Does God have a detailed plan for our individual lives?

[robustheologian]

God knows everything...not just what could happen but what will actually happen (tons of scripture back that up).
How does God know everything? Because He is the source of everything (tons of scripture back that up) since He has predestined everything (tons of scripture back that up) and governs everything (tons of scripture back that up).
God even causes evil (God is the source of everything and evil is a thing) to come about, yet he is not evil (tons of scripture back that up) and does no evil (tons of scripture back that up) despite causing it.

The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith says it best:
"God has decreed all things that occur, and this he has done in himself, from all eternity, by the perfectly wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably.
Yet he has done this in such a way that God is neither the author of sin, nor does he share with anyone in sinning, nor does this violate the will of the creature, nor is the free working or contingency of second causes taken away but rather established."

 

[Martin Marprelate]

Hello LWG,
Thanks for replying.
I would say that if we are obeying Proverbs 3:5-6, we are following God's plan for our lives. If we don't do so, we are still following God's plan for our lives, but it may be a bit less comfortable for us (Heb. 12:3-11).

 

[Deacon]

I appreciate all the different opinions and views. Good thread!

I've read many books on the will of God but there is one I value highly above the others: Decision Making & the Will of God, a Biblical Alteernative to the Traditional View, by Garry Friesen (1980, 2004) [LINK]
My education has been from a scientific/medical point of view rather than theological.
My interest is in integrating my training within a theological framework.
Friesen comes at the 'will of God' issue from a perspective I appreciate.
It has been brought up within this thread; 'walk in wisdom'.

This past month I've begun the mind bending task of changing my views on this issue.
I've been reading Michael Heiser's, The Unseen Realm, Recovering the supernatural worldview of the Bible.

He notes that even in the garden of Eden, "...being in the presence of God is no guarantee that free-will beings will never stray or act out of self-will." (p 59).

He asks the question we have been dancing around: "If God foreknew all the things that would happen as a result of his decision, didn’t he also predestine those things? But if he did, how can we even talk about free will?"

Then by examining 1 Samuel 23:1-13, he notes that God foresees an action that never occurs, effectively separating the issue of predestination and foreknowledge.

Rob

 

[Van]

If, in fact, that was the teaching, then you might have something worth posting, but because it is not the teaching, but your own biased view of the teaching.

Pay no attention to nay-sayers that say something is wrong but do not post what is right. These are bush-whackers, but consider this. How much enlightenment comes from posting "taint so." Zip, nada

1 Samuel 23:12-13 certainly drive a stake to the fiction that God's knowledge of the future actions of men is not contingent upon the choices of those involved. Here, Saul's men would do "A" if David remains, but has no application if David leaves.

Yet another example that "exhaustive determinism" is mistaken doctrine, utterly unbiblical.

 

[lexinonomous]

I believe that god knows all, including what our future holds. We have the freewill to make decisions, so I don't think he has a full on plan for us, but I do believe he knows what our plans are prior to the happening. It's such a confusing and touchy subject to think about.

 

[robustheologian]

God knows everything...not just what could happen but what will actually happen (tons of scripture back that up).
How does God know everything? Because He is the source of everything (tons of scripture back that up) since He has predestined everything (tons of scripture back that up) and governs everything (tons of scripture back that up).
God even causes evil (God is the source of everything and evil is a thing) to come about, yet he is not evil (tons of scripture back that up) and does no evil (tons of scripture back that up) despite causing it.

The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith says it best:
"God has decreed all things that occur, and this he has done in himself, from all eternity, by the perfectly wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably.
Yet he has done this in such a way that God is neither the author of sin, nor does he share with anyone in sinning, nor does this violate the will of the creature, nor is the free working or contingency of second causes taken away but rather established."

No one can refute this theology. But that's the thing with irrefutable theology, since it's irrefutable, those who don't agree just ignore it.

