All things that comes to us is from the Lord and is good for instruction, reproof and correction. Our problem is that we simply don't view it that way many times. Joseph's brothers thought Joseph would retaliate on them for selling him into slavery. Joseph was wise enough to see God's providence that though his brothers meant it for evil, God meant it for good. That one result of an evil act saved countless number of people including Israel.
and could possibly be a result of hating God like in the case of someone like George Soros, Bill Maher.Their treasures on earth will end
Had we know Paul before he became a Christian we might have said the same. It's difficult to know the plan of God. But you're right; they will be held accountable.
Thus then evil is caused accidentally on the part of the agent,...Thus it remains true that in moral as well as in physical actions, evil is not caused by good except accidentally. ...from St. Aquinas posted above
According to St. Aquinas evil cannot happen except "accidentally". One would hardly think every action (or even some actions) of Satan is accidental so Aquinas' hypothesis falls flat. Moreover, the scriptures never teaches evil is a result of trying to do good gone horribly wrong. Certainly in the case of Joseph's brothers they deliberately intended evil and they knew it. There wasn't an, "OOPS, we sold our brother into slavery." moment. But God knew best and how to make a wrongful act turn into a historic teaching and opportunity moment.
As far as my son, he's wrapping up his first year. He hopes to double major and may need an extra year. YIKES! Another year of tuition.
Harley,it does not seem you read the whole thing- the first cause which is always God is good and evil is not a nature or essence so evil is always an accident that is caused by the will against the first cause. This does not mean that someone does not know they are willfully sinning either.Sometimes we sin out of ignorance and sometimes we sin knowingly
More Aquinas backed up with Scripture....
Evil is nothing else than a privation of that which a thing is naturally apt to have and ought to have. But a privation is not an essence, but a negation in a substance.
5. Every essence is natural to some thing. If the essence ranks as a substance, it is the very nature of the thing. If it ranks as an accident, it must be caused by the principles of some substance, and thus will be natural to that substance, though perhaps not natural to some other substance. But what is in itself evil cannot be natural to anything: for the essence of evil is privation of that which is naturally apt to be in a thing and is due to it. Evil then, being a privation of what is natural, cannot be natural to anything. Hence whatever is naturally in a thing is good, and the want of it an evil. No essence then is in itself evil.*
6. Whatever has any essence is either itself a form or has a form,* for by form everything is assorted in some genus or species. But form, as such, has a character of goodness, being the principle of action and the end which every maker intends, and the actuality whereby every subject of form is perfected. Whatever therefore has any essence, as such, is good.
7. Being is divided into actuality and potentiality. Actuality, as such, is good, because everything is perfected by that whereby it actually is. Potentiality too is something good: for potentiality tends to actuality, and is proportionate to actuality, not contrary to it; and is of the same genus with actuality; and privation does not attach to it except accidentally.* Everything therefore that is, in whatsoever way it is, in so far as it is a being, is good.
8. All being, howsoever it be, is from God. But God is perfect goodness . Since then evil cannot be the effect of goodness, it is impossible for any being, as being, to be evil.*
Hence it is said: God saw all things that he had made, and they were very good (Gen. i, 31): He made all things good in his own time (Eccles. iii, 11): Every creature of God is good (1 Tim. iv, 4).