Free Will vs Predestination
4What is man, that thou art mindful of him? (Psalm 8:)
Books upon books have been written arguing and "proving" both sides of this issue. And Theologians and the denominations who follow their thinking have battled one another until they are red in the face while they bash each other over the heads with their Bibles until they are black and blue.
They are all full of baloney!!!!!
Every side, every view we take is going to be wrong. And the reason I know it will be wrong is because there is not a peanut shell of wisdom in all of us Sons of Adam put together!
As evidence of this; take five of the wisest men, our most brilliant minds - put them together in a room to discuss one single subject - and they will inevitably come up with at least ten conclusions.
The only way for us to understand we know anything at all is to recognize that we know nothing at all!
If we were to take a room full of kindergardeners and have them come up with the perfect solution for this world's problems, they would have no more influence on the running of this nation's government than an ant has trying to whittle down Mt. Everest. But in the minds of those kindergardeners, they will have changed the course of history.
We somehow feel we must understand everything. We will spend our life trying to come up with the answer to a problem, only to discover there is no answer. And with no answer in our hand, we will present to the world an answer we have settled on and call it "fact."
And the bottom line? What difference does it make?
If free will or predestination is important or understandable in our meager minds, please explain why one person dies at birth and another lives to be a hundred. Explain abortion, why one child is allowed to live, and another is killed. If you can come up with an answer that applies to that child's free will or predestination, maybe you will be just an inch closer to the truth.
For some reason when a person reaches maturity we are expected to receive certain "rights." We have the right to vote - if we happen to live in the right country, at the right time of history, are the right color, are a property owner, etc, etc.
We have the right to life - if we are not a Jew in Germany, or a Chinese peon in the rice paddies, an African of the wrong tribe, an unborn in the USA.
God gave us a Book of history and His Will and His desires for us. We take that Book and twist it to suit ourselves and demand that God fulfill our bidding.
We are fools.
If we want to understand God's will for us, we can't ask one another - we must ask God.
For some inexplicable reason God chose us tiny fragments of a planet that is smaller than a grain of sand on the beach in relation to His creation to spend time on and to give special blessings.
We, who by accident happen to have survived birth start to feel special in God's eyes and make demands of Him.
Foolishness!
We are nothing!
This is God's view of us.
Why is it that we can view others as nothing in our own eyes, yet believe God is above this and must think we are special in His?
God told us clearly that if we want to be seen favorably in His eyes, we must look upon ourselves as less than nothing, and everyone else, even the lowest of the low, as better than ourselves.
In other words, we must be just the opposite of what we are or what we can ever become.
Free will? We have none. Again, show me how that unborn has free will, and maybe I might accept that a hundred year old has free will.
Predestination? Explain to me how one person stood outside the ovens of Auschwitz and another stood inside. Did God predestine each for their positions? If so, explain to me how that reconciles with our concept of a "Loving God."
God is going to do what God wants to do. With some He will predestine like He did Paul and the other Apostles, and some He will let them go from dust to dust, allowing those who want to exercise their "free will" to become one of the chosen. Man sees things "either, or," God sees things as one big picture without the divisions man pushes on themselves and tries to force on Him.
Is there Free Will? Certainly. And those particles of dust who wish to cling to Free Will have God's Word for it under the heading "Whosoever will."
Those who want to believe in Predestination can examine their lives and see if God has been forcing them in a particular direction as He did Joseph, Jacob and Paul the Apostle. If you don't find such a pattern in your life, you had better pray that the Free Willers are right and you are wrong.
Explain predestination to a mentally handicapped child who is so because his or her mother used free will and chose to use drugs during pregnancy. Did God, or that parent "predestine" that child?
God is going to do what God is going to do. How we interpret the Bible makes not a thimble full of difference. All our understandings do is feed our egos, which is exactly the opposite of what God desires of us.
God wants action, we give Him words.
God demands sacrifice, we give Him excuses.
God said we are but dust, we say we are glorious in His sight.
The Evolutionists are closer to the Truth than our brilliant Theologians. We did not come from bugs as say the Evolutionists. We came from much less. We came from dust.
What is God's view of us, that is His creation? How long is Eternity?
We are a troublesome speck in God's eye.
Eternity ends when God decides to use this planet as a ping pong ball or crush it to smithereens.
It's God's creation.
It's God's to do as He wills with it.
Is there Free Will or Predestination? In my opinion?
I could really care less. That's an intellectual pursuit designed for those who would rather use their brain than their mind. While our brain keeps us busy keeping it busy, the mind tells me that I had better read the Bible and Pray for God to reveal what He wants for me so I don't turn back to dust as will the "Brainy" ones.
In my own life I can see where God has been batting me around the head with a club trying to get my attention. You can call this predestination or free will. It doesn't matter to me. He finally got my attention, and that is important to me. What would have happened if I hadn't finally responded to His "urgings" I don't know. Call it "free will" if you chose, but I am thankful that God didn't give me Free Will and let me go my own way without His hammering. I would hate to think what life might have been like, or my final destiny, had He not done so.
34And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: 35And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? 36At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. 37Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. (Dan 4:)
