If God gives us free choice?

Question

How does He know the future? If it cannot turn out any other way than what He knows, isn't that considered destiny?

Answer 1

He knows all possible outcomes...

Answer 2

Whether you are a believer in God or not, the fact remains that we all know the difference between right and wrong, and yes we all have free choice, or free will. No matter what ANYBODY else says, you are the only one which can choose the actions you perform, be it rght or wrong. It is a scientific impossability to have someone else act or even think for you. Too many people blame this person, this situation, or whatever for their actions. If God will not, and more importantly CAN NOT make you do what you choose not to do, then how can ANYONE else but you do anything which you honestly do not want to. Brainwashing for example, there is no such thing, if you deep down inside, did not already desire to do the action, then no action would be performed by you. It's just that simple. Someone above posted quotes from the Bible stating God made this person do a certain thing, but in Fact, if the person was not already inclined to do so through their own desire, they would not have. Case in point, Jesus was struggling in the Garden before his arrest as if he should or should not do what he came down here to do. The choice was his and his alone. Thugh this is my opinion only, as yours may differ.

Answer 3

I have thought of this many times too.

I think that God gives us a certain amount of free will. He can impose in on our lives to do his overall good will if he wants to. The thing could be is what is going to happen will happen, there are no other ways around it. So despite the choices you take because you have free will, your life will still be set on the path that God has put it on for the overall good works of his will. Even if those good works that you do are not really good.

What will be will be. Lets say maybe you are on drugs......and God has a plan that you are going to have some kind of impact on someones life and this person is going to impact someone elses life which then sets a course for something good that God wants done. Whether you are on drugs or not (which is your choice) You are going to still do that thing that you have been ordained to do by God even though you are not on the right track yourself. God knows you more than you will ever know yourself. This means that God knows that you will do exactly what he wants because he knows you whether you are on drugs or not. So when God wants what he wants from you he will do something to get you to do it (no matter what free will choices you have made in your life) for his overall good will.
We have free choice in decisions to make for ourselfs and our journey through spirituality and our relationship with God and with man but there are certain things that are written down that have to happen no matter what your choices may be for the overall will of God.
This is just an opinion. I would not take it as fact unless you find that maybe it could work for you. I suggest that you pray and talk to a preacher about it.
Hope you find out what you are looking for and good luck!
-May the mercy of God be upon you.

Answer 4

Why? When I go to visit my Mother, which I sadly cannot often do, she can guess many of the things I'm going to say. She stocks her fridge in advance with the foods she anticipates I'll desire (and does so with a remarkably high success rate). She does other, good acts of guesswork, but it's more than guesswork. She knows me, and she knows what I'll do.

This, however, doesn't violate my freewill, and very few would posit that another human being knowing what I'll do would be a problem. Just because God knows what decision I'll make doesn't mean He causes it or that I am bound by cold laws of destiny. The two do not necessitate one another, and the only way to establish necessity is to either prove that we operate in a linear manner like a program or to simply define it in such a way that it requires it (as you tried). For the former, I need only point out that this hasn't been done. For the latter, I can respond like I have or simply refuse the definition.

At the end of the day, the two don't really contradict one another.

Answer 5

God knows all things, that is how he knows what the future holds for each of us. I agree with the majority that have posted their answers here, that we do have free will. His knowing the future doesnt determine it..He just knows what choices we will make because He's God. Things can always turn out differently. They arent predestined to happen a certain way. The future outcome is simply based on our choices.

Answer 6

He can't know the future if we have any kind of free will. It's an illogical fable perpetuated by people who think that the more powers you attribute to God, the greater it makes him, even if it makes him logically impossible and the more logically imposssible you make him, the more you can label man's logic as incompetant. Christians aren't given to great logic and rational thinking, otherwise they wouldn't be Christians. God, if such a chap even exists, may be able to make some really accurate predictions, but as to the exact outcome of every quantum little thing like he was just watching a movie he's seen before, freewill and foreknowledge don't fit together.

Answer 7

He guides the footsteps of both the Elect and the unregenerate, for a damaged, sinful Man that cannot, of his own ability, seek out God. This is free will that is not to be desired, since with it we naturally carry the federal representation of Adam in his fall, and we have long since lost the fellowship with God that we could have had.

Therefore it takes a loving God to predestine his own and rescue them from what would otherwise be certain destruction.

Now, to resolve this logically, either God's omniscience must be ineffective, or man's will must be damaged. Most cannot let go of completely free will, but you've already caught the fact that the two do not go together very well. Therefore I'll give full authority to God and limited free will (i.e. no choice for God) to man, and although you yourself may not like the answer, it does resolve the two.

Answer 8

Free will are the choices we choose to make, God knows what we will choose, but He does not make us chose, or chooses for us. We fall in our own mistakes and our own consequences. He just knows.
See if one were to believe what a psychic says about ones future, that does not mean that person would consider their destiny in the psychic's hands. (only an example, i am not comparing God with a psychic^.^)

Answer 9

i always wonder the same thing.
however, i think i've gotten a little closer to the answer.

as a gift from God, we have free choice. we choose to live our lives the way we want to. we can choose to do right, or do wrong. however, God already knows what and how you're going to end up.

an example that may be able to clear things up is this:
in magazines they have those quizes that you take. and there is a possibility of say two answers. well, which ever one you choose to pick, you fallow that arrow down to whatever question that answer led you too, and so on and so forth until you get to which ever ending your choices led you to.

same thing with God. He gives you situations, and lets you choose how you'd like to handle them. if you decide one way over the other, then you go down one path. if you choose the other, then you go down a different one.

God gives you the freedom of choice, He lets you decide which way you'd like to go. but He still knows the outcome and possibility of your decisions.

Answer 10

now this really is a good question, this is what i think is going on for what it's worth, we are given free will because without it we would have to be with god rather then choose to be with him if we couldn't choose all this would be meaningless. as for god knowing the future once you figure out human nature you pretty much know to expect certain things, i've been watching people since i was little and i am now 32 and i've gotten pretty good at guessing what people will do next, now god has been watching us since the beginning so i expect that he knows us better then we know ourselves making knowing the future not all that difficult

Answer 11

God is God Alone. He knows All things. He knew YOU before you were concieved in your Mothers womb. He knows the hairs on your head. He created you. He knows your beginning and your end. Yes, He gives us a free choice to choose Him. He will not push Hiself onto you. Isn't that an
Awesome God? Trust and believe in the name of Jesus Christ and you are His child. I hoped i helped you some.
God bless