Jesus knew the way in which he would die. He knew while praying in Gethsemane. If God know's what is going to happen before it happens then do we truly have the fully ability to make our own decisions? To put it another way, if God knows the decisions we are going to make before we make them isn't everything in a sense pre-ordained? Doesn't that limit our free will? Were Christians saved by an event that we ultimately had no power to stop?
2006-08-11 06:55:55 · 10 answers · asked by nicemachine 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I'm not talking about Jesus. I think Jesus did have free will in the situation, but it seems like he was the only one who did if he knew in advance the manner in which he was going to be killed.
2006-08-11 07:01:38 · update #1
He exercised Free Will in the garden, but subordinated His will to the greater good, death on the cross, for all mankind. If He didn't have free will in the matter, then it would only have been fear without temptation, yet that's not what He expressed.
And as for Ludd, the idea that Free Will and Determinism don't mix is a dead conundrum. Understanding that God is extradimensional and exists externally to the universe and is not bound by the restrictions of linear time is key. He sees all of history all at once, knowing the end from the beginning. Therefore He saw every effect of free will at the moment of creation, right to the end.
Because Jesus is God, there was no doubt as to how He would choose, but because He is also fully man, He had to deal with the temptation to escape by virtue of His free will.
2006-08-11 07:06:42 · answer #1 · answered by LooneyDude 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was predetermined; however, it was also free will.
Jesus could have come down from the cross...but it was the Fathers will that He was following.
Yes, we do have the free will to make our decisions...we can choose the way of the world...or the will of God. It's that simple. It doesn't take courage to follow what the world is doing...everyone is doing it. It takes courage and fortitude to follow Gods will.
Being a Christian is a lot like Pro Wrestling (stay with me here).
We all know that Pro Wrestling is fake. BUT they still have to go through the "fight" or "battle." The winner takes home, say $50,000 and the loser gets $5,000. The fight was predetermined. The only way the loser will actually win is if the "winner" doesn't show up, walks away or forfeits.
Christianity is predetermined. We (Christians) have already won BUT we must still fight the good fight! God won't do it for us, he will do it with us. We (Christians) need to go into battle from the stand point of victory (for we have already won) not from the stand point of we are seeking a victory!
Grace to you and God Bless
2006-08-11 07:01:12 · answer #2 · answered by Salvation is a gift, Eph 2:8-9 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
curious how if his hands and feet were NAILED to the cross, how he could've gotten off at anytime????
Simply bcuz one knows what we will do doesn't negate or limit our sense of free will. since god knows wha we will supposedly do before we do, the only way it can limit our free will is if he does something to manipulate our decisions. apparently you can see that if he was trying to mingle in our lives then the world would be a slightly better place than it is now. its like feeding your dog or cat. you know that most likely they will eat the food you set out for them right? sometimes they may eat other times they may not eat right away. the only way you can stop them from eating is to interfere and take the food away. or if you wantthem to eat then you can forcibly shove the food down their throat. might not be the best example but you can understand what I'm trying to say. and IF the christians were so entranced with jesus at the time they could've done something to stop the crucifixtion. like SAVE him perhaps? they sat by and watched and did nothing so they had the free will to do something about it but chose not to.
2006-08-11 07:06:28 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Lots of questions here, but I hope to help if I can.
Jesus knew of His death and prayed to the Father for another way, but would die if it were His will. It was the Father's will to fulfill the scriptures and so He sacrificed His life for us on the cross. We worship Him today for this sacrifice and for all He tried to do to save mankind from sin.
God knows our heart and mind, yes, but we have the power to avoid temptation and evil actions/words. God is pleased when we resist those temptations and gives us courage to continue in a righteous way of life through prayer. Pray to the Lord for guidance and courage to resist temptation and you will be stronger during the trying times.
2006-08-11 07:06:59 · answer #4 · answered by joe_on_drums 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your question only proves the omniscence of God. We still have to make decisions day in day out. It's just that we're never going to make a decision where God is going to go- oh i didnt' know he was going to do that. God's perspective on time is different from ours- He's not bound by time like we are...
Hope that helps,
Nickster
2006-08-11 07:05:01 · answer #5 · answered by Nickster 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've tried asking this before. Religious people don't seem to understand that free will is incompatible with determinism. You can't have free will and prophecy at the same time.
Fierce - if he could have gotten off the cross why didn't he? Why did he say 'Father, why have you forsaken me?' Those of the words of someone who wants to get out but can't.
2006-08-11 07:00:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
God gives us a free will, he only knows what decisions we are going to make with that free will.
2006-08-11 07:05:02 · answer #7 · answered by timbob335 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Does the fact that I know there will be a long line at the bank on the last friday of every month mean that I caused the line?
no.
2006-08-11 07:04:38 · answer #8 · answered by more than a hat rack 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
He could have gotten off that cross if He wanted to. But, He didn't. He knew that in order for mankind to be saved from their sins He would have to die.
2006-08-11 06:59:48 · answer #9 · answered by BeeFree 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋
in the bible it does say that he had a legion of angels at his disposal (about 10,000) so he had a way out of the crucifixion, he chose to do it to take away the sins of the world
2006-08-11 07:00:57 · answer #10 · answered by supratuner9 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