If you are all powerful and have the power to put grace in the heart of everyone, why don't you? And as God aren't you to blame for those that are out of grace?
Here is a question I received on www.ideaoffer.com (great site). It is basically a question concerning free will. I am going to start with an illustration.
Imagine you are able to create your own girlfriend like in the 80's movie, Weird Science. You could customize her any way you wanted. You could even make her love you and worship the ground you walk. Any married man would tell you, this would be awesome...at first. Eventually, your subconscious would play havoc on you. Does she really love me or only because I forced her too?
However, if you never affected her free will and she loved you, then you would feel you earned this love. God created us all in His image (Gen. 1:26) and could have forced us to worship Him. Why didn't He?
God is a father. Plain and simple. He wants our love as we want our children's. His first four commandments were directed towards relationship with us (Deu. 5:7-15). Even the new covenant under Christ was to love God with all your heart and soul first (Mark 12:30).
If God wants our love and has created the universe, why doesn't He make us love Him? The very unique thing about humans is that we have free will to do what we want. We even have the choice to believe there is no God at all. If you I were to force you to love me, would I actually love you?
Make no mistake, God doesn't need our love. He doesn't even need us. He wants our love and knows true love is a choice not a demand (Rev. 3:20). I firmly believe this is why He allows evil to happen on earth. It would be so easy to love God and follow Him with a perfect love if temptation and sin didn’t exist. If we are willing to fight through our sinful nature to be in a relationship with Him, what a testament to love we are pronouncing!
Part two of this question is whether to blame God for all of us being out of grace. Many Christians would answer the devil is to blame. Since I love a good debate, didn’t God create the devil and cast him from Heaven. Why didn’t He just un-create him? My answer may anger some, but yes, God is the reason we are out of grace.
Notice, I didn’t say He is to blame. We can’t blame God for our choices. Free will is a gift from God. When we choose to fall out of grace it is not God’s fault, it is our own. We are not victims of circumstance, we orchestrate our own demise. If you get a $1 million and spend it on partying when you know you should invest, it would be your fault the money is gone.
God gave us free will and freedom from sin. No price tag can be placed on the sacrifice He made through His son. What we choose to do with this treasure is up to us, not Him.
Joe is a freelance writer living in Charleston, SC. Subscribe to him and get updates of new articles. Also, feel free to follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/joeylaw or read more articles at www.inspiretomorrow.com/writer.
Comments
Joe, first tell me why god is "he" and "him". Is "he" a giant man? Second, god wants us to have free will? You've got to be kidding me. Take a look again at the 10 commandments. You know these: You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. Free will? This sounds to me like god is making us love "him". Why is "he" so jealous anyway? Is god playing games with us, sending mixed signals like this? If free will were true it would say "but only if you want to" at the end of every commandment. Third, how do you dare to think you know the mind of god? Lastly, do you ever delete posts like mine here and if so,why? Do you sensor these discussions? Be honest.
Dave, first off, no I have never deleted a comment. I write for many websites and honestly don't have too much time to even respond to most. I would sensor a comment that was filled with swear words, racial slurs, etc. But I will never delete a comment because the reader disagrees. To prove that look at my articles on evolution...there were only one or two comments of 50 that were in my favor. Even though, I don't have time to engage each as I would want...the reader has a right to know what others think.
Second, God's commandments are old testament laws that outlined how to be in His good grace and how to live with others. Free will is being able to not follow His rules. If we choose our own path outside of His, we are on our own. God gives us more free will than we have in the free country of the USA. If you break one of God's laws, what punishment do you receive? Technically, you have nothing to worry about if you don't believe He is real. I think you are not sure...which is why you are so passionate about leaving comments. Back to our government...if you break the law you go to jail. All freedoms are removed. God has never taken my freedom away. Therefore, I am more free in my own faith than I am in the nation I serve. Explain that one.
Lastly, I believe God resembles us. Genesis 1:26 says we are made in His image. In scripture, those who saw Him describe Him as a man. Now, maybe that was the image He chose to make us feel comfortable. Maybe a man, because women were not thought of as creatures of authority in society for thousands of years. Who knows what He really looks like. All I have is the scripture and it states He is a man and we are created in His image.
Jealousy...Wouldn't you want your kids to love you? What if they didn't? How would that make you feel? That is the definition of jealousy I am alluding to.
I see I missed a question. I don't know the mind of God. I know His scripture that is of God. I believe the Bible and in numerous places it has God, Jesus or a messenger relaying His word. I have seen Him work through people in my life. He has touched my heart even before I was a Christian leading me to Him. Experience and faith are all I need.
What makes you so sure Christians are all wrong?
Joe maybe you didn't do it but some of my comments are gone. If I break god's law I go to hell. If you do, you are forgiven. That's god's love isn't it. God has too taken away your freedom, you must be christian or go to hell. You are as free as a North Korean. Are you saying you think it's ok to "force" anything to love you? That's an odd concept.You keep saying you've had experiences, I would think these would be your best ammo in a conversation like this because they are so convincing, yet you never mention them. Why? I think christians are wrong like you think all non-christians are wrong. I just go one further. By the way happy belated veterans day. I'd like to thank you for your service to our country, I truely do appreciate it!
