Follow-up reactions about the FREE WILL of humans

 

The following post is a follow-up from this article. The article produced a response from someone who asked questions and commented on it. I thought these were useful to post as they contain further learning and insights that add more value to the article.

Reactional questions and statements concerning the above post:

• God knows what you will choose it goes against your discussion of free will. … he knew what Adam was going to choose then he knew he was going to set mankind for failure before we even created Adam.

God knowing all things does not influence one iota of the free will of man. As I clearly stated in the post, God knows beforehand what man's choices are, so He knows if man will receive or reject Him in the end. God has done ALL to inform man and provide the choices he can make, but the choices remain in the hands of man to determine his fate.  When God judges men in the end, it is perfectly righteous because men knew what was required to have life versus to have death. 

• It's not valid that God would set this misery up on mankind when he created Adam and he put the tree of life and the tree of knowledge and bad and he told him not to eat of it, but he knew he was going to…

Have you ever been a parent yet? I’ve told my son many times in the past when he was young not to do this or else… Well, I set before him a choice. He knew a spanking would come if he disobeyed. It’s the same here. God disciplines us for the things he has informed us about. And…the thing with choices ensures that we have the free will to choose. Without free will, what is the reason for living!! All we need is just common logic here. This is not an emotional topic.

If our future is determined for us by God, then how do we have free will like the Bible says?

If our future is determined for us by God, then how do we have free will like the Bible says?

QUESTION:

If our future is determined for us by God, then how do we have free will like the Bible says?

ANSWER:

Isaiah confirms the following,

Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

This scripture tells us that God has planned and determined the beginning and the end of everything in existence. It tells us that God is outside of the realm of time which He has created. This means that God is omnipresent and can be present in the beginning of time as well as at the end of time, or anywhere in between, simultaneously. In addition, God is omniscient and is not limited in knowledge, knowing the end from the beginning, knowing how all things work out and align up, as these verses prove,

Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 

1Jn 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 

With this in mind, let's get back to the details of the question, “Is our future really determined for us by God?”

Can man's free will control or affect the eternal plan of God?

Can man's free will control or affect the eternal plan of God?

QUESTION:

Does our free will in this temporary earth have control over God’s eternal purpose or will?

ANSWER:

From God’s point of view, his eternal purpose is set. Nothing will ever be able to change the outcome of God’s plan because the Word says, “for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name”, Ps 138:2, and, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”, Mat 24:35. Thus, God’s word is settled, and from its pages we know that at the end of God’s plan there is a new heaven and a new earth, and we know there is an eternal lake of fire. The plan ends with two final outcomes, salvation and restoration or wrath and destruction. 

Eternal Life or Eternal Death – Man's Choice

Article written by Arthur J Licursi (on his website here)

The "gospel of Christ" is the most glorious offering our creator God could make unto lost mankind.

"For I [Paul] am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it [Paul's "gospel of the grace of God" for this age] is The Power of God unto Salvation to every one that BELIEVETH…" (Romans 1:16 (KJV))

The one caveat in the above verse is to "BELIEVE," trusting in Christ, as the Sole Basis of One's Salvation. This means all men are free to Choose Salvation unto eternal life or, alternatively, they may reject Christ… unto "everlasting destruction."

Q-A: Are you waiting for God's will to be revealed?

Back in the day, I can recall praying and asking God to reveal His will to me; to reveal His will in my job, to show me the way to go in my Christian walk and in my ministry. I don't doubt that God led me and guided me in His own way, and I certainly do not doubt where I am today in my relationship with Him and my family, but I have also learned over time that the options in life and the decisions you face is ultimately your will and in your control. God is not going to tell you what job to choose, or if you must marry or not. He is not going to tell you to buy a house or in what stocks to invest. He is not going to reply to those fleeces you put out or use booming billboards to answer your prayers. This is YOUR life and the decisions you make are your own, and the direction you choose is yours to make. God entrusts you with the power to choose your path, but where your path ends up will be by how much of that power you choose to entrust back to God.