 

[BrotherJoseph]

No one can refute this theology. But that's the thing with irrefutable theology, since it's irrefutable, those who don't agree just ignore it.

Yes you are correct brother, that is why you will notice the posters here who didn't agree with our posts didn't rebuttal them, but rather gave their beliefs of what they would like or think God should be or what logic, rather than scripture, has had them conclude. My what the human will worshipers conclude and cling to-the human will as being the determinate cause, rather than God's will. "Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" (1 Corinthians 1:20)

Notice what the the Lord's prayer that everyone loves to quote says, "
2... Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil." (Luke 11:2-4). Most people will not deny that the Father's name will be "Hallowed", or that His kingdom SHALL "come", or that God will give us "our daily bread", or that the Father does "forgive us our sins" as we forgive others, or that God will not "lead us...into temptation", or even that "Thy will" will be done in heaven, but if we assert the one remaining thing in the prayer is true that the Father's will is always done on " earth", natural man will have none of such doctrine so as not to infringe on their being in control! Doesn't it make sense if all the other things in Jesus prayer will be fulfilled so would His will be done "in earth"?

 

[robustheologian]

Yes you are correct brother, that is why you will notice the posters here who didn't agree with our posts didn't rebuttal them, but rather gave their beliefs of what they would like or think God should be or what logic, rather than scripture, has had them conclude. My what the human will worshipers conclude and cling to-the human will as being the determinate cause, rather than God's will.

Exactly. They can't rebut God's Word...they just sidestep it.

 

[agedman]

The Lord Jesus Christ states:

"Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven."

Then in another place speaking to Peter says:

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."

Then in another place speaking to the disciples:

"Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

So the question is, if (as has been stated by the posters above) God has sovereignly determined all aspects of all matters, of all things, then why does the Lord Jesus state that the Will of God needs to be done on earth, give authority first to Peter and then the whole of the disciples to bind and loose?

In no way am I suggesting that the sovereignty of God is limited. He has authority over all matters. It is how He extends and delegates that authority that I am suggesting as a point counter than that offered in the above postings.

In the temptation of Christ the enemy states:

" And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. “Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.”

That shows delegation of authority.

And in another place:

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

So the authority was stripped from the enemy and given to Christ.

So the question remains, Does God knowingly delegate authority?
If so, does that delegated authority oblige the one upon which the authority is given to follow the will of God?

There are tons of Scriptures that would suggest that it doesn't.

One of the hallmarks of the believer is true freedom of the will. ONLY believers have such freedom. They may choose what is of the flesh or of the Spirit. The heathen have no such ability and the dead have no such ability. Such is the delegation of authority God gives to the believer.

The above posts do not seem to recognize delegation of authority.

 

[Deacon]

I think some of us just need time to integrate what God says about himself with what we see. It is a difficult process to change ones beliefs (or feelings).

Putting your nose in the air and telling people what you say can't be refuted simply makes the process harder.

You carry a large stick - use it softly and gently to lead rather than to poke and jab.

Rob

 

[Martin Marprelate]

1 Samuel 23:12-13 certainly drive a stake to the fiction that God's knowledge of the future actions of men is not contingent upon the choices of those involved. Here, Saul's men would do "A" if David remains, but has no application if David leaves.

Yet another example that "exhaustive determinism" is mistaken doctrine, utterly unbiblical.

Do you really believe that God was expecting David to remain in Keilah? That He had no idea what would happen if David left? That He was taken by surprise when he did so? Do you think He said, "Golly! I certainly didn't expect that!"?

That's not the God I worship.

 

[Deacon]

Do you really believe that God was expecting David to remain in Keilah? That He had no idea what would happen if David left? That He was taken by surprise when he did so? Do you think He said, "Golly! I certainly didn't expect that!"?

That's not the God I worship.

In MIchael Heiser's, The Unseen Realm, he uses the episode to conclude "That which never happens can be foreknown by God, but it is not predestined, since it never happened." ... "Since foreknowledge doesn't require predestination, foreknown events that happen may or may not have been predestined."

