Undoubtedly there will be athiest that will respond to this question, but honestly it is for the opinion of others who whole heartedly believe but are still looking to make sense of their faith.
It helps to strenghthen my faith when I believe I can understand God's plan a bit. Here is a fairly simplified version of why I think we are here and why faith is important. I asking others with faith why we are here, what is God's plan? Is there anything fundamentally wrong with my scope of understanding?
Sorry if you've seen this before. Here it is.
We were created in God's own image. Not meaning God has ten toes and an appendix, but more like our souls share the same needs and wants as God. We want to love and be loved, it is perhaps the only thing that our souls really need.
God was all alone in the begining, so he did what most of us would do if we were in his position with unlimited power. He first made the Angels to worship and love him, but it was as if they were slaves. Their love seemed to have no meaning because they didn't have a choice, they had to love and worship God because they were created to without any other purpose.
God created man in such a way, in such a world were we were given the ultimate free will. If there was undeniable proof of his existence, we would be obligated to love and worship him out of fear. Rather, the fact that our love is out of pure faith makes our love the most valuable thing in the Universe. He seeks a companionship based on love, not obiligation.
2007-10-28 19:46:30 · 17 answers · asked by Sam T 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Thanks all for you're suggestions, especially those on the angels. However, over and over I've read in books, seen in movies and been told in church, the thing that makes mankind special and unique is free will.
No other creature is supposed to have it. Can anyone find the place in the bible that explains that for me? Can others comment on why both men and angels can have free will but be different?
2007-10-28 20:14:06 · update #1
Could the reason Satan and a third of all angels were banished from heaven was not that they were evil, but because the wanted or discovered free will? And they became evil after their exile from their hatred of mankind's gift and God's intolerance.
2007-10-28 20:18:04 · update #2
So far you are on the nail. We were created because God did want to have us here to love and worship Him on our own free will. The only thing that I didn't agree with, was the fact that you mentioned that God created the Angels to worship and love Him but that it was like they were slaves; When God created the Angels, they were created with Free Will, so they did have a choice to follow Him or not. I'll just say this; if the Angels had no free will, then Satan would have never went against God, but because God created them with Free Will Satan had free will to Choose not to follow God and go his own separate way. This is why we are where we are at, in the world today. Satan, after making the choice not to follow God, deceived Eve into eating the fruit off of the forbidden tree that Adam and Eve were instructed not to eat from, and because of the choices they made when they decided to disobey God, we inherited death, when we were originally created to live forever with God in His Kingdom. God still has this plan for us to live with Him someday that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and be the way for us to get to God and gain everlasting life, but only if we remain faithful to God through the test of times, so until Jesus returns to reclaim and restore the earth back to the way God intended it for us to live in so that we may worship and love Him everlastingly, we must persevere through this system of things.
2007-10-28 20:14:09 · answer #1 · answered by Admeta 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is an interesting way of looking at it, but the angels had a choice too. Remember Satan was an angel but he rebelled and took all the fallen angels with him. They chose this.
If we had undeniable proof of Gods existence, why would there be fear? I think God values our love and adoration because it is still a choice even if we knew without doubt that he exists.
Let's say there are two sons. Both know perfectly well their father exists but one loves his father and the other hates him. God values our love because it is our choice.
ADD: One theory I once read was that Satan accused God of being unloving and unforgiving when he and one third of the angels were judged by God. So God decided to prove to the angels his unfathomable love by creating a much weaker being called man. God would allow Satan to tempt man to rebel just as he had and if that were to happen ( of course it did) then God would prove His love by becoming a man and experiencing death to forgive and restore man. Then there would be no doubting the awesome love of God. In this way the angels who rebelled would be proved wrong and the angels who stayed with God would be proved right for giving God the worship He deserves.
2007-10-28 19:58:19 · answer #2 · answered by out of the grey 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm not entirely convinced that angels don't have a will also, every bit as much as human beings. After all, Lucifer and others rebelled. They sinned.
I believe angels have wills, but occupy a different place in the universe than we do. They are messangers and servants- workers in God's vinyard, so to speak. We work also, but we are made in God's image and likeness. When we come to Christ, we are even remade, repaired to once again be in His image. He is making us into His bride, His eternal companion forever.
