Re: Evil and free will
Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 3:42 pm
Hallo to All.
I used to believe that humans have free will to decide their own fate. Until I had a closer look at God's Word and even just the definition of 'free will' in the Merriam Webster's Dictionary.
Let us first look at the dictionary:
free will n (13c)
freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention.
Can we make decisions without being caused to decide something or without Godly influence? Can you think about things you never heard of or do not know anything about? I know I can not think about economical terms because I have never studied economy and don't have a clue about it.
Humans definitely have a will and we make 1000's of decisions each day, but are they not all caused by something; the way we were raised, current emotions, our beliefs in what is right and wrong, etc? In order to have free will, we must have free thought, and that does not exist. I don't think that people thought about fire until they were exposed to it.
Now, let's look at scriptures that can also answer this 'free will' issue.
Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard its spots? Then you also may do good, who are accustomed to doing evil.
Can this happen? Can we change our skin color or a leopard change his spots? No, it can not. So, we humans can not stop sinning and start doing good out of our own strength or 'free will'. We need Divine intervention to change. Who gets the glory? Us humans who 'freely' decide to follow God, OR God who chooses us through grace?
Another scripture:
Eph 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
God has predestined us to perform His purposes. Everything God does is for a purpose and always motivated by love. Here we clearly see that God works ALL things according to the counsel of HIS WILL. Not us. We don't know what is going to happen the next second, but God declares the end from the beginning. We know nothing, God knows everything.
For more on this, read Rom 9. Read it and believe in God's Word.
Now, let us move on to why there is evil.
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
I bet some of you never heard of this scripture before! This blew me away and freaked my wife out completely. When I read this to her, she was angry with me for the whole night!
But once we accepted it and started realizing the meaning of it, we were set free from many burdens.
We live in God's universe where almighty God is in control. Everything He does, He does for a purpose, motivated by love. We do not always understand His purposes (most of the time we don't), and if we can really trust God, we don't have to understand everything. We live by faith (in God and in knowing who God is) and not by sight.
Evil was created for a purpose. God sometimes uses evil to achieve His purposes (1 Ki 22:19-23, Book of Job, etc). Evil and suffering are temporary and will come to an end. (Rom 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.)
Let's learn from Job's experience and never question God's knowledge, ability and power. (And if we do, I am sure God already knew that you would and He will not take offense about it.) Let's rather just read God's word and believe.
All glory to God forever. Amen.
I used to believe that humans have free will to decide their own fate. Until I had a closer look at God's Word and even just the definition of 'free will' in the Merriam Webster's Dictionary.
Let us first look at the dictionary:
free will n (13c)
freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention.
Can we make decisions without being caused to decide something or without Godly influence? Can you think about things you never heard of or do not know anything about? I know I can not think about economical terms because I have never studied economy and don't have a clue about it.
Humans definitely have a will and we make 1000's of decisions each day, but are they not all caused by something; the way we were raised, current emotions, our beliefs in what is right and wrong, etc? In order to have free will, we must have free thought, and that does not exist. I don't think that people thought about fire until they were exposed to it.
Now, let's look at scriptures that can also answer this 'free will' issue.
Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard its spots? Then you also may do good, who are accustomed to doing evil.
Can this happen? Can we change our skin color or a leopard change his spots? No, it can not. So, we humans can not stop sinning and start doing good out of our own strength or 'free will'. We need Divine intervention to change. Who gets the glory? Us humans who 'freely' decide to follow God, OR God who chooses us through grace?
Another scripture:
Eph 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
God has predestined us to perform His purposes. Everything God does is for a purpose and always motivated by love. Here we clearly see that God works ALL things according to the counsel of HIS WILL. Not us. We don't know what is going to happen the next second, but God declares the end from the beginning. We know nothing, God knows everything.
For more on this, read Rom 9. Read it and believe in God's Word.
Now, let us move on to why there is evil.
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
I bet some of you never heard of this scripture before! This blew me away and freaked my wife out completely. When I read this to her, she was angry with me for the whole night!
But once we accepted it and started realizing the meaning of it, we were set free from many burdens.
We live in God's universe where almighty God is in control. Everything He does, He does for a purpose, motivated by love. We do not always understand His purposes (most of the time we don't), and if we can really trust God, we don't have to understand everything. We live by faith (in God and in knowing who God is) and not by sight.
Evil was created for a purpose. God sometimes uses evil to achieve His purposes (1 Ki 22:19-23, Book of Job, etc). Evil and suffering are temporary and will come to an end. (Rom 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.)
Let's learn from Job's experience and never question God's knowledge, ability and power. (And if we do, I am sure God already knew that you would and He will not take offense about it.) Let's rather just read God's word and believe.
All glory to God forever. Amen.