I haven't deleted any comments. All of the ones I have seen are still there. Maybe my editor has deleted. Were they offensive? Thank you for the kind words about my service.
If you don't believe in God, why would you worry about Hell? Those who want to be distant from God, are free to be. If you believe there is a hell, then how can you believe there is no God? If there is a God, why choose not be with Him? Christianity is not about do this or suffer, it is about sharing in Christ's love. If you're a Christian, you believe Christ died for your sins. If an atheist, there is no God. If there is no hell, stop worrying.
My "experiences" aren't ground moving like having lunch with Jesus or near death experiences with lights in a tunnel. I have experienced God's love in many areas of my life. I watched two people who I admire more than anyone model Christ's love. My grandparents served each other, and their community with an inner peace like no other. I have had the right people placed in my path during numerous occassions where I needed them. In hindsight, there could not have been a more perfect choice. Too perfect on too many occassions to chalk up to chance. That lead me to God. The more I learned about Him the more I understood my grandparents peace and what I was truly missing. I understood what it was to be in relationship with Christ. That is when I chose to follow Him with all I am. There was no one experience or moment...just 18 years of God working in my heart.
What is your reason for disbelief in Christ or any other 'god'?
Joe, that's easy: there is insufficiant evidence. It is as simple as that.
I find the prospect of a giant hairy homonid walking around in the woods of the pacific northwest extremely interesting and I WISH it were true. It would make my year if bigfoot were proven real. However, I can't believe it no matter how satisfying it would be until there is evidence. You have ZERO evidence for your claim. Eye witness testimony(were you going to use this) is the worst form of evidence that exists. What credible evidence do you have? If you have none and fall back on "faith", that's telling. Is there any other extraordinary claim you "believe" in without evidence? UFO's?
Have you ever heard of "the arguement from ignorance"? If not you should look it up because that is what you are using. Peace to you.
Dave, if I am using this Argument from Ignorance, so are you. Read the definition better: a logical fallacy in which it is claimed that a premise is true only because it has not been proven false, or is false only because it has not been proven true. You are claiming Christianity to be false only because it has not been proven true. Christ was not only seen by 500 eyewitnesses after His ressurection, His actions were witnessed by other non-Christians and written about. His existence is widely documented. There is no proof He didn't live. My argument is not from ignorance...I would venture your's is.
Placing faith in something that can't be seen is not a sign of ignorance. Big Foot does exist in Jack Link's commercials :). Do you question and do your own research on every decision made by your doctor? Or do you place faith in them because of the science behind their decisions? People placed 'faith' in doctor's decision to open arteries to 'bleed out' infection. They placed 'faith' in doctor's decisions to prescribe smoking to calm nerves. The vaccines your child receives are not studied in depth for long term effects. For example, the amount of Aluminum in these are many times the 'toxic levels' determined by the CDC and FDA. But it is crazy to question them because they have science. Medicine and science change whenever some new researcher begins to study the topic. Christian principles have been unwaivering for over 2,000 years. I have not heard one reseacher debunk...love your neighbor as you love yourself. However, clearly my faith is misplaced.
Joe, I stated earlier that eyewitness testimony is the LOWEST form of evidence. You said "Placing faith in something that can't be seen is not a sign of ignorance". It is. I can't see atoms but I believe they exist through the evidence offered. No one denies atoms exist anymore. Your comment on doctors, the answer is yes I do. Everyone needs to be their own advocate when it comes to doctors, and you research and question the hell out of them. Your a vaccine conspiracy believer? Hmmm. Science IS the business of questioning, come on, really? Medicine and science do change, yes. They progresses forward! Are you serious? You say "Christian principles have been unwaivering for over 2,000 years". Like slavery, suffer a witch not to live etc. When I talk to christians I often get excuses about the embarrassing parts of the bible like, it was what they did at the time in their culture. Christian principles have too changed.
I made a mistake the last post is from me :-)
Vaccine conspirator...no. I am an informed customer. However, the premise of many of them is not founded on solid science or research. Slavery and witch hunts are not Christian principles. Christ gave us two commands: Love God with all our heart and Love one another as we love ourselves. His sermon on the mount imparted His wisdom and some insight on how to live. Lastly, He commissioned His followers to spread the word to all nations. Christ never said to own slaves or punish non-believers.
Have you ever seen an atom with your own eyes? Or are you saying you believe they exist because people say they do? Did you believe the atom was the smallest particle? How did you feel when they discovered matter smaller? I bet you even had faith that Pluto was a planet for all those years, because everyone said so. My point is we place faith in all areas of our life. Just because you are not able to conceive a God-being because you didn't see Him is humorous to me.
