To Christians: What about free will and God?

Question

God is omniscient. He knows all from the beginning of time until the end. Therefore he knows if you are getting into "heaven" or "hell" already.

Doesn't this irk you?

This means living your life is worthless because your future is already set by God, and was well before you were conceived. So technically, you have no control over your life, and your life will be lead the way God already planned it. So if you go to heaven, or hell, it was Gods choice eon's ago, and cannot be changed; no matter how you live today, tommorrow, or next year.

Your thoughts please? How does that make you feel? Any counter-arguments?

To Bob L.

I'm sorry, but a different twist on that same passage says that man takes his own path, but God already knows which path that is. It's all interpretation.

Interesting responses so far, keep 'em coming.

Answer 1

Every now and then I'll take a chance and answer this.

If God created us, he created us for a reason. This suggests we can have purpose. Our human potential is set at the moment of conception, genetically. God, can assess how you did against your potential. It is up to you.

The other side. Life is totally materialistic. Everthing is cause and effect. If so, how can you have an original idea. How would it be caused. It is random? Sorry! I have random ideas, but I also think, I assess, I understand, I think, I am me. Life is not materialistic, at least to me, unless I am deluded. By the way, if I am deluded, so are you. I am not, I believe, thus, life is not materialistic. Think about it!

Bottom Line: atheism leads to no free will. A creator allows free will.

Sorry, just seems to be the way it is. If you are facing a contradiction, check your premises, you will find one is wrong.

By the way, who says God knows this, or that, or whatever? Another man? Why? So what does that mean? Be honest, what does that mean? Nothing more than your words. Did God tell you He knows all? If so, I'd like to talk to you.

My friend, think about what you say. You are looking for answers, but you reject them before you start.

Answer 2

God chooses to foreknow (and, therefore, predetermine) some things, but not others. This allows a free moral choice on the part of man for those things that God choose not to foreknow. It accomplishes this by attributing to God the ability for Him, Himself, to be a free moral agent with the ability to choose what He will, and will not, foreknow, assuming God exists in linear time (or at least an analogue thereof) where "foreknowledge" is a meaningful concept.
It is not possible for a god to know the result of a free human choice. Omniscience should therefore be interpreted to mean "knowledge of everything that can be known". God can know what someone will do, but only by predetermining it; thus, he chooses the extent of human freedom by choosing what (if anything) to know in this way.

Answer 3

It is true that God is omniscient. He created all things and He knows His creation, but when He created us He gave us the dignity of choice. The choice that God made eons ago was to offer His Son to die for all of mankind, thus choosing everyone for salvation (See John 3:16). He gives us the option of accepting this gift, or rejecting it (Deuteronomy 30:19 says "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.") God wants us to have life with Him, but we are not puppets. How you live today, tommorrow, or next year does not matter does not decide whether you go to heaven or hell. Choosing to accept the gift of salvation determines where you will spend eternity. This is not an excuse for Christians to live as they please, but we have security in knowing that the grace of God and the sacrifice of His Son is sufficient to cover all of our sins. He forgives, but we should strive to live for Him. God has an amazing plan for everyone, a plan to see us prosper and grow (See Jeremiah 29:11) but we choose if we want to live in that plan or outside of it. He is in control and He knows what we will do before we do it, but he does not move us around like pawns. Your life is not worthless. Life can be a meaningful and precious gift if you choose to make it that.

Answer 4

I don't look at God as a controlling monster, but then again I don't believe any of us deserve Heaven on our own merit, either. So yes, our lives would be completely worthless save for His grace in sending His Son to die for us. If I "don't have control" because God decided from before the beginning of time that I was His, well, okay, what does it matter if I don't have control over my faith in Him? I LIKE believing, and I LIKE being held in the palm of His hand! You pick a puppy from a pet store and bring it home. The puppy had no control over its life, and yet it's happy as a clam to be yours. Are you a monster to the other puppies? Don't think so, they don't know or care who you are. I don't see how predestination can be such a difficult concept to grasp.