His conclusion: "There is no biblical reason to argue that God predestined the fall, though he foreknew it. There is no biblical reason to assert that God predestined all the evil events throughout human history simply becasue he foreknew them."

No, our God is not taken by surprise by events but he reacts in the unchanging way of an immutable God to the free-will choices of his image-bearers.

Rob

 

[John of Japan]

No, we CAN'T. Nothing can thwart God's will and purpose for our lives.

"Then Job answered the Lord and said: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:1-2)

Luke 7:30--"But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him" ("him" being John the Baptist).

 

[Revmitchell]

No one can refute this theology. But that's the thing with irrefutable theology, since it's irrefutable, those who don't agree just ignore it.

Let's see......this post is self serving, self aggrandizing, lacks any sense of humility, is inflammatory, its only purpose is to taunt others, and your original post lacks any scripture so there is nothing to refute.

 

[Iconoclast]

Let's see......this post is self serving, self aggrandizing, lacks any sense of humility, is inflammatory, its only purpose is to taunt others, and your original post lacks any scripture so there is nothing to refute.

Lol.....right on time...RM comes out of his shell....not to respond with any content discussing the issue, but just to attack a brother once again.CautiousCautiousRedface

God has an exact plan for believers...rom 8 28-39.

 

[Martin Marprelate]

Prov. 16:1. 'The preparations of the heart belong to a man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.'
16:33. 'The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.'
21:1. 'The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.'

 

[Van]

Do you really believe that God was expecting David to remain in Keilah? That He had no idea what would happen if David left? That He was taken by surprise when he did so? Do you think He said, "Golly! I certainly didn't expect that!"?

That's not the God I worship.

Yet another obfuscation post, running away from 1 Samuel 23:12-13. Why address me as if I held all these unbiblical views. That is just attacking me rather than accepting what scripture says. You claim what scripture does not say, and ignore what it does say.

1) The issue is not what God was "expecting" since that assertion is pure speculation.
2) The issue is not what God considered might happen, yet more speculation.
3) The issue is not if God was surprised, no verse says whether He was or not, so more speculation.

The issue is God told David Saul would do something and that something did not happen because David choose to leave. Thus God's knowledge is at least in part contingent upon the decisions of men. Please address that issue.

Bottom line, according to scripture God's plan for our lives is flexible enough to accommodate our decisions to not follow His plans. Exhaustive determinism is utterly unbiblical.

 

[Deacon]

The issue is God told David Saul would do something and that something did not happen because David choose to leave. Thus God's knowledge is at least in part contingent upon the decisions of men. Please address that issue.

I wouldn't exactly put it that way. God is all knowing. He knows all possibilities.
But there is a balance that exists between his foreknowledge and our free will.

Prov. 16:1. 'The preparations of the heart belong to a man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.'
16:33. 'The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.'
21:1. 'The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.'

Good contribution!

How can we make it fit with 1 Samuel 15:11,35 "...the LORD regretted that he made Saul king over Israel."?

Rob

 

[robustheologian]

Luke 7:30--"But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him" ("him" being John the Baptist).

What's your refutation of Job 42:1-2? I look forward to addressing Luke 7:30.

 

[robustheologian]

Let's see......this post is self serving, self aggrandizing, lacks any sense of humility, is inflammatory, its only purpose is to taunt others...

To you. All of those things are your opinion. You view it as negative 1) because you don't agree with its view and 2) because it's true.

...and your original post lacks any scripture so there is nothing to refute.

As far as scripture references, there's too many to post just for people to ignore addressing them. And in my original post there is something to refute...those statements. Adding scripture will just support. If I were to say "Jesus is not a God but merely a man" that is a statement that can be addressed and refuted.

I hope you're not here to prove Icon right but that's what it seems like you're doing...just opinions that contribute nothing to the discussion at hand.