If god was perfect He knew all the answers, all the questions, and all THE CHOICES..ppl say we are given a choice 2 choose between right and wrong, but if god already knew what we were going to choose what would be the point? Choices would ultimately be an illusion. If thats the case life is predestined, and we to were predestined to go to heaven, or to hell before we were born. Dont you agree? If you dont agree then you would agree that god is not perfect wouldn't you? I'm not an athiest I'm more of a spritual freethinker, and ive been wondering if the good book made any sense to you. Kowing that if god is perfect then predestiny is the reality.. I need answers , and b-cuz god is all knowing will not cut it! Or that god made it that way.. I need answers. If god is perfect then life is predestined, because he is perfect and knows everything! If however he is not perfect, then we would ultimately have a choice between heaven or hell? Am i right or wrong? if wrong i need an answer!!
2006-12-21 00:57:49 · 23 answers · asked by bossman 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Look at it this way
God is not limited to time or space.
He IS in the Past He IS in the Present He IS in the future. He knows not because we are forced He knows because He is already there at the place and time of each choice.
With that knowledge He can work in each of our lives according to our past/present/future choices.
2006-12-21 01:06:48 · answer #1 · answered by williamzo 5 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Congratulations, you've found a flaw in Arminian theology that cannot be resolved with any logic. You're saying that free will, if it is totally free, must mean by definition that God cannot know what our choice will be. And yet we see foreknowledge and predestination all over the Bible, so the only answer to this is that we do not have free will.
However, you are also implying that the alternative is double predestination, or an election to hell as well as to heaven, and like free will, this concept does not exist in the Bible. Predestination and free will can only exist if our own free will is flawed, meaning one choice only of rejection of God, and this is supported biblically -- no one seeks God, God must come to them. In this manner, the natural "choice" of hell becomes our nature and our destination, not God's election. Now predestination can fit the scenario, with God choosing His own before the foundations of the world, and again this is biblical. And this is Calvinism, "robots" to the ways of the world from birth, with our eyes opened by God who gives us our faith.
Arminians will twist the "robots" issue into being robots for God, which is a misstatement of Calvinist belief. And they will tap-dance around God's foreknowledge, saying that it works alongside our free will, which confuses me as well as you. The two are mutually exclusive. Take a closer look at Calvinism, and I think it'll be pleasantly surprised with a theology that has easily withstood the test of time, and to date I have not found any logic that adequately refutes it.
2006-12-21 05:44:22 · answer #2 · answered by ccrider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
SOME people have already given good points. God does know everything, but He has not predestined us. See in John 3:16 Jesus said: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only beggoten son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." God is giving this choice to the world, so if He predestined some to go to heaven and some to Hell, then God is a liar, because "whosoever" is now "who God elects". But we know that God is NOT a liar. God knows the outcome of all things and He lets them play out so that nobody can come and say: "God you never gave me a chance."
2006-12-21 02:10:33 · answer #3 · answered by stemar805 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God's knowledge of our choice do not nullify our freedom to choose. Even for us humans if we look at choice as between yes and no we are 50% right all the time. The difference is that God is right 100% of the time because God is outside time and He can see the begining to the end. But this knowing will not interfere with our right to choose. Our lives are all predestined because God is omniscience.
2006-12-21 01:18:31 · answer #4 · answered by seekfind 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe it's free will. It's not enough to create a bunch of children and place within them love for you. You have to let the love originate within them.
Choice is the direct result of the free will God gives his children. To follow him or follow the traditions of men -- or even Satan himself. It's okay to be a free thinker. You have the free will to do so.
It's fine to question the motives of God because indeed many of them are mysterious.
There is just one unforgivable sin. That is to blaspheme the holy spirit if you're one of God's elect and brought before the synagogue of Satan during the tribulation.
All else is forgivable. You will never know the motivations or methods of God. That's where faith kicks in. God is perfect and you do have a choice between Heaven or Hell ... the free will bestowed upon you by His divine countenance is what will determine whether you reside in the Kingdom for eternity or become cast into the lake of fire never to be remembered again.
Judgment is not ours and no man knoweth the hour when we will appear before the white throne.
2006-12-21 01:08:46 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
God is all knowing and he knows what will happen but that does not mean He affects what happens - just like you watching a little kid try to learn how to eat with a spoon for the first time- you know he is going to make a mess does that mean you are responsible for making that mess b/c you knew it was going to happen - no - God can see and watch and know what we do without being the cause of it
the reason - we must have free will so we will be able to love Him freely - if he forces us to choose Him then that is not real love but the type of love someone might give with a gun to their head - thats not real - so yes God knows who will choose Him and who will not but ultimately the responsibility is up to us that is our free choice
2006-12-21 01:10:39 · answer #6 · answered by servant FM 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
there is a differance between fore knowledge and predestination see if wew were predestined we wouldnt have free will and then it wouldnt matter what the world did because we could blame it on god and say you made me do it but this way we cant say that because we made the decision not god not anyone h=just us there are people that try to swade us in thier direction but ultimatly they dont make the decision we do
email me if you want to talk further
2006-12-21 01:07:59 · answer #7 · answered by bballboyrocks 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You're wise to question all of these things but some of these questions are not for us to know just now. If we had all the answers what need would we have for God? I know very little but I do know this. God asks us to pray, so I do. God requires us to believe in what Christ did for us on the cross as payment for our sins, so I do. God asks us to trust that He will come back and take those of us that know Him home with Him, and so I wait. There will be a time when all of these questions will be answered but right now God just wants us to trust Him. Perhaps that is the biggest test of all.
2006-12-21 01:07:33 · answer #8 · answered by gtahvfaith 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yeah you are wrong and the only way I know to explain is that God's word is spiritually understood and if you don't have the right heart you won't understand.Ask God if you are serious,unlike what most people say...you don't question God,that's wrong,read in James where he says if any man lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not.
Until you understand how God's attitude is most likely everything is his fault to you.......he won't be perfect.
I will tell the word though that is why he is perfect.......He watches over his word to perform it.That is what makes him perfect.If we are going to be perfect we will watch over his word and perform it also and that will make us have the mind of Christ.
Like I said ask God for the spiritual things are not understood by the earthly mind.God bless you in your quest.
2006-12-21 01:14:11 · answer #9 · answered by jackiedj8952 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You are confusing predestination with foreknowledge. Its a typical mistake many Calvinists make.
If one were to say God predestined all things then one would conclude God is the author of sin, which we know is not the case.
God gave us freedom of choice, we are not some robots as Calvanists would have us believe.
2006-12-21 01:04:17 · answer #10 · answered by WhatIf 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
God's knowledge of what our actions will be does not preclude our free agency to perform those actions. You are confused about what "predestination" means. We all have choices to make, and the freedom to make them.
2006-12-21 01:14:05 · answer #11 · answered by Open Heart Searchery 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