If God already knows my future. Does that not take away my free will.

About God, All Questions

If God already knows my future, does that not take away my freewill?

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God,   All Questions

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Jan 11, 2025

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Atheists often bring up this claim stating that since Christians believe God is Omniscient and Omnipotent (which means all-knowing and all-powerful), does that not take away our free will?

In simple terms, since God already knows our actions and thoughts and has pre-ordained our future, are we not just robotic toys in this world?

These are valid claims; however, few have gone beyond this question to understand God’s eternal ways and motives.

This question delves into the profound mysteries of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. It raises the age-old debate of predestination versus free will.

To answer this, we will examine one scenario from the book of Genesis. Where Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, which God had already known they would do and therefore, were therefore predestined to eat from it.

However, it is important to note that God’s foreknowledge didn’t compel their decision. Their action was a result of their free will, albeit influenced by sin. This understanding supports the belief that God’s “sovereign preordination” and “human free will” operate simultaneously.

“Why did God make the wrong choice (forbidden fruit) available in the first place?”

We should note that while there are bad choices; God always provides us with more opportunities for making the right choice.

Considering the story of Adam & Eve, God said to them that they could eat from ‘any’ tree in the Garden, but there was only ‘one’ wrong choice they could make.

This singular restriction was not to entrap humanity but to offer a real opportunity for trust and obedience, which are essential for a meaningful relationship. The emphasis lies not on the wrong choice that was available, but on the overwhelming abundance of good choices that God provides, inviting us to live in harmony with His will.

“Likewise, why does God still make the wrong choices available to us today?”

Could God eliminate all wrong choices? Certainly He can. Yet, He allows them, inviting us to choose Him freely, for love is only genuine when it is given freely, not under compulsion. Love’s true essence shines brightest when we, facing both right and wrong paths, choose the good.

Moreover, God’s sovereignty is such that He can weave even the wrong choices and the resultant suffering into the grand tapestry of His redemptive plan, showcasing His glory. The presence of evil serves as a backdrop to the radiant display of His grace and mercy, drawing sinners to repentance and highlighting the beauty of His holiness against the darkness of a fallen world.

“If God knows everything about us, how then does that give us free will since He would know all our choices and actions?”

The idea that God’s foreknowledge of our actions compromises our free will is a common concern, but foreknowledge in itself does not influence choice.

Consider if given a choice between a pizza and a rat for dinner, it’s predictable that you would choose the pizza. This prediction doesn’t control or limit your freedom to choose; it’s simply an informed assumption based on understanding your preferences. Similarly, God’s omniscience allows Him to know our actions in advance, but this divine foreknowledge doesn’t negate our ability to choose freely.

Furthermore, the Bible presents God as deeply relational, implying that He understands our disposition and tendencies. Yet, this intimate knowledge doesn’t override our moment-to-moment decisions. While we face various choices, our circumstances and character are fully known to God, and this knowledge is a dimension of His relationship with us, not a determinant of our will.

Conclusion

At the heart of our discussion lies a poignant question: why do we, as humans, repeatedly make wrong choices even when we know what is right? This tendency can largely be attributed to our fallen nature — a fundamental aspect of our humanity that predisposes us to sin. However, this is not the end of the story. The beauty of Christianity lies in the concept of grace and redemption. These divine gifts offer us a pathway to restoration and growth, transcending our flawed inclinations.

God’s omniscience and omnipotence mean that He is fully aware of our sinful tendencies. Yet, rather than leaving us to grapple with our imperfections alone, He provides a means of salvation. The crucifixion of Christ is central to this plan. Through the cross, God offers redemption, preemptively addressing our disobedience with an act of unparalleled love and mercy. In this divine scheme, we find not only the acknowledgment of our inherent weaknesses but also the provision for our spiritual renewal and redemption.

Thus, our journey through the complexities of free will, sin, and divine foreknowledge leads us to a profound realization: God’s overarching plan encompasses our failings and transforms them into opportunities for grace and redemption, ultimately guiding us towards a deeper relationship with Him.

God’s omniscience and omnipotence mean that He is fully aware of our sinful tendencies. Yet, rather than leaving us to grapple with our imperfections alone, He provides a means of salvation.

Why can’t we see God?

About God, All Questions

Why can’t we see God?

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God,   All Questions

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Jan 11, 2025

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Some skeptics may put off the idea of God’s existence simply because they cannot see Him, and so they conclude that there is no way of knowing whether or not He exists.

We should keep in mind that there are many things in life that we believe in but cannot see.

There are subatomic particles we cannot see, but we believe in them. There are effects of nature, such as gravity, that we cannot see (although we can feel its effects), but we still believe in them. There are laws of logic on the basis of which we live our lives that we cannot observe, but we still know they are real.

