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. 

Chosen before the foundation of the world

Chosen before the foundation of the world

QUESTION:

Did God have a redemption plan for us through the body of Christ from the creation of the world?

ANSWER:

I like your question, and I can go one better in my reply!! Yes, God had a redemption plan for us, as the Body of Christ, but it was not planned from the creation of the world, or since the world began, but rather, it was ordained BEFORE the world began. 

Naturally, God’s entire redemption plan was determined long before the world was made. God knows the end from the beginning as we read in Isaiah 46:10. However, it is interesting how we can distinguish the redemption of the Body of Christ from other dispensations based on the context of timing and on what was prophesied versus what was kept secret.

Does God not know the beginning from the end?

Does God not know the beginning from the end?

QUESTION:

Does God not know the beginning from the end?

REPY:

God absolutely knows the beginning from the end. God is not limited by time as He is outside of time and eternal in nature. The Bible provides several verses that emphasize God's eternal nature and His existence beyond the constraints of time: Ephesians 3:11; 1 Timothy 1:17; Genesis 21:33; Psalm 100:5.

Besides direct quotes of scripture let’s also look at other content that proves God’s eternal nature and His omniscience regards knowledge of beginning and end. Consider this. Any ‘human’ plan (or project) has a specific sequence of events. One cannot build a house by starting with the roof first! (Progress through the plan in the wrong order leads to problems and probable failure). Have you ever considered the Bible being God's plan (or project) to redeem creation? In this regard, the Bible is God’s blueprint that provides the plan to follow and achieve the desired outcome. Consider the following verses, noting the indication of a plan, a start and end of it, progression and specific timings and goals, etc.

The IMPORTANCE of interpreting scripture using Progressive Dispensational Revelation (Part 2 - Q&A)

The following content contains further Q&A on the post called: "The IMPORTANCE of interpreting scripture using Progressive Dispensational Revelation". The questions asked were excellent to constitute creating a 'part 2' of this post.

COMMENT:

I like where your post was headed, but it needs more information to support your conclusion. Can you help us see how you determined, by progressive revelation, that Cain’s offering lacked faith, and needed blood?

ANSWER:

Earlier I mentioned that faith is believing what God has revealed. What God reveals typically keeps us in right standing with Him. Obedience to what God tells us is what saves us. As we advance through the pages of the Bible God reveals new, or additional things to keep us in relationship with Him. It’s these new, or additional things that I refer to as progressive revelation.

The IMPORTANCE of interpreting scripture using Progressive Dispensational Revelation

The IMPORTANCE of interpreting scripture using Progressive Dispensational Revelation

The following, posted to my WhatsApp channel, is a simple post, but the message is of crucial importance, hence the reason for posting it here in my main blog too. 

Please read the following short post and take note of the importance of reading, understanding, and interpreting the Bible with 'progressive revelation' in mind.

https://thebigpictureviews.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-importance-of-interpreting.html

Remember Love

Remember Love

When one first learns about dispensational views and rightly dividing, it quickly becomes deeply rooted in one’s heart and it changes everything about one’s views and interpretation of scripture. I am personally convicted in my heart that rightly dividing the Word between Israel and the Body of Christ, between law and grace, and between prophecy and mystery, is the ONLY way to effectively understand and interpret scripture. It has exponentially changed my understanding of God’s Word and my relationship with Him, and I’ll never turn back to my old understanding of merging or blending all the Bible into a single doctrine that is all about me, or for my needs and cares and wants.

Having said all this, I do want to mention something that is of crucial importance. I’m not sure about you, but this is something that I have experienced and want to bring to your attention.

To be passionate about dispensational truth and rightly dividing is vital in this world where sound biblical knowledge is so scarce. However, for us, who view scripture rightly divided, we should be careful not to get too passionate about the theology and the words, that we forget about love and the human connection. 

What do I mean here?