A friend of mine and I were discussing the difficult subject of predestination versus free will yesterday. We were trying to figure out how much of life has been “predestined” by God to occur, and how much occurs because of our free will? Has everything been carefully planned out by God and we are just acting out our parts, or are we spontaneously living our lives and making decisions based upon our free wills?
I told my buddy that I’m too emotionally immature to watch a football game of a team that I like such as the “Dawgs”, (Georgia Bulldogs), or the “Dirty Birds” (Atlanta Falcons), because if they perform poorly, it puts me in a rage. Instead I prerecord the game and if my team wins, then I’ll watch it. If they lose, I just delete it without watching it.
My wife tells me that my methodology “takes all the fun out of it”. I disagree. It is not “fun” to me to watch my team lose. I don’t like watching my favorite team fumbling, throwing interceptions, and not rushing the quarterback and losing the game. If however, I know that in spite of a few mistakes early on, that they will eventually win the game, then I can munch my popcorn and drink my Pepsi with a smile on my face and enjoy it.
The Bible states that God knows what is going to happen before it happens. He is omniscient, or in other words He knows everything, including the future. This to me is very similar to watching a prerecorded game; our lives are unfolding before Him, He sees our bad plays and the good, but He already knows everything that is going to happen including the final outcome.
It occurred to me that as I watch a prerecorded game I already know the outcome, but I cannot change anything. Is God like that? Can He see a train wreck coming, but is He helpless to prevent it?
I don’t think so. Unlike me, God can edit…
Provided that He wants to…He is sovereign, supreme, autonomous, independent, the monarch and ruler of all and He knows what is best, He has a plan, and that plan will unfold exactly as He directs…
We have seen examples throughout the Bible where righteous men and women prayed to God and were able to convince Him through their petitions to change His mind about various things which did affect the outcome.
Editing????
The Bible is clear that nothing can happen that God does not ordain, (allow). My friend told me he envisions all of creation, (including us), as being within a giant bubble that comprises the borders of God’s domain, (everything). We float around within the bubble with our free wills doing whatever is allowable within it.
God does allow bad things to happen within His bubble.
Why?
Because!
I don’t know. Unfortunately He has not chosen to reveal to us why within His bubble He allows bad things to happen to seemingly righteous as well as unrighteous people; (including little children that die horrible deaths from cancer).
That is just the bubble in which we live.
I try not to focus on the fumbles, interceptions, and the idiotic in this world; I focus on the final outcome. The Bible makes it clear that at the end of this life on earth, those who “choose” to follow Jesus Christ will be victorious and spend eternity in heaven with Him. The bubble in heaven, (what will be allowable there), is different than the bubble on this earth; there will be no tears, tornados, death, cancer, earthquakes, floods, trials or tribulations in heaven; just eternal bliss.
I don’t know if I was “predestined” to be a believer in Christ or not. God certainly knew ahead of time that I would make that choice. He endowed me with the attributes that He wanted me to have. Logically I have to assume that He endowed me with the wherewithal to ensure that I would eventually make the right decision to become one of His children. According to the Bible I am one of His “elect”, (chosen). I’m honored beyond words and will be eternally grateful for being among His “chosen”.
The Bible talks about the “elect”; who are the elect?
As I understand it as explained in the Bible, the elect of God are a certain select number of persons, whom He so loved that He chose them in Christ before the foundation of the world, unto eternal life and salvation through Jesus Christ.
To be honest I don’t understand that. I was created far too low to even grasp that concept, much less explain it to anyone’s satisfaction, (especially my own). I do know that I had to willingly make my own choice to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior of my own free will. Maybe God gave me the propensity or predisposition to do that, but nonetheless I had to choose to follow Christ and not the world. I’m glad that I did.
I hope you’ve made that same decision. If not, make it today, won’t you?
I don’t know why I chose this subject to write about today; it’s just too difficult for my small brain and has given me a headache. How about you? LOL
Have a wonderful New Year’s weekend. Don’t get all “drunked” up and make a fool out of yourself and maybe end up in a car crash or at a minimum have a vicious hangover. As you prepare to ring in the New Year, end this past year in splendid fashion and start anew by going to church this Sunday.
Romans 8:33
Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one–for God himself has given us right standing with himself.