Science, Creation & EvolutionPhilosophy: free or determined will and the character of GodGeneral, Did you pick that up from scripture or the Declaration of Independence? I used "non-elect" since by logical deduction, if there are elect, then some must not be elect. Your assumption that we are created equal is contrary to scriture. Paul tells us, as does Moses, that Pharoh was raised for no other purpose but for God to show His might. You see, "God hardened Pharoh's heart". Pharoh did not do the hardening, but God did. That doesn't sound equal to me. In addition, if you read Romans 9 you will see God created "vessels for common use" (which are piss pots), Paul later refers to these as "vessels prepared beforehand for destruction". Of the elect Paul calls them "vessels made for glory". That is the context of the Old Testament quote about the Potter and His clay. It is a very difficult passage for all of us, as it does seem "unfair" at first. If you think through the "free choice" senario you will find that it has the same difficulties with the seeming "unfairness" of God for those who "did not chose" Him. Consider this: I never got to put my fingers in Jesus's wounds. That is unfair, cause if Jesus let me do that, I would have believed too!! Voltaire made the comment that he would "blame God" for his unbelief 'if there was a God', since God could have provided him with enough evidence for him to believe "if God loved him enough". Voltaire reasoned that since not everyone got the "same chance to believe" that God could not "convict us" of our unbelief, when not all where treated the same. This senario presents HUGE philisophical dilemmas for the "free willers", not to mention the other problems with scripture the idea of gaining salvation through "our choice" presents to the idea that "we did NOTHING to earn our salvation", when the fact is: if we had a choice in it, we certainly DID have a hand in it. I do not deny that we make choices, and I do not deny we have "free will", for scripture clearly teaches we do. It also clearly tells us that God has it all planned out and He choses who will believe and who won't. So, the paradox is resolved by understanding the multidimensionality of God, and our choices are real and present, but only in "our time line", in His existence, He has preplanned our responses. "God does not play dice", as Einstein says. (out of context quote, but fitting, Einstein was refering to he uncanny laws of physics and how non-random they seem) |
🌈Pride🌈 goeth before Destruction
When 🌈Pride🌈 cometh, then cometh Shame