Does God have a detailed plan for our individual lives?

[Revmitchell]

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.

Do not tell me why I do something. You do not know me or my motives. Such rhetoric is simply a sophomoric defense of poor behavior. But you go ahead and beat your chest some more. It is your credibility.

 

[Internet Theologian]

We can thwart God's will for our lives.
Rob

No, we cannot.

 

[Internet Theologian]

Dear fellow Baptists


We all know that God has a general plan for us Christians and there are many passages in the Bible about God having a plan for a group of people in a specific situation, for instance the often horribly misused Jeremiah 29:11.
What foundations are there however in the Bible for the belief that God has a detailed plan for our individual lives? Proverbs 19:21, for instance, points in that direction but at the same time Proverbs 21:5 kind of encourages us to make plans ourselves.


This is a VERY important question because belief in a God's plan often leads to the understanding that as a Christian it is important to try to find out that plan to be able to follow God's will - and to try to find out God's will in order to not deviate from His plan...
I have seen that lead to persons being left floundering nervously and sometimes making strange or even immature decisions rather than doing their very best to base their choices in life on the clear rules and instructions found in the Bible, combined with praying to seek wisdom, strength and approval from our Lord - which altogether makes us grow as persons.
It is kind of like trying to peek into the teachers book in school to see the correct answers compared to confidently trying to solve the questions oneself based on what the teacher already has taught and with the help of the teacher when needed...


I am looking forward to your comments!

Hi Life with God. When you get a chance read this and the link. It is an excellent biblical response.

https://www.baptistboard.com/threads/gods-detailed-plan-for-our-lives-hearing-god.96963/

 

[robustheologian]

Do not tell me why I do something. You do not know me or my motives. Such rhetoric is simply a sophomoric defense of poor behavior. But you go ahead and beat your chest some more. It is your credibility.

I guess you would be the expert of it being a "sophmoric" defense of poor behavior since you do it all the time. And I know you in the sense of the fruit you bear...one particularly being discord. You have proven that by offering nothing to the discussion at hand.

 

[Life with God]

When you get a chance read this and the link. It is an excellent biblical response.

https://www.baptistboard.com/threads/gods-detailed-plan-for-our-lives-hearing-god.96963/

Thank you very much for the link, Internet Theologian - it looks promising. Why not post that post in this thread?

And a big thank you to everyone else for all the posts so far - I really appreciate the lively activity in this thread! Except for the bickering, which isn't a good activity for us believers... I have read everything with interest and I am thinking hard about much of it now.
There are many, many things in older posts which I had planned to respond to but I feel that I am choking on that ambition now when I have slipped so far behind already. Sorry about that...

 

[Internet Theologian]

Thank you very much for the link, Internet Theologian - it looks promising. Why not post that post in this thread?

And a big thank you to everyone else for all the posts so far - I really appreciate the lively activity in this thread! Except for the bickering, which isn't a good activity for us believers... I have read everything with interest and I am thinking hard about much of it now.
There are many, many things in older posts which I had planned to respond to but I feel that I am choking on that ambition now when I have slipped so far behind already. Sorry about that...

Thanks LWG. The link is sort of long so I made that thread to discuss it. It's worth the read though.

 

[Iconoclast]

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.


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.

Sadly RT...it does look like that is what he is doing because when he is pressed for an answer...it almost always never comes....I think in the last few years I saw 3 maybe 4 times where he tried to answer.
people complain about this kind of posting, but it has to be addressed and exposed before it goes away.

 

[John of Japan]

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

Well, I wouldn't want to refute Scripture. But I will say this. Theology from Job is iffy. It's a record of the life of Job, including five men talking about life and God and so forth, and then God answering Job. Now much of what those five men say is mistaken. The inspired Word is a faithful record of their errors (just as it is a faithful record of the infamy of Satan's words in the same book), but that does not mean that everything said is revelation (though the record is inspired).

 

[Iconoclast]

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.

This is a denial of Gods attributes....this is sad. the god you describe needs to learn something!!!!

