Featured God allows but does not author evil

Read Isaiah 44:24-28. In verse 26, where God says He confirms the word of his servant, it means He brings about what His servant prophesies. Where it says He performs or fulfills the purpose of His messengers, it is saying God causes it to happen. God prophesies that the cities of Judea will be built, and then it says that God will raise them up, again fulfilling prophecy by intervention to bring it about.

The word fulfill means to repay, the idea is that when God purposes or says something an obligation is created which is repaid when God brings it about. He fulfills prophecy.

 

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You are missing nothing, your view match was scripture says.
But note that God did not look into a crystal ball and see a future event and then tell us what the fixed future held. The pagan view is God somehow, out side of time, views a metaphysical realm where the future already exists. Not how scripture describe prophecy.

 

Still no answer!!!

A discussion means we both ask questions and both answer them. Not you ask question, but do not answer mine.

We are not discussing my views, but what the bible says. I have referenced what the bible says, you disagree but provide no scripture to support your view.

Lets take the question, how does God fulfill prophecy. I stated my view, and Amy G stated hers. Both were in agreement with Isaiah 44:24-28. Winman said that view is wrong, but did not provide a verse that says God does not make happen what He declares. And what have you contributed? [EDIT] I see where you actually answered the question.

 

God is not the author of sin. This means God does not compel you to sin. And when, as an exception, God does use someone, i.e. Judas, for His purpose, to the extent the sin was compelled God does not attach penalty.

God desired for Adam to sin, and His plan of redemption was based on mankind needing redemption from the Fall of Adam. However, rather than compel Adam to sin, i.e. predestine it, God allowed Adam to choose to sin. Yes He arranged it, putting the tree in the Garden and allowing Satan and Eve to test Him, but Adam sinned volitionally, and therefore the penalty of the Fall attached.

To pretend this view is incomprehensible is absurd, it was influenced by folks like Pink, a Calvinist. But most importantly is based on scripture. Adam sinned, penalty attached, and the reason from the text given is not God compelled Adam, but Adam listened to Eve who was in turn deceived by Satan. In the New Testament, it makes clear Adam knowingly violated God's command, so his sin was not like those where a person sins but does not realize they are sinning, like before the Law was given.

 

This is a typical rewrite of scripture, adding to the text. God declares the end from the beginning = scripture. God knows the end, and then sometimes declared that end, and then that end just happens because God had predestined it anyway=12 Strings.

12 Strings, you do not seem to believe in scripture alone, but in a rewrite by man made doctrine that renders whatever scriptures says to no effect.
Nowhere in scripture do we have God looking at a fixed future and allowing it to happen. God makes His declarations of prophecy happen by intervention, He confirms His messengers.

 

Reply to rewrite

Calvinism rests on such redefinition of words as demonstrated above. If God predestines something, He causes that predestined event to occur. Lets say something is going to happen, i.e. a huge earthquake occurs on the sea bottom, and generates a Tsunami. If God knows that that Tsunami is going to hit the coast and kill 200,000 people, their deaths are predestined, in that no other outcome can occur.

Calvinism likes to hide God's responsibility for those deaths, by saying secondary things caused those deaths. But in a world where "everything is predestined by God" then God caused the Tsunami, God caused those people to be on the beach at that time, and God caused those people to die. There is no escape if everything is predestined by God, He is the cause because He predestined it to occur.

Now a "real" secondary cause, i.e. not a cause predestined by God, such as me shooting a gun of my own volition, with the gun pointing toward my foot, means I am responsible and caused that bullet to smash into my foot, even though God created all the atoms, molecules and laws of physics employed in my misadventure.

Calvinists like to pretend, their view is of "real" secondary causes, but when you peel the onion, you find their exhaustive determinism hiding below the layers of obfuscation.

 

Reply to misrepresentation

I too believe Judas is in Hades awaiting in torment his eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. Judas was a sinner and fully responsible for his volitional sins.

However, to the extent God compelled Judas to betray Jesus, i.e. allowing Satan to enter him to fulfill the prophecy of the betrayal, those actions, I believe, did not have penalty attached. And yes this is highly speculative, but as far as I can determine is the only view that fits with all scripture.

 

Reply to Truth!

This is truth, thanks!

But lets be clear about the meaning of the word "tempted." The idea is being lead astray "for the purpose of evil" i.e. something that will result in punishment by God.

Lets take a case where we are allowed to be tempted by secondary causes, i.e. a deceived Eve. God had a godly purpose in allowing for and actually arranging Adam's fall, but it was Adam's ungodly desires that caused him to listen to Eve. Now we do not know the rest of the story, did this result in Adam becoming a stronger servant of God, which is suggested by the events surrounding the birth of Seth, or to his destruction? The Bible does not tell us. But what we do know is God does not punish one person for the actions of another, i.e. He does not punish the son for the sins of the father.

OTOH we are tested with adversity for the purpose of building up our perseverance.