The Reformed position is that indeed, Adam and Eve did choose to disobey. And, that since God knew that would happen when He allowed the serpent in, that this was a part of God's plan. Further, we would say that our choice to follow Him is caused and energized by the work of the Holy Spirit in changing the heart of the new believer. All the credit goes to God. Finally, we would say that since God is fully sovereign and omniscient, and predestines all of His elect from before creation, that He would already know who will come to Him within time.
He didn't "have" Adam and Eve fall.
That's right, He did not "zap" them with sin to cause their choice. He did set the conditions, knowing the result.
The time that Kosta speaks of, a time of peace, no death, no disease, no hunger, is prepared for us too. We must be found worthy to be part of it.
Amen! I'm looking forward to it. :)
Then we can't speak of Adam and Eve's "choice." If the Bible were a movie scripted by God, then the "decisions" of the actors would never be taken as truly their decisions, but as decisions made by the author. In other words, they were destined to sin, because God willed it.
God, however, gave man limited freedom to make his own decisions and suffer his own consequences for them. Furthermore, to love truly is to love freely, and to love freely one must be free and not bound by prescripted outcome.
This doesn't take away from God's sovereignty, ominoptence or omniscience, in any way, because human freedom, as well as His blessings, are granted freely by God.
Further, we would say that our choice to follow Him is caused and energized by the work of the Holy Spirit in changing the heart of the new believer
It is aided, or facilitated by the Holy Spirit to those who have been baptized, who in pure desire wish to follow God, but the journey is still ours and we bear responsibility for our conduct, confession and repentance to the last moment in co-operation with God.
All the credit goes to God
It does, because He is the one who made all this possible. He is the maker of everything and all that we have, and that is.
Finally, we would say that since God is fully sovereign and omniscient, and predestines all of His elect from before creation, that He would already know who will come to Him within time
Correct.
Ping-Pong: He didn't "have" Adam and Eve fall.
FK: That's right, He did not "zap" them with sin to cause their choice. He did set the conditions, knowing the result.
In the Reformed view, He mostly certainly did "have" them fall. Not falling was never an option in that theology. And, no God didn't "zap" Adam and Eve with sin to cause their choice, it was their choice that caused their sin.
The Reformed must admit that Adam and Eve's "choice" was inevitable because it was part of God's plan. So, as far as our Calivinist-adhering protestant/Baptist friends are concerned, God did very much "have" them fall.
Ping-Pong: The time that Kosta speaks of, a time of peace, no death, no disease, no hunger, is prepared for us too. We must be found worthy to be part of it
FK: Amen! I'm looking forward to it
We are never "worthy" of God's mercy. Believing that we "must be found worthy" is a sure way of not being pardoned. Lay off the OT; it lacks much of the humility Christ preached.