So how does omnipotent and benevolent God react to opposition if and when it occurs? There are, in my understanding, only two broad alternatives: either continue being benevolent or quit. There is no way to rule out the possibility that God just gets tired of the whole mess and withdraws benevolence. This is in fact what certain Hebrew traditions claim did happen in some instances, most notably the composite flood account in Genesis. But here omnipotence again plays a key role.
Our proposed omnipotent being, God, would have known of the possibility of opposition before creation. While it is possible for such a being to a bring forth distinct creation and only sustain as long as it is not too ‘frustrating,’ it is also possible that to choose to take the good with the bad and endure the potentially ‘frustrating’ consequences of such creation.
We can define this endurance of frustration with the term ‘long-suffering’ or ‘forbearance.’ This endurance is in effect God’s subjection of God’s own ‘comfort’ to the harming-to-God will(s) of creation. Such endurance is not motivated by fear or external oppression. If it is in fact done, it is done with the confidence of an omnipotent being. Thus the reaction of an omnipotent being, who chooses to remain benevolent to opposition, is confident endurance.
May 7, 2007 at 7:15 pm
I wonder, can any action of a creature be harming to the creator? Does an eternal being even need to be patient? Interesting thoughts here. My inclination is to think of God as unfathomable. Which is why spiritual teachers like Jesus are so essential–they help us grasp the unfathomable. At any rate, thanks for sharing the skeletons in your theological closet.
May 9, 2007 at 12:00 pm
“Can any action of a creature be harming to the creator?”
Sure. If the creator allows it, why not?
“Does an eternal being even need to be patient?”
Lots of people equate the words ‘eternal’ and ‘timeless.’ I am not positing a timeless God. But yeah, a timeless God could not logically be described as either patient or unpatient since these terms deal with time.
“My inclination is to think of God as unfathomable.”
If we are talking about the sheer quantity of what there is to know about God and his relation to creation, then I agree. But if we are talking about the qualities of what God is and what is his character, then I disagree. Of course we might say that any person is ‘unfathomable’ to another. If this is what is meant, then I’m fine saying the same about God.