Please answer from a Christian point of view only.
We all have free will right? This means that God cannot control what decisions we make right? Now since He is all-knowing, does He know what path we will choose to take before we are even born?
I'm struggling with this because I find it hard to believe a loving God such as He would allow a person to be born if He already knew they were going to choose not to follow Him and therefore be condemned to Hell. If He has that critical knowledge, why would he create certain people only to send them to Hell?
2007-10-11 17:37:46 · 32 answers · asked by ChemGuy 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
If you want a Christian point of view, wouldnt you search
the Bible, which is written from the Christian point of view?
The book of Job, the first book written there, shows Job asking God, why? why? why? And God answers him. How-
ever if you really dont know the answer, you should tell yourself that GOD KNOWS BETTER THAN YOU. He already knows everything, and you can only trust him, with all your heart.
2007-10-11 17:46:07 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 4⤋
Foreknowledge doest not equate with predestination.
God is outside time and can see the end from the beginning. That is why he can prophecy the future. Its like looking at one page and seeing all the words. We are on line 22 and have a restricted view. The Bible teaches Whosoever will may come. We have free agency and free choice....we are not preprogrammed automotons.
Moody in the 19th Century put it this way.
Heaven has a door and on our side it says "whsoever will may come" and when we enter into eternity on the other side of the door is written "chosen from the foundation of the earth"
An enigma wrapped in a riddle. On this side in time and space we have choice but when we enter eternity we find that God knew all along what we would do.
2007-10-11 18:21:32 · answer #2 · answered by WYNNER01 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Do you mean predestination? I don't think all religions acknowledge predestination. You should choose a religion based on what seems right to you based on your own interpretation of the Bible. If you don't believe in predestination, then you shouldn't practice a religion that supports predestination. People used to choose a religion based on what they truly believed God wants. Your beliefs about God and the Bible should determine what religion you choose. Your religion should not determine your beliefs (there are exceptions, of course). Your interpretation of the Bible should play a big part in determining the religion you choose. You make a valid point. Why should a person be born if they are going to be condemned to hell. It does sound a bit pointless and cruel. So maybe it's not true. Who knows? I sure don't. Read the Bible and follow your instinct. Thats all God can ask of you, because thats all you can do.
2007-10-11 17:55:29 · answer #3 · answered by kcinonamor 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
God is trying to show the world how not to be which would, in turn, make a person with a good heart want to be closer to
God and all that is God -- The Father, The Son Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. This will make you want a closer relationship with Jesus Christ Who died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead for our salvation which is eternal life in Heaven. People who never knew of God and all that is of God will go to heaven and those of us with a good heart who have always known of God and all that is of God and believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead to give us new and eternal life in Heaven will also go to heaven.
2007-10-12 09:02:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Those hell-bound souls provide "tests" for the rest of us. The way that we deal with those tests helps determine which path we will travel in our lives.
I think that we have free will, but we only have the ability to choose from the choices that God has provided us. He knows the possibilities those choices will yield, and he allows us that latitude to determine which one we want.
On a related note, I'm more interested in knowing why he allows such terrible pain and suffering to exist, when he would obviously have the power to prevent it. If things were truly that rosy, we should all have nice lives. Such pain and suffering we must endure, in addition to dealing with hell-bound aimholes, must be tests, or it serves no purpose as far as I can see....
2007-10-11 17:53:51 · answer #5 · answered by sceneXboi 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Because God is fair He allows us all the choice to change. Imagine that, He knows we are flawed but He still gives us the opportunity to come to earth and then He puts people and things in our lives that may or may not help us to choose to change. Depending on our choices of course. He is trying to help us get back to Him to enjoy eternal life but we have to make that choice.
2007-10-11 20:09:07 · answer #6 · answered by eek! 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You get a star from me...
The Bible clearly teaches that God does not know some things that involve freewill creative choices of humans.
The view you are thinking about was invented by Augustine in the forth century and comes straight out of Neo Platonic philosophy.
There is books on this and this is now one of the hottest topics in theological circles. It is called the "Open view Of God".
I have a large article on this if your interested.
I have spent over 30 years studying it.
False concepts lead to false applications...
Right questions lead to right answers...
You get an A for the right question most people never get that
far.
Like Rick Warrens book "The Purpose Driven Life". The false character of God in Chapter 2 is totally Plato and Hinduism... Has nothing to do with Christianity.
Let me make it clear God does not know who will be born in the future because their parents have a creative free will choice to make them and they have not acted yet...
But this is philosophic see the hundreds of scriptures on this..
God knows all things knowable.
Things He plans are easy like prophecy He makes it work out but our involvement in it is flexible. ...
2007-10-11 17:47:23 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
I think God knows what we are all capable of doing. Now if He knows this then it is up to us not to give in to temptation. Remember when Jesus was in the desert for 40 days and he was tempted by the devil. This is a prime example we must lead, otherwise we will go to hell. Moreover, this is where "Free Will" comes in. We must always lean towards being good, and if we don't then we pay the consequences. As human beings we need to have limits and to know what's going to happen if we don't abide by the rules of God. If we go to hell it is because we did it to ourselves, not God he gave us the gift of life with capabilities.
2007-10-11 17:49:06 · answer #8 · answered by Wonder-woman 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋
He gives people there free choice. But your right it would have been better much better if they were never born. What is really sick is that they have no clue to the Horrors and pains of Hell or they would have turned a 180 degrees along time ago.
2007-10-11 17:44:27 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
I believe we do have free will. God exists outside of time, so he can see everything that ever has or ever will happen, but he doesn't make it happen. It's like the world is a movie that God has seen before, he knows the ending already but can't interfere with the characters.
2007-10-11 17:42:48 · answer #10 · answered by exodusofficer 1 · 2⤊ 2⤋
God gave us free will to choose. If he were to control all of our minds, it would be pointless to even create us 'cause we'll all be like robots.
He gave us an alternative to hell by sending Jesus down. It's a choice for everyone to choose.
God works in mysterious ways, which are sometimes beyond our comprehension. But I can be sure He works with a purpose and a perfect plan in mind.
2007-10-11 17:42:34 · answer #11 · answered by fantasia 2 · 2⤊ 3⤋