The Problem of Good

[RobbyPants]

God is all powerful except when you ask Him to do nonsensical things.

Apart from that being pretty ad hoc, there's actually no reason to believe that's the case.  If I tell you it is not in my nature to lie and that I cannot lie... is the only logical conclusion you can draw from that that I must be telling the truth?

If someone cannot lie, then he/she can only tell the truth.  The conditional is self-evident.  I'm not claiming that I justify God.    

But that wasn't what I said. I never said you need to justify God, and I understand the tautological nature of only being able to tell the truth if you cannot lie.

What I said is that there's no possible way you can know that God cannot lie. The only way that can be communicated to you is if God tells you, and you have to trust that God is telling the truth; you can't actually know it.

Seriously: prove to me in an undeniable way that God cannot lie. Any proof you would bring could always be the result of some other deceit.

Yes... and there's still no reason to assume that sin is necessary, at all. If sin isn't necessary, neither is the punishment. If God can do anything but sin or tempt people, there's no reason to believe that his "plan" requires divine law/sin.

Like I said before, sin and suffering are a part of God's decree to bring about His purposes.  And one of those purposes is the revelation of God's mercy and justice.

But why is it necessary for him to show us mercy and justice?

That'd be like me letting my daughter stick a fork in an electric socket, then when she asks me why I didn't warn her, if I said "so you could learn a lesson". I mean, yes, that would teach her a lesson... but so would telling her.

And what are these "purposes" you speak of?