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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | The Sovereignty of God | Ps 103:19 | kalos | 124763 | ||
T or F? "God is a gentleman. He won't tamper with your free will." 'Sloppy Slogans' 'There's nothing wrong with catchy ways of expressing a conclusion based on careful consideration. In fact, Jesus was a master at using short, pithy statements (known as aphorisms) to drive a point home. Sloganeering in the hands of the unskilled, though, tends to be a sloppy business. The kernel of truth is lost beneath a pile of misleading chaff. 'Many slogans are not answers, but clever dismissals. No careful work has been done to justify the verdict. Let me explain. 'One truism I've heard regarding the problem of God's sovereignty versus man's freedom goes something like this: "God is a gentleman. He won't tamper with your free will." The statement has a ring of truth to it, and as a slogan it has populist appeal. Yet, more often than not, the statement is like a roof hanging in mid-air; the more demanding foundational work needed to support it simply has not been done. 'For example, this maxim is vulnerable to a couple of simple observations. First, the Scripture doesn't make this particular claim about human freedom. It doesn't even imply that God is a gentleman who won't interfere with our lives. To the contrary, there are a number of biblical examples that indicate just the opposite. 'Take Paul on the road to Damascus, for instance. He was in total rebellion against God. He dragged Christian men, women, and children into prison and even presided over executions. Paul was, in his human will, an enemy to the cross of Christ. So God knocked him off his horse on the Damascus Road, blinded him, then spoke to him like thunder from the sky (Acts 9:3-7). Was God tampering? It looks like it. 'Consider poor Nebuchadnezzar. God had him chewing grass with the cows in the fields of Babylon for three years until he finally looked heavenward, came to his senses, and gave God the glory (Daniel 4:28-37). Was there any divine pressure here? Seems like it to me.' ____________________ Faith and Philosophy by Gregory Koukl. To read more go to: (www.str.org) |
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2 | The Sovereignty of God | Ps 103:19 | Hank | 124768 | ||
kalos, how I love true-false questions! They give me a 50 per cent chance to be right, which is higher odds than I usually get. In this instance I'd have to go with false -- God certainly has intervened in human lives, and Scripture cites a number of examples to prove it. And I believe He does still as, for example, in answer to prayer. But then, since I don't hold to the doctrine of irresistible grace, I would have to say true, soteriologically speaking, God draws men but does not force them to receive His gift of salvation. Enough said, perhaps too much, for I don't want to start this Forum down this stony path which has been trodden much too much already. ..... In case I haven't mudded up the water enough already, I'll conclude by saying that in a certain sense your statement could be seen as false and in a certain sense true. And there is, of course, a theological school that would say that the statement is flawed and cannot be considered either true or false since man has no free will. --Hank | ||||||