Agree. "Thus, you should pray: 'Our Father...' "
God does not change His mind, but we do not know how He has already made up His mind...We experience "answer" to prayer because we are subject to time
So far so good. :)
I also try to include a prayer for God's will, because I know that is what is ultimately going to happen
"Thy will be done..." is an expression of complete confidence in His mercy and justice. I am impressed.
You continue to be the only one on this thread to assert [that God makes us sin]...God does not cause sin, God allows sin to happen (doesn't prevent it) for His own purposes
This is where your theology begins to break down because it implies, in – fact it asserts – that God created evil for His purpose. When I say "created" I mean that He conceptualized the need for evil from all eternity. Needless to say, mainline Christianity would completely disagree.
Furthermore, you are bouncing back and forth between God "allowing" and "controlling" everything to the tiniest detail (predestination). If He "allows" evil, then it must exist because he wills is, and if He wills it, He causes it!
If God is in control of everything, inlcuidng our own will, than we cannot be responsible for our sin. Only God can! Even St. Augustine stopped short of that conclusion!
And if we are not responsible for our own sins, but are compelled by God to sin, for His own purpose, then we are not guilty. And if we are born dead in the flesh, it is so by God's will, or else He is not in control, which is impossible.
Thus, your theology leads to God causing evil to exist by His own will, and causing man to sin by His own will. In all this, the only decision-maker is God. Hence, man is neither guilty nor in need for any redemption, since nothing he does is his own will; only God's will.
Thus, your prayers are meaningless, since it is not you who wills to pray, but God. Otherwise you would be doing something that could possibly be not God's will, which is impossible.
Did God not pre-plan every step of very human being that was born or will be born? Is this not your theology? Then if it is why do you introject such concepts as being "allowed" to do something when in reality it is simply what God compels you to do.
The real apex of this theology is that God imputes guilt onto a man, as if he were responsible for his own misery, when in fact -- according tot his predestinational theology -- it is all God's Sovereign will.
Furthermore, you are bouncing back and forth between God "allowing" and "controlling" everything to the tiniest detail (predestination). If He "allows" evil, then it must exist because he wills is, and if He wills it, He causes it!
Well, nobody's perfect. :) But I still don't see the breakdown. We all agree that God created satan, right? He didn't just appear out of nothing. satan later became evil itself. Could God at any time have snapped His fingers and prevented satan from turning evil? Of course. He allowed it for His own reasons which I can't begin to fathom. So, does this mean that God created evil? I think we would both say emphatically 'NO'. He allows evil for His own purposes.
God remains in perfect control of everything by allowing the evil that He does. I believe that God does not allow all evil. For example, none of Jesus' bones were broken on the cross, which was a normal practice. Also, we are to pray to be delivered from evil, etc. Does this help explain my side?
If God is in control of everything, inlcuidng our own will, than we cannot be responsible for our sin. Only God can!
That's only true if God causes us to sin, and we don't say that. When we sin, it is totally apart from God. God may use a sin He already knows we are going to commit, or He may prevent us from committing a particular sin, but when we do sin, all the blame is on us, none is on God. God did not enter Judas, satan did.
Did God not pre-plan every step of very human being that was born or will be born? Is this not your theology? Then if it is why do you introject such concepts as being "allowed" to do something when in reality it is simply what God compels you to do.
I still haven't heard you respond to Harley's question on explaining his tagline:
Prov. 20:24 : A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?
What do you think this verse means? I think it is speaking to God's sovereignty and that He really is in full control of everything. He doesn't create evil, but He does control it.