HD-“Are you saying God runs the universe based upon OUR determined will”
Cronos-“No, that's not what we are saying Harley, you're willfully distorting our words.....”
It would be far more helpful if instead of saying that I’m “willfully distorting your position” that you simply post the clarification and where I have erred. It would require just about as many words. I still see no other interpretation than what I have stated from your perspective. I will say:
is a rather interesting statement from which my comments are based. There are only two ways to read this statement. If one were to read it with the emphasis in different places you come up with entirely two different meanings. For example, if I were to say:
I would come up with the Calvinist view of things. Everything is decreed by God, fixed and unchangeable including our salvation. On the other hand if I were to say:
Then I would have the Arminian perspective that would say what we do influences God’s behavior.
There are only two ways to interpret this. One with the emphasis on God's work and one with the emphasis on our work. I don’t think I distorted anything. If you could provide me with a third alternative I'd love to hear it.
What we do is willed by the Father in heaven - He desires that we have free will. Of course, this doesn't mean that all of our actions are pleasing to Him, but the existence of evil means that He places our free will as more important than every action of ours being unfree yet pleasing in His eyes. Being a gracious and loving ruler, He decrees that we have free will. His plan of salvation takes EVERYTHIG we do into account, since He sees everything we do, past, present and future, as one eteranl present. He is not surprised, then, by what we do - it all happens to Him right now.
If God is love, then He condescends to us, is humble, and allows us to freely choose Him or reject Him. Certainly, God knows who will choose Him, but it doesn't follow that HE overrides our free will to ensure it. The Scripture calls God a helper. I say that God helps us to make the right choices, but this help does not become irresistible.
Regards