2006-06-27 19:59:40 · 16 answers · asked by toyamaamamama 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It always confuses me too
We make the choices and He knows what we will do. And those choices that we do will be part of the plan he has for us
2006-06-27 20:03:23 · answer #1 · answered by Nick 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Choice is ALL that guides us along our lifes way. In order to believe in a "divine plan" you first have to walk through a mine field of contradictory rhetoric, heedless of it all, and arrive at a place where God can still exist in spite of all evidence to the contrary. That place is in the mind of the believer.
There, will be found the blueprints for a "divine plan". So, now you're home free! No longer bothered by reason or logic, you are free to put your life on hold, until the divine plan is revealed! You still have to make choices, of course, but now you are safe in your choices, as God is now running your life! What a deal!
2006-06-27 20:39:00 · answer #2 · answered by bea581 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just because God knows what we'll choose doesn't mean He's making the choices for us. I don't see how that can be confusing for people. We see things as they come, God sees things like they're on a time line. Our choices in life dictate our role in His divine plan.
2006-06-27 20:07:22 · answer #3 · answered by elizabeth_ashley44 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Okay, I'll grapple with this...
Imagine a four act play (or longer) in which there is a general story line that has been predestined by God. That is, God built the stage and all the props and wrote a story and partial script; certain key things will definitely happen at certain points in time. We are the actors. In some cases we follow the script even without realizing it, but more often we ad lib -- saying and doing what we want. This is our free will or "choice." In response to our free will, other players (human, angelic, demonic and God Himself) react to us according to their own free will, but still always within the confines of the stage and the written portions of the script.
This is the highly volatile doctrine of predestination held by many Christians and hotly contested by some others. Some would argue that predestination makes free will null and void, however, that would be supralapsarianism and not the actual doctrine of predestination. A Christian Reformer named John Calvin described it and other related matters in more detail here: http://www.mslick.com/tulip.htm
Understand that many people argue against Calvin simply not understanding that he himself was in an argument answering very specific things said by another man. Taken out of context Calvin can irritate a person that has a more loving picture of God. Placed in context he's just answering a crazy man named Jacobus Arminius the best way he could. You can learn more about both sides of that argument here: http://www3.calvarychapel.com/cheyenne/Books/Calvinism.html
Point is, part of the divine plan is to allow humans the majority of our choices. Without choice, we would be automatons -- robots incapable of loving God because it would be programmed into us without our choosing. As we are, many very terrible things are allowed to take place as a result of human actions, however, in the end those who love God, worship God, have sought and followed God -- they have done so sincerely based upon their own choices made in response to God gifting them with faith.
Best wishes!
Daniel
http://www.ipowergrfx.com
http://www.wlalwcc.org/office.html
2006-06-27 20:30:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is our choice to build our voices into a mellow sound or ignore it and sound like frogs. It is our choice to seek the positive in life or be cynical and depreciate others. It is our choice to love God or hate him. It is our choice to live in peace when everyone else is seeking chaos and you want to worry about Gods divine plan? Choose wisely for now is a part of forever.
2006-06-27 20:14:01 · answer #5 · answered by Marcus R. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will is supposedly there for the route you choose to get to the end that God already knows. The bible say your life is written in the book before you are born. So bascially...it supports a predesitnation. Free will also made man different from the angels. They lack free will. It's what caused the war in heaven that caused Lucifer to fall. The angels got angry that they were commanded to obey with no choice. THey had beenin heaven for so long with God and then all of a sudden he makes man and gives him choice. THey were angry. Lucifer led the revolt against God and fell to earth. Hence his title.."Prince of the Earth." Manthen got free will to chose. It's made Eve eat the apple and give it to Adam. Even though God gave them commands, they still had the choice. So he knew in the end, they would repent and be saved by Christ's death. It's the choices they make to get there that matters.
2006-06-27 20:06:23 · answer #6 · answered by cammiellebecker 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You choose God's divine plan by following him, or not follow him and choose your own path. God's divine plan is better than your choice though.
2006-06-27 20:07:55 · answer #7 · answered by nonexistentdog 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Choice is 100% of our life. I have a divine plan. I plan to think for myself and not fear the boogeyman. I am all about santa claus and the easter bunny though. Those bastards hook me up!
2006-06-27 20:02:59 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
God has a plan for each and everyone of us, but He gave us the freedom to choose to allow Him to implement this plan into our lives.
2006-06-27 20:04:18 · answer #9 · answered by J.A. 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God gave us free will to choose right and wrong, but at the end: we will have a jugment..........
It is up to us to choose to do God's will or to do our own will, but at the end we will have to give account of the choice to Our Father God.
2006-06-27 20:10:16 · answer #10 · answered by FJ 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