 

[John of Japan]

This is a denial of Gods attributes....this is sad. the god you describe needs to learn something!!!!

Huh? Who, me? I didn't describe God.

Oh, I see, you were quoting someone I have on ignore. The old software showed what the person on ignore said in such a case, but this software blocks it.

 

[Iconoclast]

Huh? Who, me? I didn't describe God.

Hello JOP
read vans post.....here

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.

John......God knows....He does not need to learn...I do not understand anyone even suggesting such an idea.

 

[John of Japan]

Huh? Who?

Hello JOP
read vans post.....here

Oh, okay, got it. I think I'll keep him on ignore.

 

[Iconoclast]

Oh, okay, got it. I think I'll keep him on ignore.

lol....I try to be patient...but this kind of error is beyond anything orthodox.

 

[Van]

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.

This is the way I put it: 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.

Lets consider your hypothesis, that God knew David would leave and thus Saul would not do what God said Saul would do. Could God be mistaken? Nope. Could God be lying? Nope. Therefore your assertion does not mesh with the passage. The only viable view is God's knowledge is at least in part contingent upon the decisions of men.

 

[Rippon]

God's knowledge is at least in part contingent upon the decisions of men.

The only viable view is God's knowledge is at least in part contingent upon the decisions of men.

You speak God-dishonoring rubbish.

 

[Rippon]

But I will say this. Theology from Job is iffy. It's a record of the life of Job, including five men talking about life and God and so forth, and then God answering Job. Now much of what those five men say is mistaken.

Job 42:1,2 is certainly not "mistaken." It is in the closing chapter after the Lord has revealed Himself to Job and told him the truth regarding everything he and his friends discussed. There is absolutely nothing "iffy" about it whatsoever. Have confidence in God's Word.

 

[robustheologian]

Well, I wouldn't want to refute Scripture. But I will say this. Theology from Job is iffy. It's a record of the life of Job, including five men talking about life and God and so forth, and then God answering Job. Now much of what those five men say is mistaken. The inspired Word is a faithful record of their errors (just as it is a faithful record of the infamy of Satan's words in the same book), but that does not mean that everything said is revelation (though the record is inspired).

You know what I would have to agree. The theology found in Job is iffy....especially the theology of his friends. But I agree with Rippon, chapter 42 records Job's response after an encounter with God and the truth...which is really what the whole Bible was authored by, those who encountered God and the truth.

 

[Van]

This is a denial of Gods attributes....this is sad. the god you describe needs to learn something!!!!

Did I say God needs to learn something? Nope. So yet another material false statement from those that slander with impunity. I do not deny any of God's attributes. More slander but no quote.

Did Mr. Iconoclast explain how God could say "A" would happen and then not happen? Nope. So yet another sidestep of scripture and an appeal to speculation. Go figure.

Folks, none of them (JOJ, Icon, or Mr. Rippon) have an answer so they disparage me. Any one can post taint so.

 

[Van]

We can thwart God's will for our lives.
Rob

No, we cannot.

Here we have two opposing views. Consider that God desires all to be saved, yet all are not saved. Thus if God's will is to compel saving faith in those of His choosing, everyone would be saved. But if God desires we all would be saved, but according to His plan of accepting those whose faith and devotion to Christ is whole-hearted, then we can say God desires all to be saved according to His purpose and plan which is not compulsion.

Thus we have numerous passages, like 1 Timothy 2:4, which preclude exhaustive determinism.

 

[Iconoclast]

Here we have two opposing views. Consider that God desires all to be saved, yet all are not saved. Thus if God's will is to compel saving faith in those of His choosing, everyone would be saved. But if God desires we all would be saved, but according to His plan of accepting those whose faith and devotion to Christ is whole-hearted, then we can say God desires all to be saved according to His purpose and plan which is not compulsion.

Thus we have numerous passages, like 1 Timothy 2:4, which preclude exhaustive determinism.

God has not planned to save everyone