No where in the Bible does it say angels do not have a will to decide what to do for themselves.
2007-10-28 19:59:02 · answer #3 · answered by The Link 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just to be steriotypical
<<< Non-Christian
But on a serious matter your question needs some clarity. Fundementally no there is nothing wrong, you seem to have all the basic understanding of the christian religion, although I don't know about the angels being slaves thing. But I do like the imagery about the ten toes bit.
2007-10-28 19:54:20 · answer #4 · answered by midnitepoets 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
JEHOVAH GOD placed the first human couple in a paradise on earth—the garden of Eden. He instructed them to have children and to ‘subdue the earth,’ which would involve expanding their Paradise home as their family grew in numbers. (Genesis 1:26,28) Will God’s purpose for humans to enjoy an earthly paradise ever be fulfilled?
Indeed, it will! According to Bible prophecy, “[Jehovah] will actually swallow up death forever” and “will certainly wipe the tears from all faces.” When this occurs, “one will certainly say: ‘Look! This is our God. We have hoped in him, and he will save us. This is Jehovah. We have hoped in him. Let us be joyful and rejoice in the salvation by him.’”—Isaiah 25:8, 9.
The Bible’s last book describes the conditions on earth after this present world, or system of things under Satan’s rule, is removed. Regarding the “new earth” made up of humans who love God, the Bible says: “The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.”—Revelation 21:1-4 .
What marvelous promises! Can we believe them? Consider how Jesus’ sacrificial death and the miracles he performed provide a basis for confidence that God will accomplish whatever He promises.—2 Corinthians 1:20).
Satan and the angels that he convinced to rebel against God had free will and they chose to disobey God with this free will and became opposers of God. No they were not unwiling Slaves, in fact 2 /3 of the Angels are stil faithful to God satan was unsuccessful in getting them to join in his rebellion against God he only managed with 1/3 of the angels, humans have free will and they are unique from all the creatures on this planet not the Angels the angels are higher than mankind but humans are higher than animalsand are commissioned to care take the animals on earth. No human or no angel is or was ever obliged to worship God, God's wants his creation to worship him out of love not like robots without will, this is why mankind under opression by mankind has such a strong desire for freedom. We are creasted in God's image in that we have similar attributes to what he has not in the way we look, for God has a body of spirit, and our body is of flesh.
2007-10-28 23:57:48 · answer #5 · answered by I speak Truth 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sam, it's not wrong to want to understand what God's plan is and why we are here. God is Spirit, and the image of God in man is the spirit God has caused to live in him. He gave us His Word, the Bible, to help answer our questions and to teach us how to live the Christian life. God effected complete self-disclosure in the person and work of Jesus Christ. If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. God's attributes are made clear in the Scriptures. God does nothing out of need because He needs nothing. He is infinite(the only infinity) and He has all power.His Sovereignty requires it.
Our approach to knowing who God is is critical. Normally we would seek to understand so that we might believe. God wants us to seek to believe so that we might understand. We don't need to explain or defend God. He is His own defense. It's great to see you learning and growing in your walk with God. Stay with it.
2007-10-28 20:04:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion and i believe that this is not what God planned to happen, but you are definitely still a Christian if you support gay rights. Its kind of like saying that people who...think cussing is ok aren't Christian. That's ridiculous, I know a lot of Christians who cuss! So I think you are still a Christian if you support gay rights. God will always judge you fairly.:-)
2016-04-11 00:29:48 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will,... is a freedom to choose good and not evil....
I think that was what i was taught in Theology and Morality class.
Why? Because to choose evil means to be enslaved by it....
And i think the Angels, were also given the same Freedom.
2007-10-28 20:07:37 · answer #8 · answered by coco_loco 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm impressed - but the angels could and did turn away from God. One-third of them rebelled with Satan.
God gave us creativity which He has and He gave us free will to love or reject Him because He knew that those who would choose to love Him would really, really love Him.
2007-10-28 19:52:11 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I agree with all but your statement regarding angels. They also have free will - Satan was an angel and chose to rebel, along with many other angels who followed him.
I choose God.
2007-10-28 19:54:36 · answer #10 · answered by Lofty M 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