****Divine power makes us willing, but we must accept, we are not puppets.***
Unregenerate men are not able ..as Paul tells us, men are slaves to sin, until freed by Gods grace
You will excuse me if I say that I think that observation is disrespectful of God as God ?
Was Noah a puppet of God? Abraham? Isaac? Jacob? Moses? The Pharaoh? Joshua? David.? Solomon ? Or were they a part of Gods foreordained plan of Salvation?
Was John the Baptist a puppet? Mary? the apostles? Judas ? Jesus?
Gods sovereignty over people, nations and events is found throughout the Bible . (Pro 21:1** The king’s heart [is] in the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. )
He raised up Nations and He tore them down. He set up leaders and caused wars. Prophecy come true because God has ordained the events prophesied. Rom 13:1 — Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Jhn 19:11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power [at all] against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. .
The term KING of Kings is not subject to human permission .
We need to understand how the will of man works.
A man will always will to chose what he prefers.If you hate spinach you will never order it.
Our preferences are placed in us by the creator. He know exactly how we will act in any given circumstance. We do as we will, we make free choices guided by the preferences that we are created with.
Every man chooses exactly what He chooses to do . Every man is fully responsible for those choices.But not one of our choices are a surprise to God..He does not consider the works of men a mystery novel . He wrote it and know how it ends..not by dumb luck ..but by his direct interventions in the affairs of men .
Romans 11:1 “I ask, then, has God rejected his people? Certainly not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
2God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew....
What then? Israel did not obtain what it sought. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? ?
3’Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.’
4 ‘I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’
5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
6 And if it is by grace, then it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? Israel did not obtain what it sought. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
8 as it is written: ‘God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, down to this very day
8 as it is written: ‘God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, down to this very day.’
Gods sovereignty in the affair of nations and people..
The creation of God are not “puppets
A. Humans are self-aware, puppets are not.
B. Humans make choices, puppets do not.
C. Humans use logic, puppets do not.
D. Humans have emotions, puppets do not.
E. Humans have preferences, puppets do not.
F. Humans act in accordance with their preferences, puppets do not.
G. Humans consciously do what is determined for them, puppets unconsciously do what is determined for them.
H. Humans understand why they are doing what they are—they act for a reason; puppets do not.
I. Puppets are determined by physical necessity, humans by moral necessity.
Since the fall men have sought the same thin Eve did ..”ye shall be gods” . Men do choose , and men are fully responsible for the choices..and yet every choice is within the will and plan of God and will be used to accomplish His purposes.
Let me ask you something. Is there something the matter with the creator having sovereignty over His creation? Can you grant God the same free will you want for yourself?
Can God choose a man? Or is man sovereign over God?
The problem is that men think God owes them a shot at salvation..when in reality what God owes each of us is hell. He owes us nothing. The only one concerned with “fairness” is Satan . Mercy is not getting what you deserve. If you do anything to earn it it is no longer Mercy
* Rom 9:19** Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? **
* Rom 9:20** Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus? ** *
Rom 9:21** Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” But who are you, O man, to talk back to God?