Answer 5

God being the creator of man, knows the direction you are going. Not because he controls your mind, but because he is OMNISCIENT as you said. But as a person, do you know where you are going? Since your belief is God already planned for your future, will you just sit there and wait for whatever it is that lie for you? God gave us everything to be able to do what is right. To choose the path that is right. But we have to seek for that path.

Answer 6

When we were born, we were born pure and innocent, as we didn't know the difference between right and wrong. Therefore, when we are born, we are automatically going to heaven if we should die. Yes, we have free will, and free will kicks in when we learn the difference between right and wrong. At that point, it is no longer predetermined if we will go to heaven or hell, that depends on us, and the choices we make for our own lives. God allows us to do things that we know are wrong, just as he allows us to do things that we know are right. It's like where you spend eternity, depends on your moral ethics while you're living on Earth. It's like an incentive to live a good life.

Answer 7

It does sure seem that way. The Bible talkes about the elect but it also says that anyone who is willing can come to christ. It is confussing. Yes, God does know wheather we are going to heaven or hell before he created us. But he does no create some just for hell. He gives everyone a choise. when we are born we are automatically on our way to hell. but when we accept jesus as our Lord and Savior we are changed and become new. we still need to live our lives in a Christ like manner.

Answer 8

Creation of Man

It was clay and water with which God created Carl Sagan, the seed of living beings and among living beings, God created man. With an independent self, to put him in the test and to see, how he responds independently to the Commandments of The God, The Lord Almighty.

It was a perfect creation, with a perfect free discretion. God blessed him with a female to raise tribes and generations and to spread them on the earth and to address them always through The Lords messengers. God ordained for him and for his dependents a day of judgement and created heavens of his own choice and hells against his choice. So, O the Mankind! Always choose Gods will to be safe, because between God and you there is no one to affect the judgement of your Lord.

Listen to the Lord! All the tribes, generations and people. God blessed you with freedom of choice and captured you from the top of your head after your creation. God ordained death to declare the end of the test. Nothing is like this but the test ordained for you by your God, The All Able Lord.
Evil men and women always attempt to gain prosperity through negative decisions. That’s why; they commit sins and break the law__ of course, all wrong. The book of their deeds is the record of their life___ and is nothing but evil and evilish (devilish) acts. These men and women will gain nothing but loss here and hereafter.

Righteous men and women always attempt to gain prosperity through positive decisions. That’s why they commit good deeds, follow all kind of laws of humanity and are not a hindrance for anyone. The book of their deeds is the record of their life___ by the will of the Lord___ good deeds. These men and women will gain prosperity by the will of the God__ Our Lord, here and hereafter.

God created everything, the whole universe and then created ‘you’ and gave you the knowledge of good and bad. So do good, because God wants you to do good to meet the good of God.

ACCIDENT

In the systems of cosmos and universe, even an accident is footed on calculations and this is evident from its results. It’s abrupt to us due to its rapid reactions or actions but in cosmos it’s a perfect duration in which calculations are taking place and are putting certain orders in disorders and disorders are another kind of calculated orders and these new orders are again showing some positive or negative results.

APPRECIATION

All appreciation belongs to God, the Lord of the Universe. The person who appreciates God only, belongs to God. And the person, who appreciates unreal god or a person other than God, belongs to the unreal god or the person other than God, whom he appreciated.
And whosoever appreciates other than God, will never have been lead on the right path.

Answer 9

You do error, God does not know if a person is going to Heaven or to Hell, that is why we are here to be tested.
You come to a :" Y " in the road, God knows what will happen if you go left, and He knows what will happen if you go right, but He gave us free will to make that choice on our own, which choice He does not know, this is why He is Pleased when we make the right choice and displeased when we make the wrong choice.

Please read this article on exactly what i am saying here
http://members.aol.com/discipledave/book/GodKnows.html

Thank you

In His Holy and Precious Name, Jesus Christ

[e-mail]
http://members.aol.com/discipledave/book/Index.html

Answer 10

God gave us free will, and it's the choices we make here on earth that we will have to deal with when we die. you really have a choice here live a good honest and truthful life, or a not so good life and lifestyle, it's simply your choice. God dose not care what choice you make here in the physical world, that's what he gave you free will for, it's your choice weather you go up or you go down, he dose not care because he is no respecter of man.