wisdom. Therefore the Father will excel in wisdom all human and angelic wisdom, because He is Lord, and Judge, and the Just One, and Ruler over all. For He is good, and merciful, and patient, and saves whom He ought: nor does goodness desert Him in the exercise of justice, nor is His wisdom lessened; for He saves those whom He should save, and judges those worthy of judgment. Neither does He show Himself unmercifully just; for His goodness, no doubt, goes on before, and takes precedency.‘‘ Canon 95 of the Ecumenical Council of Trullo, 692, affirms marcionism as a heresy: ,,...And the Manichæans, and Valentinians and Marcionites and all of similar heresies must give certificates and anathematize each his own heresy, and also Nestorius, Eutyches, Dioscorus, Severus, and the other chiefs of such heresies, and those who think with them, and all the aforesaid heresies; and so they become partakers of the Holy Communion.''

[@prayunceasingly2029]

​@KitKatnip-Cat This video focuses on man's responsibility to continually seek God. How does God operate to help keep man on the path of holiness? Is it primarily through sacraments and his energies? For example if a man is tempted does God protect the believer also, while the believer fights the good fight? Just curious. I'm a former calvinist

[@prayunceasingly2029]

​@@LadyMariathe numerous edits were because my phone app freezes

[@annalynn9325]

Glory to God ☦️ Right now I see I need to stop complaining about trials and tests

[@ianmackenzie686]

Free will, a blessed gift yet so easy to misuse. Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me!

[@yousinnedfirst8078]

Free will you say..? Have we had free will to come to this world and be created in the first place? Practice our free will between God and devil? Or only we were gifted the free will because God put us in here?;)

[@ianmackenzie686]

@@yousinnedfirst8078 What the hell are you yapping about?

[@yousinnedfirst8078]

@@ianmackenzie686 It's not for you to yet understand, only chosen are able to. Free will is an illusion, it's given when we never asked to born in here. As long as you sleep in believing how man-made interpretations of Gods word made, - you will sleep until the end of time. Don't worry many of us will destroy religion and man-made interpretations to show the truth. Be prepared.

[@ianmackenzie686]

@@yousinnedfirst8078 Holy Scripture has been properly, prayerfully and carefully interpreted by the early church fathers and not individual proddy yahoos. Therefore, the church (Catholic and Orthodox) interpretations are to be humbly accepted even if one's ego struggles. Holy Scripture and church tradition (which is biblical btw) go hand in hand.

[@yousinnedfirst8078]

@@ianmackenzie686 They are humans, and man does mistakes. And they are paying for that, many things will come and you will see and without understanding witness it. You can rebuke me in Jesus name all you want, but the reality is found.

[@yodasmomisondrugs7959]

I really need to read the works of the Orthodox Saints. I also really need to convert to the Faith as well. I'm on a rudderless boat right now.

[@donsavageofficial8228]

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner 🙏☦️

[@meronmichael]

Thanks!

[@OrthodoxEthos]

Thank you, dearest to Christ, Michael! We are very grateful for the support. May we continue to offer and increase the offering, by your prayers!

[@christophermarcone5504]

Test. Consistently the test. All the way throughout & our lives to our last breath. This is a fantastic revelation. Evil exists by our choice . We're free to decide , to choose .

[@nikki-wh5cn]

Evil is the moral imperfection created by a perfect creature

[@Agenda-2016]

Amen. God Bless you 🙏

[@prayunceasingly2029]

Very interesting video. I'm not orthodox but very aware of evil influence in the world and mind. May God help us to choose life.

[@rosannapanow3523]

Thank you so much for your teaching! ☦️

[@godsaveskyrieeleison5859]

My layman's analogy for people who find the video hard to follow: A test has an outcome. What happens during a test is growth. Going to the gym is a test every single time. By doing it repeatedly you grow in various ways. You can perform reps in the wrong way, you can cheat, you can skip days and all these things give results. If you go to the gym and do it properly you will grow in positive ways. If you do it poorly you will also grow but most assuredly you will harm yourself or your growth will be hampered and not that which it actually could be. At any point in your going to the gym and doing it poorly you are given the choice to change your way (repentance) and do it properly and grow in the correct way. This is just an analogy. Now lets insert Satan. Satan is the guy who insists you can cheat, skip, do things wrong and claims that it will yield the same result as if you did it properly. So God gives you a test, YOU CHOOSE to do that test as God sets it up and you will grow in the way God intended for you. Ultimately it is theosis. Listen to Satan and his ways of cheating the test and you will yield those results. The test is there but it is your CHOICE that manifests the result and in this analogy I will now give the conclusion. You this choose good or evil. God bless you and I hope this layman's explanation helps and if I in any way shape or form am wrong in my analogy I pray to be corrected by Fr Peter or anyone else.

[@TheLastDon321]

Yes and theres is also the analogy that jesus is the cheat code to the test so to say.. ☦️❤️

[@visancristian8450]

Yes, this is a big topic. I hope Father Peter will address some day this issue about going to the gym, or listening to rock music, or making tatoos, or playing video games. We see these days that "anything goes", everything is incorporated, even boxing or karate. Eating only meat, becoming like a sex symbol, muscular like Silvester Stallone. The troparion for ermit Saints is this: "In you father, the one according to the image was saved with courage; that, taking up the cross, you followed Christ; and working, you learned not to look at the body, because it is transient; but, to take care of the soul, of the immortal thing. For this and with the angels rejoice, o Saint Demetrius, your spirit." (translated with google). Saint Paisios said that we don't have to practice sports, or hiking, but to make prostrations. Anyway, the analogy is good, Saint Paul uses too this kind, but he never said go and make sport.

