I enjoy Eric Nagler's articles. He is evidently of a kind and sensitive nature. So when I read his piece on "God's Will" I immediately wanted to comment on some of his points.Having been a Christian for about 33 years, I find that I am still barely on the bottom rung of the ladder of spiritual knowledge. Nevertheless, since the Bible (both Testaments) is the source of that knowledge. I must refer to it in my comments.

Regarding governments and the will of God, we have to realize that Paul's letter to the Romans is addressed to Christians in a pagan society. He does not say that governments do God's will. Paul says that governments are ordained by God to keep order. Some governments do a comparatively good job. Some are manifestly corrupt.God requires that Christians are to keep the laws that they can in conscience keep, and pursue God's way if a decision between God's way and an evil way must be made.

Saddam Hussein. Should he have been hanged? I don't know. But I'm not sure that his hanging resolved anything. We shall all face that one-on-one interview with the Almighty, and He will decide how and where we shall spend eternity!

There is turmoil and terror throughout the middle east. Idi Amin is gone from Uganda but cruelty and oppression reign in Somalia. North Korea is at the very least unpredictable. Canada has had its own issues of integrity.

Speaking of Canada, should that man in Alberta have shot his daughter's boyfriend? Well, you know, God has given us brains. What do you think? My Bible says, " 'Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord, I will repay' ". ( Romans 12: 19. Of course we all want to protect our children, but ultimately they, as we all, have the God given gift of free will. Part of protecting our children is to provide them with a good home, give them a good basis for living a responsible life. Incidentally, that young man might have repented of his wayward lifestyle at some later time in his life and begun a productive and rewarding existence. That possibility has been denied him forever.

Finally, regarding Eric's last three paragraphs: Yes, God did tell Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah. However, the text makes it clear that God was testing Abraham. God never intended Abraham to kill Isaac. {Genesis 22:1). Abraham trusted God to provide the lamb for the sacrifice. Gen 22:5, 8.

God's plan was that Abraham would become the spiritual father of all who would believe in the one true God.(Gen 17: 5,6). God, being all-knowing, knew what Abraham's response would be, But He wanted to see Abraham acting out his faith.

God will not ask us to sacrifice our children. In testing Abraham He was already looking forward to that dreadful day when He himself would sacrifice His only Son, the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God, in order that all sin, for all time, in all places, might be forgiven, and all souls who are willing to believe might be set free.

William Smith

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