To refresh your memory I wrote: "Reformed theology says that God intentionally created Satan for His own purpose." I can only assume that's "because somehow this God of love absolutely can't accomplish anything without the evil one!"
In other words, is this the best the Reformed God cam come up with?
Surely you don't presume God does anything that He doesn't deem absolutely necessary and that what happens is the best possible choice He will come up with.
So, yes, according to this mindset, the Reformed God created the world with evil as a, no pun intended, being a necessary evil.
Kosta: Now you are telling me that God absolutely hates this absolutely needed accomplisher of God's "plan" and that, in fact, God created His own enemy" not only to use but also to hate!
LOL! OK, from now on I will consider the Orthodox God as a satan lover. I will also assume that the Orthodox version of Christ died on the cross FOR SATAN!!!
Where are you getting this from? LOL! Take a break, FK. Who said anything about God loving Satan? You called Satan God's enemy. Well, God didn't create His enemy so He can hate him. You are twisting this in a way that borders on perverse, imo.
The Orthodox believe that Christ died for all humanity; there is no mention of fallen angels being redeemed. Your conclusions are non-sequitur, unless you are trying to caricature the Orthodox without any evidence whatsoever.
Prov 6:16-19 : 16 There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes...
Wait, is this the same God who sends "perverse spirits?" You call that Christian?
According to your above we should pray for satan
There is nothing in what I wrote above that leads to that conclusion, because I never said anything like that.
I think it is fairly well accepted that satan was created as an angel, so he was not created evil but with the potential for evil. Once he chose evil over God his nature changed. If the human nature can change it certainly is possible for an angel's nature to change. Just as God did not prevent Adam from sinning, although He could have, so also He did not prevent satan from choosing the dark side. So, satan's evil nature came into being by satan's own hands.
That sounds positively orthodox, FK, but certainly not Reformed! :)
The potential for evil was his free will, which the Reformed deny. We choose our own perdition by rejecting God.
OK, your first statement is perfectly accurate. But, the conclusion doesn't follow. I think we get into dangerous territory when we start assuming what God's motives and purposes are when they are not explicitly stated. That is especially so when common sense doesn't even give a clear answer. In no way does common sense call for God creating satan because He was impotent in power, and so He NEEDED satan. That makes no sense to me. God in His sovereignty obviously decided that this is the existence that He wanted us to have, and that includes the role that satan plays.
In other words, is this the best the Reformed God can come up with?
Yes, this is the best God can come up with to accomplish God's wishes. Our assent or agreement is neither asked for nor required. If you believe God has chosen poorly, then you can take it up with Him. :)
Surely you don't presume God does anything that He doesn't deem absolutely necessary and that what happens is the best possible choice He will come up with.
Yes, but I don't frame it as putting God in a box with only one choice. As you have pointed out God does have choices. Common sense tells me that the choices He makes are the BEST ones in order to accomplish His overall plan.
So, yes, according to this mindset, the Reformed God created the world with evil as a, no pun intended, being a necessary evil.
That is perfectly fair as long as it doesn't mean that God is the author of evil. God created the circumstances such that evil would occur, but He did not instill evil into any being.
Kosta: Now you are telling me that God absolutely hates this absolutely needed accomplisher of God's "plan" and that, in fact, God created His own enemy" not only to use but also to hate!
FK: LOL! OK, from now on I will consider the Orthodox God as a satan lover. I will also assume that the Orthodox version of Christ died on the cross FOR SATAN!!!
Kosta: Where are you getting this from?
From your post. What else could you possibly mean but that God loves satan if you are criticizing me for saying that satan is God's enemy?
Who said anything about God loving Satan? You called Satan God's enemy. Well, God didn't create His enemy so He can hate him.
He knowingly created what would become His enemy. I'll let you say it in your own words, how does God see satan today? Does He love satan, does He hate satan, or is He indifferent?
Wait, is this the same God who sends "perverse spirits?" You call that Christian?
YES and YES! The Bible is filled with examples of God using the lost to accomplish His plan. The only way around these many many passages is to disregard them.
The potential for [satan's] evil was his free will, which the Reformed deny. We choose our own perdition by rejecting God.
What do we deny? God created some angels knowing they would always remain loyal to Him. He created other angels knowing they would break away. He could have created all of one kind or the other, or no angels at all. He created what He wanted. From satan's POV he chose, even though all was predestined by God. It is the same with people, so we would agree that (in most cases at least) people choose their own perdition by rejecting God.