If Jealousy Is A Sin, How Do We Understand God’s Jealousy?

 

            The Bible asserts that jealousy is a sin and at the same time it reveals that God is a jealous God. This, at first, seems to be contradictory, but how do we resolve this apparent contradiction?

            Dr. Norman Geisler and Professor Thomas Howe offer a clear and a concise solution:¹

EXODUS 20:5A—DOES GOD GET JEALOUS?

PROBLEM: The Bible not only says here that God is a “jealous God,” but it also declares His very “name is Jealous” (Ex. 34:14). On the other hand, jealousy is a sin. But, if God is absolutely holy, then how can He be jealous?

SOLUTION: God is jealous in the good sense of the word, namely, He is jealous for the love and devotion of His people (cf. Ex. 20:5). Paul spoke of a “godly jealousy” (2 Cor. 11:2). The verses on God’s jealousy are all in the context of idolatry. Like any true lover, God is jealous when anyone or anything else steals the devotion of His beloved.

Human jealousy is often coveting what does not belong to us. However, God’s jealousy is protecting what does belong to Him, namely His own supremacy. It is not a sin for God to claim allegiance of His creatures because He is the Creator. And He knows that it is best for them not to make an ultimate commitment to what is less than ultimate (idols). Only an ultimate commitment to what is really Ultimate will ultimately satisfy the human heart. God is jealous to protect this.

            Christian Q&A website Gotquestions.org offers a practical example to help understand this dilemma better: “If a husband sees another man flirting with his wife, he is right to be jealous, for only he has the right to flirt with his wife. This type of jealousy is not sinful. Rather, it is entirely appropriate. Being jealous for something that God declares to belong to you is good and appropriate. Jealousy is a sin when it is a desire for something that does not belong to you. Worship, praise, honor, and adoration belong to God alone, for only He is truly worthy of it. Therefore, God is rightly jealous when worship, praise, honor, or adoration is given to idols. This is precisely the jealousy the apostle Paul described in 2 Corinthians 11:2, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy...””²

            This subject has been studied more extensively in an article entitled The Jealousy of God on The Gospel Coalition’s website.  Please read this article if you desire further clarity on this subject.³

Endnotes:

¹https://defendinginerrancy.com/bible-solutions/Exodus_20.5a.php

²https://www.gotquestions.org/jealous-God.html

³https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-jealousy-of-god/

Websites last accessed on 25^th February 2022. 

How Could God Forget Sins If HE Is Omniscient?

             God is omniscient (Psalm 139:4; Acts 1:24; 1 John 3:20). God knows everything – the past, present, and future. The same God also forgives and forgets our sins (Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 10:17). At its face value, these two doctrines may seem contradictory, but are they?

            This then is the dilemma. If God knows everything, how can HE not know (or remember) certain things? How do we resolve this apparent contradiction?

            Some theologians posit ‘God’s choice’ as a means to resolve this situation. They believe God “can choose not to remember something. In human relationships, we can choose to remember the offenses someone has committed against us, or we can choose to forget. To forgive someone, we must often put painful memories out of our minds. We don’t actually forget the sin, and it’s not that we are unable to recall the offense, but we choose to overlook it. Forgiveness prevents us from dwelling on past troubles.”¹

            Greater clarity is provided in another article on the website of The Gospel Coalition, “God ceasing to remember our sin is not voluntary amnesia. But, in his mercy, he does not act against us according to our sin. When the Lord forgives, he does not call our sins to mind to punish or berate us. He does not shake his head in disappointment as he whispers, “Shame on you.”

             Instead, God removes our sin from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). “I will remember their sins no more” doesn’t mean our sin slips his mind, but that he doesn’t hold it against us (Heb. 8:12). He treats us as if we never sinned.

            And so God’s omniscience remains intact. He knows, but he doesn’t call to mind. He sees, but he doesn’t chide. He abounds in love and compassion for his wayward children...

            He forgives, but he doesn’t clear the guilty. He doesn’t treat us according to our sins, but sins must be punished. How can this be? We find the answer in the cross of Jesus Christ.

            Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became man. He lived a life completely free from sin, yet took on himself the wrath of God that we deserved. He died for sins and was raised to life in victory over death. When we trust in him to save us from judgment, he becomes our representative. He no longer remembers us according to our sin, but according to Christ’s perfection. His righteousness becomes our own.

            We do not serve a God whose memory is erased at the sound of human confession. Instead, we serve a God who sees the sin that hides in the darkened corners of our hearts as bright as midday—yet who chooses to offer us mercy in Christ. We serve a Savior who knows us fully and still loves us deeply, even to the point of death.

            We have a far greater hope than a God who forgets. Our hope is a God who forgives.”²

Endnotes:

¹https://www.gotquestions.org/does-God-forget.html

²https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/god-forget-sins/

Websites last accessed on 22^nd February 2022.