Paul speaks of predestination.
But if we are all subject to predestination, why bother trying?
If athletes knew the contest was already rigged, why would they enter the competition?
Freedom Of Choice
God said to the Israelites through Joshua, ". . . choose you this day whom ye will serve".
In the New Testament there are many commands and exhortations such as "obey", "follow", "be diligent". These would be pointless if we were not able to choose and decide.
It is evident, obvious (here I consciously CHOSE to write both words - "evident", and "obvious" after first considering writing only one of them) that from a human persective we have freedom of choice, though limited. We cannot choose things we do not know about, nor can we choose to do the impossible.
An example of limited choice would be where parents have decided to take their family down the coast to the beach. On the journey the children behave in various ways, sometimes good, sometimes not so good. Nevertheless all this does not affect the outcome - they end up at the beach.
God Knows The Future
There are hundreds of scriptures where God accurately foretold the future. The reader will readily find many in the Bible and we will not list them here. (We intend to add the usual reference page "Predestination References")
We are forced to conclude that God does know the future, and as he created everything it follows that everything is the result of predestination.
If God Knows The Future How Can We Have Any Freedom Of Choice?
Rather than seeing this question as a conflict, both are true. God knows the future in every detail, and also man does have a freedom of choice.
This then is the way (or model if you like) that we must use to view our lives.
If one day we concluded that God had worked out everything for us, then what would we do? We would still be faced with choices today, tomorrow, and the following days - big choices and small choices, and we would still reap the fruits of our choices.
As discussed in our page on "Spirit", man is a very limited individual. We live entrapped in space and time, just like an animal or bird may spend its life in a box or cage.
God is not limited by space and time - he created them. God is everywhere and knows everything. Both past and future are laid out before his eyes. He can see into the future; he can sit and look at it.
It appears illogical to state that the future is known, and we also have choices, but where a question involves space and time we can not rely on what appears logical or illogical to our minds.
For example, does it seem logical that one twin can leave earth in a space craft and return a different age to his twin brother? (Perhaps to a trained physicist or mathematician that would be quite logical and clear)
But the answer to our main question involves not just space and time, but spirit, space and time. With such parameters as these who can rely purely on human logic and deduction?
For example, mere man could say, "Seeing that God knows the future God himself does not have free choice, because he is bound to do what he has already seen in the future."
The debate would be endless and fruitless !
Both Are True. Predestination and Choice Coexist
When I wrote both words "evident" and "obvious" above, I certainly did not feel I was compelled to, or that it was the result of predestination. In fact right now I could go back and change it. However God knew from the beginning, and if I did change it he knew I would.
Let us not doubt the great power of God. His mind and his thoughts are infinitely higher and deeper than man's.
To those who would say,
"If God ordains our actions how can we ever sin? It would not be our fault.",
Paul responds,
"Nay but O man who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, 'Why hast thou made me thus?' "
Paul does not attempt to offer a purely logical explanation, he emphasises the greatness of God.
Just as many of our equations in physics are actually approximations until a higher more accurate equation is found, so the logic we use now to examine predestination is severely limited until a higher logic is realised.
Scripture References
For the references to the above please refer Predestination References
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This page Predestination created 21jul04 upd.5sep06