Morgan wrote:Aineo wrote:God has the gun, mankind has their finger on the trigger, it is known as free will. God is omnipotent, but His is not a dictator. He presents us options that we can choose from and then it is up to us to make a choice. <B>If we choose unwisely He affirms our decisions.</B>
<I>Bang... bang... bang...</I>
And those people who ran, did so of their own free will.
I think my analogy holds
Aineo wrote:God is not glorified by robots.
How would putting down the gun make us robots? And what is the point of free will, of choice, if there's only one acceptable choice to be made?
Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Mankinds worst enemy is himself! God has laid down the gun by supplying mankind a way out of this mess we live in -- Jesus Christ. You have the choice of accepting this free gift of rejecting it.
When you drink and drive you have used your "free will" to disobey a secular law, the same is true of speeding and a plethora of human activity. If someone drinks and drives or speeds and it results in the death of an innocent bystander who "pulled the trigger"? The company who manufactured the alcohol or the vehicle or the man who misused and abused a commercial product?
Morgan wrote:Aineo wrote:That is your conclusion and decision or your choice according to your free will.
No. Belief is not a choice. I can no more "choose" to believe in the divinity of Jesus than you could "choose" to believe in the existence of Santa Claus. But just for the sake of argument, let's assume you're right... in which case, I have a question: Do you think, when I made that choice, that I <I>knew</I> it would result in my damnation?
What choice, to be gay or to believe God exists? I understand and agree that sexual orientation is not chosen, if you have read my posts I affirm sexual orientation is developed prior to puberty and is not a conscience choice made by any person. However, you can choose to act upon it. Heterosexuals have the same option, they can choose to live in accordance with God's perfect design for mankind or reject His reasoning. And yes, God does reason with mankind:
Isaiah 1:18-19
18 "Come now, and let us reason together,"
Says the LORD,
"Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
19 "If you consent and obey,
NAS
If you mean belief is God, then:
Romans 1:18-20
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. NAS
For Christians "faith" in Jesus Christ is the foundation of our belief.
Hebrews 11:1
11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. NAS
Faith is not a blind acceptance of a myth. Here is a good explanation of Christian faith:
FAITH
2. Meaning: a Divergency: Studying the word "faith" in the light of use and contexts, we find a bifurcation of significance in the Bible. We may distinguish the two senses as the passive and the active; on the one side, "fidelity," "trustworthiness"; and "faith," "trust," on the other. In Gal 5:22, e.g. context makes it clear that "fidelity" is in view, as a quality congruous with the associated graces. (the Revised Version (British and American) accordingly renders pistis there by "faithfulness.") Again, Rom 3:3 the King James Version, "the faith of God," by the nature of the case, means His fidelity to promise. But in the overwhelming majority of cases, "faith," as rendering pistis, means "reliance," "trust."
(from International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1996 by Biblesoft)
BTW, I don't believe in Santa Claus, he is a mythical figure who is a composite of many cultural beliefs. I learned this as I matured into an adult. Faith in Jesus Christ is based on relying on God's promises and His willingness to keep those promises, which experience has shown me He does. So, faith is relying on what I first learned through study and then experienced in my life.
You can choose to believe in Jesus Christ or you would not be able to say you don't believe in Jesus Christ, this is a choice.