Featured Is Everything Predestined?

Ushering in the "Hallelujah chorus"!! :thumbs::thumbs:


Grace 'tis a Charming sound,
Harmonious to the ear!!

 

I knew before I had children that they would sin, but I never caused them to sin or condoned it. How did I know they would sin? Because I knew they would have a free will and would sin as we all do.

I wouldn't even say I allowed it, I tried to teach my children not to sin, and chastised them when they did sin.

Nevertheless, they have free will and can go against my will and sin, especially when they are grown. I cannot prevent it. Oh, I guess I could chain them to a chair and lock them in a room, but that would be wrong on my part. It is sin to enslave someone. Therefore I must allow them to be free and at times I know they will do things I do not approve of, just as I did things I clearly knew my parents did not approve of and taught me not to do, but did them anyway.

Sin is not some big mystery as Calvinism portrays. They must resort to this non-explanation because they reject the obvious, that men have free will. Men sin because they CAN. It is really that simple.

It is ridiculous to deny free will, because all men KNOW for a fact we have free will. It is a self-evident truth. You have to deny reality itself to deny free will.

 

Willis said "I do not need to keep coming to the Light, the Light is in me, and shines out from me!"


Post Tenebras Lux--"after darkness, light" :godisgood:

 

God knows ALL possible ways that a future event could happen, and He freely decides wether to directly intervene to make sure His Will gets done, as in the situation of the birth, life, death, resurrection of Christ, or else allows what one 'freely chooses' to happen...

In ALL things, He is there to amke sure things proceed and confirm to His desired Will getting accomplished...

take comfort in that truth, as God is NEVER caught not knowing what to do, as he did not "see that coming!"

Are the events in revelation "already fixed" by God, or not?

 

YESSIREE!!! I was in dakness unto He saved me and placed His Light in me! I am now in the Light!

 

That should be the motto of all true Christians my brother.:thumbs:

 

If this isn't true, then they ain't a christian to begin with. Christians, true blood bought christians, do have the Light in them, and it will shine forth.

 

Ephesians 1:11

 

That has to be correct. I agree.

 

Of course knowing does not mean causing. God knew before the creation that the wickedness of men would increase greatly in the earth necessitating the flood, but it still grieved His heart and caused Him to express some form of "repenting" that He had made man (Gen. 6:6).

 

I agree. If man does not have some responsibility for his own actions as a free agent in those actions, then God must bear the blame for everything man does. Does God cause man to sin? Absolutely not. Does God will for man to sin? No. Therefore, man must exercise his own will in order to sin, which is why we say man has the ability to exercise his own will to sin.

 

Marke, I am essentially in agreement with your thoughts here with respect to "God knowing but not causing", but it must be admitted that it leads to the following speculative and philosophical questions.

1. Did God "intentionally" create, even knowing the outcome, for a specified purpose?

2. Can it be speculated that God "could not" create sentient beings without the certainty of moral failure?

Some say God created, knowing the outcome, for the purpose of revealing and being glorified while others say that God created in the same way for the purpose of displaying His love. One of the many tensions hinted at in scripture.


Like many, I am much more skilled in "asking questions" rather than answering them.

 

(John3:11 - Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.
(Jesus is speaking here)

So you are actually saying that there is NO PLACE for we as finite humans to say, "God says two things in scriptures that don't seem to fit together, But i believe they are both true since God said them, and I will leave it to God to know how it all works together."

Do you actually think that ALL bible doctrine is completely understandable without ANY mystery at all? Do you actually claim to know exactly HOW God did everything that he did? (since we are not allowed to say "God did it but I do not know how")

 

It is YOU who said this:

This underlined statement is what i was refering to, which you are saying is incorrect. So I assume your view is that God has chosen NOT to know the future exhaustively, specifically evil, because you believe if he did know about evil, then he is culpable for it.

It this is not your view, please explain.

 

Luke,

I'd like to better understand how you draw any real or meaningful distinction between God's 'planning' or 'causing' evil and his 'authoring' it?

One seems as bad as the other to me. In fact, an author of a book seems much LESS CULPABLE than a creator who plans and causes evil. Why this distinction? And is it really a difference without a distinction?