Does mankind really have free will?

[Sue D.]

Mankind would have been okay -- a perfect environment IF Adam and then Eve had Chosen to listen to God instead of satan. But satan made listening to God's Word seem inconsequencial. It would Really be all that bad to eat that fruit. After all, they would Then be like God -- all that knowledge of good and evil. So far -- they had been living in the innocence that God created them in. But -- they were Also given the Choice of listening To and Obeying just that one command of God's. So Evil entered the world.

God's hands are NOT tied from stopping Anything.

God knew from the very beginning that Adam and Eve would Not obey Him. In due time -- God's timing - His Son, Jesus Christ Did come into this world's mess -- He died on the cross and rose again For us. He bridged the gap between us and God. We can Again have a restored relationship with God. But we need to do it God's Way.

God's plan Now is allowing bad stuff To happen. That gives 'us' a decision to make --HOW - we will act in the face Of all the bad stuff that Does happen. In This country -- fires -- and now wide spread flooding. The state of Nebraska is in really bad shape. There have been the devastating huge fires in California and the other states. Lots of people's lives turned up side down in a matter of hours in lots of cases.

All of this is causing people do to some serious thinking. And people caring enough to reach out and HELP each other. The comment was made in Bible study last evening. when life is going smoothly - do we really pay much attention to God? Usually it's during Problem times that we realize a need Greater than we can handle and have a choice -- to turn to God or get bad attitudes.

Eventually God Will return and be the best, righteous Godly leader we could ever hope for.

And in the New Jerusalem there will be no more tears, pain, anguish of any kind. And it sounds like the 1,000 years of Jesus Christ down Here will be pretty nice, too.

In the Meantime -- we Do have the Gospel unto salvation to share with everyone who will listen. And our lives will be an encouragement to others. Hopefully.

 

[B-A-C]

Rev 2:20; 'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
Rev 2:21; 'I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.

It seems God give people chances to do the right thing... (repent). He even wants them to repent. But He does not force them to.

 

[Sue D.]

B-A-C -- yes, God Does give people chances to do the right thing. And He forces nothing. He also tells us the negative consequences to anticipate. As well as the Positive outcomes. It's our personal choice.

 

[Dovegiven]

B-A-C -- yes, God Does give people chances to do the right thing. And He forces nothing. He also tells us the negative consequences to anticipate. As well as the Positive outcomes. It's our personal choice. :smile:

He gave Abraham a command to sacrifice his son Isaac without stating a consequence for declining that. He left the decision up to Abraham, but helped him decide correctly by adding the notion that God would provide His lamb. That's our hope, too. Jesus my lamb in my place, and in the place of every human who allows Him.

God offered Solomon a privilege of asking Him for whatever he wanted. There was no limit, and no promise of any more than the least answer. Solomon asked unselfishly, then God rewarded Solomon far beyond his imagination.

That brings to my remembrance
Ephesians 3:15-21 (KJV)
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

 

[Sue D.]

Abraham and Isaac was Also a 'picture' of the Son being willing to give His life as the Father made preparations For the Sacrificial Lamb.

 

[Dovegiven]

Really! Why would he? Does he have omniscience or not. Its like you are saying God is ducking and diving because he is too powerful so he is embarrassed by his powers so he looks the other way. Does that sound like God to you. Nothing is impossible for God and if he wanted 1+1 to be three it is three. period. Full stop. GOD IS GOD!!!!!!!!!

God gave the power to have earthly judges. Many fear judges, but their tendency is to have mercy, to limit punishments. All judges, like God, could hand down the upper limits of just punishment according to the laws. They "throw the book" at egregious repeat offenders sometimes, but not s much as commonly thought. A judge in our district finally gave a man with 12 DWI convictions over ten years here life in prison without possibility of parole after leaving the scene of a deadly accident.

Just allowing Satan and the demons to run loose should indicate God does limit His omnipotence, else we probably wouldn't even have an effective Congress. Well, maybe that's past too. :crying:

 

[Sue D.]

Are you talking about judges or kings? Judges 2:16 "Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. section continues through vs 19.

In this present day / age -- satan and some of the demons Do have free reign -- that does NOT indicate that God limits His omnipotence. Simply that God's timing is not Our timing.

In the future -- there Will be perfect justice with Jesus Christ ruling.

 

[Victor Van Heerden]

ust allowing Satan and the demons to run loose should indicate God does limit His omnipotence

Does not compute. Then Jesus died in vain. Surely you don't believe that? If you believe the Bible you will recognize that ALL power on earth, heaven and hell belongs to Jesus and He has given that power to His Church. Matt 28 : 18 -20. Matt.28 Verses 18 to 20. [18] And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" J n14;12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16


My Bible says that the devil is a toothless tiger and Christians need to know their AUTHORITY IN CHRIST that was bought with His BLOOD on the cross. The only limit to the POWER OF GOD is because it has been entrusted to human hands. Wait till Jesus comes back again. Nope. He is in the body of believers who have fallen asleep and tremble in fear because they think that God is holding back his power. When He is God.