[@TByronK]

Thank you once again for your teaching Fr. Heers. In am reminded of a book by N. Hawthorne titled Young Goodman Brown as well, and please read that story if you can. ☦

[@LKRaider]

We inherit death from Adams and Eve original sin, and that is what we all pay for the evil of not following God’s commandments. We can’t escape this evil, only through the Ressurection we know that this too will be forgiven, and on the promise of the second coming will we be freed from the consequences of this evil. But all other temptations of the world are on us, to keep guard and be vigilant until such a time comes and we are prepared to receive the holy grace.

[@sambalokiizarame9439]

God bless!

[@monkjohn4833]

Amén!!!

[@wilfred660]

Evil means by living in your own bubble that eventually you end up bursting up your entire life.

[@vessietaylor]

Beautifu... 🕊....💞

[@ORTHODOXEXORCIST]

“ISAIAH chapter 45 vers 7”

[@yousinnedfirst8078]

Free will you say..? Have we had free will to come to this world and be created in the first place? Practice our free will between God and devil? Or only we were gifted the free will because God put us in here?;)

[@rideforever]

But ... if I choose God, what happens then. Do I die ? Do I not think ? What then can be the cause of my creation ? Did God make me to die ? To be a puppet ? I cannot think so. Therefore it is desired for me to struggle to discover God, to discover the Light in all things. This is a difficult journey. I do not have "free will" because I have no idea what is happening, neither do I fully control my faculties. All I have is my faith, my love, and my struggle. The reason that I can muster may be small, it may be flawed, but if it is the best I can produce, then that is all I can do. If not I shall die.

[@Razamaniac]

Your free will is on the how you will take the things around you and what you will keep in your heart, will you submit to the spirit of the world ? Or you will keep marching towards God, free will is not about controling your imminent surrounding but on keeping your self vigilant to everything tha happens around you, to become a hero of God. He who will make patience until the end, he will be saved. We cannot do that on our own, we need the divine misteries and the church to do so, noone is saved on his own.

[@Razamaniac]

@@nilan3294 exactly, come and see

[@b.r.holmes6365]

But didn't God permit Satan to torture Job?

[@mattwatson6259]

Permit≠Instruct

[@OrthodoxEthos]

Two kinds of God's will: His GOOD PLEASURE -- what He wills par excellence: our salvation What He allows -- due to our free will; He will not violate our free will as love forced and imposed is not an expression of love

[@Razamaniac]

The evil asked God to torture Job and God gave the permision. BUT also gave to evil a limit on how to torture Job and only to test his patience. The goal of the evil was to make Job blaspheme God, and when it failed, God removed in one single moment all of Job's suffering and gave him many times all the goods he lost.

[@prayunceasingly2029]

​@Razamaniac Sadly Job's family died I think? But our time of death is also God's decision I think.

[@Razamaniac]

@@prayunceasingly2029 Yes they died, but they were killd by the devil, that makes them martyrs. We don't care about death, we only care that our death will be in Lord, which is no death at all.

[@xrpsmith8021]

I’m a bit confused. I thought God did not temp mankind. The devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness. It doesn’t make sense to me that God would engage in something that the evil one does.

[@godsaveskyrieeleison5859]

You are missing a crucial point. A test has an outcome. What happens during a test is growth. Going to the gym is a test every single time. By doing it repeatedly you grow in various ways. You can perform reps in the wrong way, you can cheat, you can skip days and all these things give results. If you go to the gym and do it properly you will grow in positive ways. If you do it poorly you will also grow but most assuredly you will harm yourself or your growth will be hampered and not that which it actually could be. At any point in your going to the gym and doing it poorly you are given the choice to change your way (repentance) and do it properly and grow in the correct way. This is just an analogy. Now lets insert Satan. Satan is the guy who insists you can cheat, skip, do things wrong and claims that it will yield the same result as if you did it properly. So God gives you a test, YOU CHOOSE to do that test as God sets it up and you will grow in the way God intended for you. Listen to Satan and his ways of cheating the test and you will yield those results. The test is there but it is your CHOICE that manifests the result and in this analogy I will now give the conclusion. You this choose good or evil. God bless you and I hope this layman's explanation helps and if I in any way shape or form am wrong in my analogy I pray to be corrected by Fr Peter or anyone else.

[@Razamaniac]

Because evil is a person, not a thing, and that person (many persons actually), taps on God's justice to test mankind. And in the end is God who allows evil to make its work. Even to the point that it even tried to test (tempt) God Himself while He was fasting in the desert. God though is the ultimate Will on who and when and in what measure will be tempted, God may even send temptation to a man in order to be tempted because the temptation asked for it, because it has the right to do its work. But also God has the ultimate Will on when and how this period of temptation will end. And depending on how the tempted reacted, did he fell to temptation, did he repend, did he seek out God ? What did he do ? God also gives His gifts and charity and grace to the athlete who fought with the temptation, depending on the outcome, which in the end God actually gave the strength to the tempted, according to the tempted man's fervor to struggle against evil.

[@unapprovedtruth7116]

❤