Results 1 - 4 of 4
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | God always gets what he desires? T or F | 1 Tim 2:3 | keliy | 213158 | ||
Hi KcabmI4, You are asking some very good questions, Keep 'em coming :o) You are being clear enough to answer the question, but I might not give the right answer, so we are both human, ok? You ask why would God be having this desire? Well I would answer that since God had enough wisdom to give us freedom of choice, then it would grieve Him whenever we made the wrong choice. Also, (I am going out on a limb here,) words in physical nature are not the same concept in the spiritual realm. When God is said to have regrets, does it really mean what we think? The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ( Gen 6:6) Since God knew what would happen, there must be some way to describe what God felt. Did God make a mistake? I believe that is against His nature. But for lack of a better word, the NASB uses 'sorry' So, I think you are right when you say how you understand it: "Because what Iam understanding is that there are then 2 apposing beleafs." Yes there are. This is called the debate between 'predestination', and 'free will' This has been debated before and will continue to be so. I say there is a little of both. How much of each is hard to say. But to claim that God uses only one to the exclusion of the other is unbiblical. God chooses people for His purpose, that is true. Examples would include King David, The race of Jews, and the Virgin Mary. Jesus used the Greek word 'eklektos to refer to those who were chosen by God. And He also told the Apostles, that He chose them, they did not choose Him. On the other hand, the Bible never directly tells us when or if people are predestined for hell. But God has used evil people to accomplish His holy purpose. In the Book of Romans, Paul says that evil Pharoah was 'raised up' to be an example of God's power. God also chose Jacob over Esau. God reserves His right to choose to have mercy on some more than others. John prophesies that God will turn over the kingdom of Israel to the beast to fulfill His Word. Yet the conundrum begins when we are told we have free will. In Deuterotomy God tells the people to choose to follow Him: "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, (Deuteronomy 30:19) Joshua instructs likewise: "And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15) There are other Old Testament verses telling us to choose to follow the Lord. Besides the verses that tell us to make choices, there are verses that say how we are to live. -Obviously, following this advice requires the ability to choose. Choice is not possible if everything is predestined. The Bible says that Jesus died for the sins of all and wants all to repent. I feel that we all are to exalt Jesus so that Father God may be glorified. I have given here a view of free will and of predestination. It is clear that the Bible does not favor either one. I believe that God fore-ordains history. I do not believe that He forces history. But, God puts people in places so that His will is done. There are also different aspects of God's will. Think about God's perfect will, then about His permissive will. I believe you will increase your understanding, but do not try to decipher everything at once. It all is in the Lord's time. joyful blessings to you and yours. keliy |
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2 | Over-explaining simple verses? | 1 Tim 2:3 | PaulD | 213701 | ||
Here’s a sincere question. Though it comes after reading predestination/ free will discussions here and elsewhere, it’s not necessarily limited to predestination. Nor does it comes with an underlying point of view – unless you consider confusion a point of view! Here it is: Wouldn't a bible student be justified in taking verses at face value whenever possible? Would God condemn someone for believing a plain, simple, even childlike view of scripture passages? You’d think the answer would be obvious. Yet people on both sides ask us to put stock in long explanations about certain verses whose plain and simple meanings they find inconvenient. Often the explanations boil down to, "I shall now use human logic to explain what God was really thinking when he said this." To put the question another way, it's a principle of science (and, really, of life) that the simplest explanations are most often the correct ones. Is there any reason a lay Bible student can’t consistently apply this to scripture explanations from both sides and let the conclusions fall where they may? Thanks. P.S. Pardon me if this post is placed in the wrong thread. As a newcomer here, I'm still finding navigation a bit confusing. |
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3 | Over-explaining simple verses? | 1 Tim 2:3 | srbaegon | 213718 | ||
Hello PaulD, Part of good hermeneutics is to assume the plain, straight-forward meaning of the text unless there is a good reason not to. Steve |
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4 | Over-explaining simple verses? | 1 Tim 2:3 | PaulD | 213720 | ||
Thanks. That's a concise and straightforward answer to a question I probably could have worded better. Appreciate it. | ||||||