Posted on 04/07/2008 1:28:28 PM PDT by CottShop
Then you would agree that God is not all powerful, at least to the extent that he can not defy logic? For example, God is unable to create perfectly obedient humans without those humans ending up as robots?
"For example, God is unable to create perfectly obedient humans without those humans ending up as robots?"
The creation of perfectly obedient beings are robots and unlike their creator.
Perfection is the fulfillment of the designers intent. Absent knowledge of the latter, the former can never be a coherent concept.
But I do know this. I can build a voice activated doll who will obey my commands unquestionably until it dies a natural death. But that doll will never love me or have faith in me like my grandchildren do. Or not.
Never look a gift horse in the mouth.
good response Walsh- sums up the free will pretty well
[[Damned if I know!
I’m just some old clay myself]]
Chicken- lol :)
yoiu bring up a good point- free will in and of itself is not evil- As you said- Adam had free will and each day the garden was put to bed God said it was good. Before the fall, This was the ultimate freedom- to have the free will, yet to choose to do the good- not being slave to sin, not being weak and giving in to sin.
[[Yes, this is an area where my head starts to hurt and I have trouble even coming up with words to express what I am thinking. Perhaps these are the areas where having faith is really important.]]
It’s ok to look and try to figure out- but eternity is somethign that- like you- makes my head spin too much- just when I thiunk I’m gettign close to understand it, it slips off further into the distance lol-
“It sounds like you have a lot of faith. Some are not so lucky. Some people would love to have complete faith in God and not have to worry about the little things anymore, but can’t quite seem to get there.”
Oh, I still have questions and often waiver. Still “worry about the little things.” Just came to the conclusion one day that there are things I can’t and won’t understand. Maybe that’s a cop-out.
re: eternal damnation - I believe that this term means “separation from God for eternity.” And does not mean that the damned will be “burning in tortuous pain forever,” but forever separated (DEAD) with no chance of existence ever again. God does not take pleasure in suffering. The Bible speaks in terms of “the second death.” The unsaved will be judged & condemned to the SECOND DEATH, and will be fully aware of the eternal gift they’ve lost during the judgment. Some will resurrect to LIFE, but many to DEATH. Death is death. There will be no consciousness left to suffer.
“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the *SECOND DEATH.* And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
“For God son loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not *PERISH*, but have eternal life.”
Well, one concept that has been bugging me, has to do with God’s “selection” of “the ELECT.” The Bible says that God chose his ELECT (the one’s to be saved) from before the beginning of time. So he already knew & knows who will repent & accept Christ & eternal life.
If *I* were God (yuck, yuck) I think I’d want to have a button on the remote labeled *SURPRISE*!! I’ll have to ask HIM about that one! ;)
Not in my lexicon ... intercessory prayer is petitioning the Great I AM to be particularly merciful to someone for whom you are making intercessory prayers.
In other words, you're second-guessing God's initial decision not to be particularly merciful.
The screen door must be broken ...
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