Most Christians are quick to agree, on the surface, that God is completely sovereign (He controls all things) but when it comes to saving His people, suddenly many appeal to the "freewill" of man and claim that God voluntarily "limits" Himself to allow for the freewill of man to determine who will believe and who will not.
Where is anything like this in the Bible?
2006-11-30 00:22:29 · 9 answers · asked by 5solas 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Romans 9:13-16
Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses,
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.
Eph 1:11
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
Matt 24:31
And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his ELECT from the four winds, from one end of the
heavens to the other.
Free will is never mention in the Bible. Election and predestination are though.
2006-11-30 00:31:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Let me think about that a bit. It's an excellent question.
The only thing I can come up with on "is there anything like this in the bible" ----> On a much larger scale, God limited his sovereignty when he had a covenant with Israel in the OT (to the exclusion of the Hittites, Amonites, etc etc).
I think the problem you run into with sovereignty when it applies to free will is among those who believe in a literal hell. Once the soul has left the body a sovereign god could let "free will" work then as well. The person could choose to live in heaven or hell. For some reason, many think that the choice the person made in their "free will" on earth, would lock them in for eternity. Why? God made those rules and could change them. And should, if it's the more moral choice.
2006-11-30 00:28:36 · answer #2 · answered by Laptop Jesus 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In Genesis, there were bad reports being brought before god about Sodom. If he chooses to know all things, why does he have angels (defined as messengers) reporting to him what is happening on earth. Once the reports were made, the scriptures state that god then chose to see if the allegations were true.
There are a few more but this was the first one that I thought of.
Using our power of reasoning that we were given can help us conclude that our creator chooses not to know all things. Whatever god knows has to happen or he is wrong, he can't look into the future and see what's going to happen and then find out later that it didn't go down that way. So what if he uses his powers to peer into the future of my life and sees how I live and how I sin and how I have learned the truth but still decide to knowingly disobey his direction, he will then know my fate. At the same time he is sealing my fate, I would never be able to regain myself because that would prove him to be wrong. So if he is not careful with his limitations of his powers, then that free gift that is available to everyone that pursues it would really not be available to those of whom he has sealed their fate. This would be a lie and would be unfair, and our divine father can not tell a lie and he is righteous in all of his ways.
2006-11-30 01:30:22 · answer #3 · answered by Rob 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because he allows free will does not deny the sovereignty of god.
Try to look at it like this. At home your father is in charge(or he should be) he is the sovereign of that household. As a good father he teaches his children the difference between right and wrong. The fact that he initiates rules and regulations show his sovereignty in that situation. If you braek the rules you know there will be a punishment. God is the same way. He created you and set forth simple rules and has given you the consequence ahead of time. The fact that he has the authority to do so in and of itself shows his sovereignty
2006-11-30 00:24:54 · answer #4 · answered by Robert K 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Remember free will is not believed by all Christians, only by those who follow the Arminian beliefs. Calvinists do not believe that people have a free will, and that God actually does remain sovereign over His creation. Jesus said, "...no one can come to Me unless the Father draws him." God determines who He is going to draw, and then that person can come. Jesus also said, "All whom the Father has given me will come to me." So you can only come if God draws you and if He draws you, you will come, so what kind of free will is that?
2006-11-30 00:33:26 · answer #5 · answered by oldguy63 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Throughout scripture there are things that attest to what our place is and why things are the way they are.God is not limiting himself to allow free will.God created man knowing man had a sin nature and that man would fall short from God none the less God loves us and had a plan of salvation before he created us and that was to pay the penalty of death for us. God came to the world to overcome temptation and to die a sinless death for all who accept his sacrifice through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
2006-11-30 00:33:17 · answer #6 · answered by djmantx 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, he "repented of the evil" he was going to do to the children of Israel, at the request of Moses. In other words He changed His mind...He can do that, He is God...
Also, in the time of Noah, it grieved God that he had made man...so it seems to us like he made a mistake...yet He knew ahead of time man would sin...
I don't claim to comprehend God fully, nor can anyone else, because He is infinite.
2006-11-30 00:28:46 · answer #7 · answered by bandit 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Please read the Bible on Genesis 3 ( The disobedience of man)
This will help you understand.
2006-11-30 00:34:47 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
get in touch with crosstv.com or sermon audio.com and hear the truth! like never before.
2006-11-30 00:33:43 · answer #9 · answered by godelectedme 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