“..For God so loved the world He Himself came down to earth from heaven, in the form of man with flesh and blood, and accepted in His Holy Flesh, Holy Blood and Holy Spirit, the penalty for man’s sinfulness, so that whoever accepts and receives Him as God and Savior, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, will not perish, will have eternal life, and will be given the right to become a child of God blood kin of the Christ…” –John 3:16

With regard to President Rodrigo Duterte’s speech about God, it would be nice to ask his critics, have you listened to the speech? From the looks of it, those lambasting the president are either just guessing what he actually said or are depending on news reports.

I listened to the speech, sent to me by Pastor Juanito Datu Gragasin of Paniqui, Tarlac, and, almost instantly, I realized he did not denigrate God – neither did he call God “stupid.” What the president talked about, with derision, was the story of how man committed the so-called original sin. His gripe was, if the God that created the universe (including mankind) is a truly loving God, why did He allow the serpent in paradise to tempt (and ultimately destroy) Adam, Eve, and all of humanity?

Duterte believes in a loving, caring God

The president zeroed in on something truly earthshaking, he believes there is a God; one who created heaven and earth, a loving God whose desire is for the good of all His creation. However, for Duterte, he questions God’s actions regarding the serpent and if they run contradictory to the idea of being a “loving God.”

I think the president believes there is indeed a God but he does not want to believe that same God, who is shown as loving and caring, would do something to destroy His creation. Duterte wants to ask why he would do such a thing.

God came down to earth to save man from hell

If we read other parts of the Bible about God’s love for the world, one cannot fail to see His great love for all His creation – so much so that he came down to earth from heaven, in the form of flesh and blood, and accepted the penalty for man’s sinfulness. That great love is attested to in both the Old and the New Testaments.

Isaiah 53 and the Gospels show God accepted the blows inflicted by irate Jews, lashed by a whip whose ends contained sharp nails; hands and feet pierced with big nails; and being spat upon, all for the forgiveness of man. In Matthew 7:9-11, we are told God is ready to give everything to anyone who believes in Him. That being the case, many people, including the president, cannot be faulted if they prompted to ask if this is how good God is, is He the same God that is said to have placed a serpent in Paradise that ultimately destroyed mankind? Would it not be to the benefit of all if this question is given an enlightened answer – one that will even glorify God more?

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FOR QUESTIONS, REACTIONS: If anyone would like to ask me any question about what the burning issues of the day mean, what we have discussed here, or to consult any problem, whatever it maybe, please call 0917-984-2468, email me at batasmauricio@yahoo.com, or post your concerns at facebook.com/attybatas. Promise, I will answer right away. Thank God in the Name of Jesus, Amen!/WDJ