I am not saying that I know for sure that God chooses EVERYTHING that we do. For example, I don't know if God has anything to do with which shoe I put on first in the morning. He very well may, but I'm not sure about that. What I am sure of is that everything that is a part of God's plan does happen. And it's not by chance, it is by design. For example, if God wanted you to stay home for something this Saturday, then you ain't goin' to any nudie bar. However, if He wanted you to prevent a mugging at the nudie bar, then you're going. The point is whether it is a part of God's plan. But regardless of whether it is a part of God's plan or not, you are still responsible (answerable) for your own sin.
.......... The vicious attacks on Mother Teresa are God’s will? Jeffrey Dahmer is God’s will? I still can’t seem to reconcile that with the message of love and salvation that I read from the Gospels.
That is the difference between accepting that God is in control (and doing things we can't explain), and defaulting to the man-centered notion that man is really in control and God follows along dutifully. One is an omnipotent God and one is a very weak God.
Are you saying that if you read Scripture to a non elect who couldn’t appreciate it anyway that he’d get a better job, or a new car, or a wonderful wife or something like that?
No, I'm only saying that maybe that person would choose to sin LESS. I just think that the TRUTH might have some good effect on everybody, even the reprobate.
Dear FK, What you are saying here is that God planned sin in all 3 people in this scenario in order for one person to do good.
That is not a God of love,Dear Brother
First, even the thought of going to the nudie bar is a sin,adding to more sin by actually going there.
Second, the mugger is sinning, and that could not be planned by God either.
Third, the person being mugged is sinning by being in the nudie bar as well.
Don't you realize that what you are saying is that God puts sin into our minds purposely?
It is the devil that tempts us to sin,Dear brother.
When are you going to realize that God would not want there to be a nudie bar in the first place?
Or are you going to tell us that God planned that as well?
I wish you a Blessed day!
This is my GUESS of how John Calvin might have rationalized this scenario.....
An elect man is predestined by God to go to a nudie bar,so God puts a non elect mugger in the nudie bar so the elect man can do something good even though the elect man is currently sinning by being in the nudie bar in the first place. Thus, all of this sin had to happen in order for God to accomplish His plan.
Problem is,that in this analogy,God would be responsible for the sin if He planned and predestined it to happen this way.