Question Corner

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jan 30, 1901

1115. J. J. A. Power to Create; Power to Redeem. —“If God has power to create, did He not have power to restrain? If so, why did He permit sin?” The most precious thing in angel or man is character. Character can be developed only by fullest, freest choice. The only true service is willing, trusting, loving service. But love must choose. Therefore to develop a race of beings whose characters would shine to all eternity, God must permit them to choose; and to permit them to choose, He must take the awful risk of sin. But in doing this Infinite Wisdom made every provision against it before it entered, and to overcome it and resist it after it entered, save to compel men to choose; and Infinite Love could not do that. God can not and will not make men machines or automatons. Satan only seeks to do that. God will keep the righteous from sinning if they desire. He will save the sinner from sin if the sinner wishes to be saved in the only way he can be saved. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” For a fuller consideration of this, see the SIGNS of Jan. 9, 1901, “Glimpses of the Great Controversy;” SIGNS of Dec. 26, 1900, “Why Was Not Satan Destroyed at Once?” or “Patriarchs and Prophets,” chapter 1.

1116. H. H. “Commanding to Abstain from Meats.” —We say it again, for the fiftieth time perhaps, that the term “meats” in 1 Tim. 4:3 means not specifically flesh food, but food of any kind. The Greek term is broma, meaning that which is eaten. Now the Lord does tell His people in Leviticus 11 and in Deuteronomy 14 that swine’s flesh and shell-fish and rabbits, etc., should not be eaten. And we believe that God knew how to discriminate, and had a reason for His prohibition. He also gave man a fruit and cereal diet in the beginning. We believe that is best, and have demonstrated it in our own experience. We believe in the simplicity of dress which the Lord enjoins in His Word, as in 1 Peter 3 and 1 Timothy 2. But God desires His children to accept all these gladly, freely, hopefully, because they are the best. But if any wish to reject every plan, command, and entreaty of God, God gives him the privilege. But in rejecting the way of life, the soul must take the consequences.