Subject: do we have any free will? |
Bible Note: Hello, Rob: Boy, you sure dug into the archives for this one! You wrote: "1. Is the universe completely determined because God has seen it? Yes." You are confusing foresight with predetermination. Does the Bible teach that God merely passively foresees everything, or that God is constantly active and sovereign over every last aspect of His creation? "2. Do we share this ultimate knowledge of all events with God? No." Again, is God someone who just KNOWS, or someone who CAUSES? "3. Do the choices we make directly affect our lives, and the lives of others? Yes." Those who believe in the biblical doctrine of election do not deny this. "4. Is accepting Christ a choice? Yes." Every Christian would agree with this as well. "5. Do we have complete free will to choose then? Absolutely." I don't see where you get the "then" here. The fact that at some point a person freely embraces Christ does not mean that every individual (including the convert) was BORN with that ability. One of the best treatments of the freedom of the will in Christian history was written by Jonathan Edwards. I warmly encourage you (and everyone else) to give it a read: http://www.ccel.org/e/edwards/will/home.html --Joe! |