Do you believe that everything that happens to you was meant to be or already predestined? Beliefs in predestination are generally referred to as Calvinism or Reformed Theology. What is predestination: Predestination is a doctrine which teaches that God predetermined who would go to heaven and hell. It basically teaches that you were born without choices. All the events or actions you made from birth to death were already orchestrated by God. That also means all your sins were really not your fault but God’s will. Furthermore, it states man is not held accountable for his sin and God has already chosen which people will be saved and which will be damned.
Do you believe that where you are right now in your life is a consequence of your own choices possibly altered through prayer, God steering you in the right direction or altering your life when you call on him to do so. If you believe that then you believe in “Free Will”. What is Free Will: Free will teaches that when presented with the facts of God’s plan for salvation that every individual person has a choice to make, to either accept or reject God’s gift of salvation. It basically teaches that you were born with the gift of making your own choices. That also means you are accountable for all your sins.
I’m a believer in Free Will. In the beginning God created man and “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good”. Genesis 1:31. God’s PREDETERMINED PLAN was to create man in his own image with a free will to fellowship with him. Adam CHOSE to bite the forbidden fruit which bought sin into the world. God did not cause Adam to disobey Him; otherwise man wouldn’t have been created in God’s image. God is not capable of enticing us to sin nor would he want to. That would defeat the whole purpose of his creation. The Bible tells us that God hates sin and that sin can’t enter heaven. Solomon wrote: “This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes”. Ecclesiastes 7:29
Stated even better, Josh McDowell had the following to say about creation, evil, and God’s love for us:
“The Scriptures make it plain that God did not create the world in the state in which it is now, but evil came as a result of the selfishness of man. The Bible says that God is a God of love and He desired to create a person and eventually a race that would love Him. But genuine love cannot exist unless freely given -- through free choice God allows us to accept His love or to reject it.
This choice made the possibility of evil a reality. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they did not choose something God created, but, by their choice, they brought evil into the world. God is neither evil nor did He create evil. Man brought evil upon himself by selfishly choosing his own way apart from God’s way”.
A consequence of having free will means bad things will happen as a result of living in a fallen world. In times of war, death, natural disasters, accidents, illnesses, loss of job or income and other calamities many flippantly use the expression “Everything happens for a reason” or “it’s God’s Will”. This is a convenient attempt to say man is not accountable for sin or destruction but God is. Yes, God allowed sin to enter the world due to Adam’s disobedience but he is not the creator or enticer of sin. “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” James 1:12-14
Every person born into this world is the creator of his or her own destiny. Some have argued a statement such as that means God has no control or I am taking away God sovereignty or authority to rule over our lives. I argue, God can only rule over our lives if we CHOOSE so, even when we choose so we often fall or continue to sin. Yes, God is omniscient (he knows all) but just because he knows the choices we will make doesn’t mean he created those situations that make us have to choose. God is here for numerous reasons; one is to keep us on the path of righteousness. As the Bible states "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Galatians 6:7-8. One element of the doctrine of Karma closely resembles the biblical passages of you reap what you sow. I describe the element as: "every act we commit, no matter how big, small, insignificant or significant creates a good or bad consequence. Those consequences create other good or bad acts and more consequences. Those good or bad consequences have led you to where you are today; it will determine where you will be tomorrow". You’re in the driver seat steering the path of your own destiny. Drive with caution! Be gentle with one another; try with all your might to avoid sin, listen to God daily, pray often and seek God in everything and EVERYONE you come in contact with. Be Blessed and stay humble!
Ms. Angela's Stuff
Do you believe that where you are right now in your life is a consequence of your own choices possibly altered through prayer, God steering you in the right direction or altering your life when you call on him to do so. If you believe that then you believe in “Free Will”. What is Free Will: Free will teaches that when presented with the facts of God’s plan for salvation that every individual person has a choice to make, to either accept or reject God’s gift of salvation. It basically teaches that you were born with the gift of making your own choices. That also means you are accountable for all your sins.
I’m a believer in Free Will. In the beginning God created man and “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good”. Genesis 1:31. God’s PREDETERMINED PLAN was to create man in his own image with a free will to fellowship with him. Adam CHOSE to bite the forbidden fruit which bought sin into the world. God did not cause Adam to disobey Him; otherwise man wouldn’t have been created in God’s image. God is not capable of enticing us to sin nor would he want to. That would defeat the whole purpose of his creation. The Bible tells us that God hates sin and that sin can’t enter heaven. Solomon wrote: “This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes”. Ecclesiastes 7:29
Stated even better, Josh McDowell had the following to say about creation, evil, and God’s love for us:
“The Scriptures make it plain that God did not create the world in the state in which it is now, but evil came as a result of the selfishness of man. The Bible says that God is a God of love and He desired to create a person and eventually a race that would love Him. But genuine love cannot exist unless freely given -- through free choice God allows us to accept His love or to reject it.
This choice made the possibility of evil a reality. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they did not choose something God created, but, by their choice, they brought evil into the world. God is neither evil nor did He create evil. Man brought evil upon himself by selfishly choosing his own way apart from God’s way”.
A consequence of having free will means bad things will happen as a result of living in a fallen world. In times of war, death, natural disasters, accidents, illnesses, loss of job or income and other calamities many flippantly use the expression “Everything happens for a reason” or “it’s God’s Will”. This is a convenient attempt to say man is not accountable for sin or destruction but God is. Yes, God allowed sin to enter the world due to Adam’s disobedience but he is not the creator or enticer of sin. “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” James 1:12-14
Every person born into this world is the creator of his or her own destiny. Some have argued a statement such as that means God has no control or I am taking away God sovereignty or authority to rule over our lives. I argue, God can only rule over our lives if we CHOOSE so, even when we choose so we often fall or continue to sin. Yes, God is omniscient (he knows all) but just because he knows the choices we will make doesn’t mean he created those situations that make us have to choose. God is here for numerous reasons; one is to keep us on the path of righteousness. As the Bible states "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Galatians 6:7-8. One element of the doctrine of Karma closely resembles the biblical passages of you reap what you sow. I describe the element as: "every act we commit, no matter how big, small, insignificant or significant creates a good or bad consequence. Those consequences create other good or bad acts and more consequences. Those good or bad consequences have led you to where you are today; it will determine where you will be tomorrow". You’re in the driver seat steering the path of your own destiny. Drive with caution! Be gentle with one another; try with all your might to avoid sin, listen to God daily, pray often and seek God in everything and EVERYONE you come in contact with. Be Blessed and stay humble!
Ms. Angela's Stuff
No comments:
Post a Comment