It is often said that we have free will, but God knows what choices we wil make. However, our choices are often dependant on God's choices. Therefore, if all of our choices are known, then all of God's choices must be known, as well. If all of God's choices are known to Him, then he can make no other choices than those and therefor has no free will. What am I missing?
2007-03-16 01:54:05 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Notice, I skipped all the usual "God must make the moral choice and therefore..." stuff
2007-03-16 01:54:54 · update #1
Okay - each of the three first responses ignored the question entirely.
2007-03-16 02:38:34 · update #2
Wow, Earl... sounds like you have some issues. Good luck with that.
2007-03-16 03:37:57 · update #3
kj7 - You, my friend, are master of the non-sequitor. Giving us free will (if you accept that premise) does not damage his omnipotence; he can revoke free will, too. Being all-powerful does not mean that you must choose to use those powers all the time.
And I really can't see that anything you state follows from any of your premises.
2007-03-16 05:24:35 · update #4
Hold on, I'll go and ask God for you
2007-03-16 01:56:54 · answer #1 · answered by Ya-sai 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think God always knows the choices we make. God simply has faith that ultimately we'll do the right thing and we often disapoint God.
That's what JOB was all about in metaphorical terms.
Free will and choice.
You can choose to kiss boys before marraige or WAIT until the minister says you can kiss.
Which is right and which is wrong.
Is kissing wrong.
Is it wrong for two Christians to hug and kiss for years before marraige.
Is it wrong to experience partial pleasure of the marriage PRIOR to marriage or is it better to stay at arms length until marriage.
It's a choice.
If you two decide it's wrong then you go off and kiss others.
How many others.
How many men and women do each of you go through and kiss and hug before you decide to stick with them.
Does it make you used to kiss multiple partners.
God had free will
God chose not to flood the Earth again.
God chose to spare Noah and others.
God chose to send Jesus to Earth to die as the last act for us.
It's WE who don't chose right after all these years, all the lessons of Job and Jesus.
Now, do you choose to kiss outside of marriage. To hug and fondle and be intimate prior to marriage.
Your choice.
Free will.
Some Christians even have sex before marrage to find out if they like it or not. Might be logical and scientific but is it right on an ultimate level.
Free will.
Free choice.
2007-03-16 10:11:12 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If man has free will, then God must have damaged omnipotence. If this is true then we have 3 possibilities:
- He loves all of mankind and pleads with him to accept Him, sadly(?) placing the unbeliever into Hell;
- He becomes a telemarketer with an offer only (the "testing" God), no love or wrath, which of course gives Man the greatest leeway in his free will;
- Or God becomes schizophrenic, loving infinitely before death and showing infinite wrath afterward for the unbeliever.
If God has free will, then man must be damaged in his ability to choose God, sinful and totally depraved, a "federal" representative of Adam's sin and standing guilty before the Lord. Man deserves Hell, and God must rescue, i.e. save His own, in spite of this depravity. Predestination and foreknowledge can be taken at face value, and if you are going to label Man as a "robot" at this point, the Bible agrees with this -- except it's reversed, we were slaves to sin before being set free through Christ.
2007-03-16 11:51:55 · answer #3 · answered by ccrider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God has defined a moral code. As humans, we were given free will to adhere to that moral code, or not. We were also given the gift of forgiveness, thru the death of Christ. So, if you accept the moral code God has set down, but cannot adhere perfectly, ie, sin, if you ask for forgiveness truly, you will be forgiven. God knows we are imperfect and will not be sinless and make perfect choices our whole lives. He does not expect that. Yes, we have free will, but only if we believe. If we don't believe, then it doesn't matter.
2007-03-16 09:04:41 · answer #4 · answered by bucky 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Correct!! However, Since God is all knowing and ever present the Bible calls in OMNIPRESENT, he choose the right will, whereas Satan choose the wrong one.
Their are two parts Good and Bad. God knows the result of both paths but the path you choose is your free will.
God knows he is love and its his path to choose love so that we can be saved.
God also knows that he is destructive and he if he chooses this path he can detroy us without second thought.
So why those God chose to save rather than Destroy-It is because his character is to Love.
Satan's character on the othe hand is pride and hatred of love.
2007-03-16 09:01:47 · answer #5 · answered by RAVIE G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are missing the nature of God. Technically God never decides or chooses anything. He told Moses that "I am that I am". His nature dictates all that He does and His omniscience knows all alternatives and consequences. He can not choose to be anything or do anything other than what His nature is.
2007-03-16 21:27:46 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