Joe, who said "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned". Who said it? I guess I partially agree with you on vaccines. I have "faith" that my car is parked in front of my house. That is not unreasonable, even though it may not be there. It may have been stolen and I don't know it yet. Nobody is likely to criticize me for that "faith". Extraordinary claims of faith like "my car will change into a Hummer tonight" would require extraordinary evidence for anyone to believe. If you claim the christian god is real, you need extraordinary evidence to convince. You have none. So you switch to the arguement "I just have faith" which is fine for you. It is not enough for me. Your mere words are not enough. Funny though, mere words are enough for children aren't they?
Dave, it is interesting you chose a verse from that parable. I love that parable. The first four verses of John 15 tell us like it is. God doesn't want anyone in His kingdom who doesn't want to be there. If you do, He will work in your heart and help you to prosper. I am sorry that you get hung up on verse 6. It is not a threat or a call for Christians to do anything. It is an explanation of "what if I don't" to a very legalistic Jewish society. Do I believe you go to Hell if you're not a Christian? Honestly, I don't know or really care. I want to be be someone who opens the eyes and hearts of everyone. I was not placed here to judge people or tell them where to go. My goal is to get people to make an informed decision about their spiritual health with an open heart and not one of stone. I would be a fool to think that I could sway someone's belief system. I am trying to shed a different light to break the mental barriers left by other Christians.
Dave that is where you are wrong...I don't need a shred of evidence. Maybe you do, but I believe already with all my heart God exists. You can not and will not ever change that. You can call me weak minded, a child, ignorant, and it won't change a thing. In fact, it strengthens my faith because I turn to the word and my realtionship through prayer before writing an article or replying to a comment. It is great to have someone like you trying to shake my foundation. Thank you. My question is: are you trying to get questions answered out of curiosity? Is it your goal to steer people away from Christ?
However, to summarize this article about free will. You state God doesn't give us free will. All those who don't believe go to Hell. You don't believe, are you writing this from Hell? I'm guessing no, therefore you prove my point that we have the free will to choose to believe in Him or not. What consequences are you afraid of if you're truly atheist?
Joe, I think I want to respond to you in reverse order. This free will thing is messed up, can you at all see why I'd think that. Do you even know the meaning of the word free? It means FREE! The concept of hell is to INTIMIDATE people who lack the power of critical thinking. How about our laws and how one is perceived by others as consequences. Do you think I'm more apt to murder or rape because I'm not a christian? I don't want to force anything on anyone. I want people to think for themselves and our exchange here is a way for others to see what others think. People are sick of christian bullying. "You can be whatever you want BUT if you don't freely choose to be christian, your going to hell". So my goal here is to show people how to use the power of critical thinking. Believe it or not Joe, I also as you said " want to be be someone who opens the eyes and hearts of everyone."
You said " My goal is to get people to make an informed decision about their spiritual health with an open heart and not one of stone." No you don't! You want more christians because everything else is wrong. Admit it.That parable is a threat, that is how I take it. People everywhere, please question EVERYTHING! Critically think about EVERYTHING! Never stop learning! Being a christian to me means "I already know all I need to know, I don't need to know anything else". It's really sad.
Well said, Dave. I agree we need to never stop learning. Why is your only point about going to hell if you don't believe? Getting old after 20 comments. I do believe those not spiritually grounded (any religion) are more likely to commit those types of crimes. Religions don't make you perfect, they allow you to see there is something bigger than you and your problems. Tell me what your definition of a good person is...what qualities does the good, critically thinking atheist have?
I am not sure you understand freedom. There are consequences to your actions no matter where you live or what you do. Where can you live totally free of consequence? If there was such a place, there would be chaos and mayhem. Very similar to when a substitute teacher is in the room (on a smaller scale). We live in the most free nation on this planet and still have many restrictions. When you are in your home there are standards and rules. You are still free. You still say God limits your freedom...how? you are free to not believe in Him...clearly. Islam beliefs are very similar. They believe that a muslim in the military fighting an enemy nation and killing one of their muslim troops makes you an infidel. Buddhism believes your misdeeds will be paid back in Karma. On and on. Citizens of a nation go to jail for breaking the law. There are even consequences in the Boy Scouts. So tell me, where are you truly free?
Joe, I'm glad you agree about learning. Do you think evolution is true? Some christians do and some don't. Those who don't have stopped learning. Joe, I do not understand free will as it pertains to christianity. When a threat is being held over your head, it is impossible to make your own choice. I usually never ask someone to do this but do you know of some verses that discuss this "free will" in the bible. I really want to know what exactly the bible says about it. One last thing. Is it ok with YOU that people belong to other religions or none at all? Or do you pity them? If you owned a business and were hiring, would you hire a muslim or atheist. If you would, tell me why you would.
Here are some verses supporting free will. I will respond to other questions later, have deadlines to meet tonight. 1. "choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve" (Josh. 24:15)
2. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Mt. 11:28)
3. "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God." (Jn. 7:17)
4. "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." (Jn. 7:37)
5. "Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized" (Acts 2:38)
6. "Repent therefore and be converted" (Acts 3:19)
7. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31)
8. "but now commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30)
9. "Whoever wills, let him take the water of life freely." (Rev. 22:17)
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