In Christian theology, God by definition cannot be seen because He is a Spirit being (without flesh and bones – Luke 24:39, John 4:24).

The reasoning that ‘you cannot believe in God because you cannot see Him’ is what scholars call a ‘category fallacy.’ It is akin to denying the existence of a musical note because it cannot be smelled. Similarly applying a physical criteria to a non-physical entity commits the same fallacy.

Thirdly, we cannot see God in His full glory during our time on earth, as He now requires us to seek Him by faith. Although Adam and Eve had direct fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden, they disobeyed His command. As a result, faith has become essential in our relationship with God, as we are called to trust and believe in Him without seeing Him directly.

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Moreover, even though we cannot see God, the Christian faith reveals God to us through the person of Jesus Christ.

John 14:9 (NKJV)

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Last but not least, one of the greatest truths of the Christian faith is what we call in theology the beatific vision or the vision of God as written in 1st John;

1 John 3:2 (NKJV)

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Basically, what John is saying that the very essence and substance of God, currently hidden from our sight, will one day be seen in all its glory, majesty, and splendor in heaven.

Until that day, the scriptures consistently tell us that no one can see God and live; this is because God is holy, and we are not (Exodus 33:20). Even Moses who was considered righteous was not permitted to see the unveiled glory of God, rather he was only allowed to catch a refracted glimpse of His back parts (Exodus. 33:23).

Exodus 33:18-23 (NKJV)

18 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 

20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” 

21 And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 

22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 

23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

Since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, God has been invisible to humans, but not because He is incapable of being seen. It’s not our eyes, but our hearts that are the problem.

The reason God remains invisible to us is because our hearts aren’t pure, and we can’t see him until we are completely purified in our glorification (occurs when we die).

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, promised that someday, a certain group of people would see God.

Matthew 5:8 (NKJV)

Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

So in conclusion, the inability to see God does not diminish His reality but rather underscores the nature of faith. While our current understanding is limited, we can hold to the promise of a full revelation of God. Until then, faith remains the lens through which we perceive and relate to God.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

1 John 3:2

Who created God?

About God, All Questions

Who created God?

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God,   All Questions

Last Updated

Jan 11, 2025

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Christian theology posits that God is eternal, having no beginning or end.

Even before creation the Bible speaks of an eternal God who is sovereign over the universe who has no beginning or end.

From an atheist perspective, the only other possibility is that some sort of material or matter existed eternally that randomly created things.

In the end, one must choose between an infinite personal God who has always existed or a lifeless impersonal matter as the source or originator of our creation.

Additionally, the question “Who created God?” may represent what scholars call a category fallacy, which occurs when something is incorrectly evaluated based on irrelevant criteria. Similar to questioning the existence of a musical note based on its aroma, applying temporal attributes to an eternal God is a logical misstep.

In one of his debates, Christian evangelist Kent Hovind elaborated on the category fallacy argument as follows:

“Asking where God came from would imply that you are thinking of the wrong God. The God of the Bible is not affected by time, space, or matter; if He had been, then He would not have been God.

To elaborate a bit more, scientists call time, space, and matter a continuum that means that they would all have to come into existence simultaneously.

If there was matter but not space, where would you put it? If there were matter and space but no time, then when would you put it? All three elements would have had to come into existence simultaneously.

The Bible clearly answers that in just ten words in the first verse of the Bible ~ Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning (time) God created the Heavens (space) and the earth (matter).”

The God who created this universe is outside of this universe. He is above it and beyond it, in it, through it, and He is unaffected by it.

The question of where God came from assumes that there is a limited God, which is our biggest problem. The God of the Bible is not limited by time, space, or matter. 

If we could fit the infinite God in our three-pound brain, then He would not be worth worshiping. We must not limit the infinite God by our finite understanding.”

Psalm 90:2 (NKJV)

Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. 

In conclusion, asking “Who created God?” misses the point of what Christians believe about God. According to Christian theology, God is eternal, without a beginning or an end, and exists beyond time, space, and matter. Unlike anything in the created universe, God doesn’t need a creator. The idea that something had to create God is a misunderstanding because God is fundamentally different from everything else. Ultimately, we have to choose between believing in an eternal, personal God or thinking that lifeless matter somehow created everything. The Bible presents God as the everlasting Creator, beyond our full understanding, yet worthy of our worship.

THE GOD WHO CREATED THIS UNIVERSE IS OUTSIDE OF THIS UNIVERSE. HE IS ABOVE IT AND BEYOND IT, IN IT, THROUGH IT, AND HE IS UNAFFECTED BY IT.

How can I be sure that God really exists?

About God, All Questions

How can I be sure that God Exists?

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God,   All Questions

Last Updated

Sep 20, 2021

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There is no nation or tribe in the world which does not, in one form or another, believe in a God, a spirit, or a being that is superior to itself.

This fact even applies to the most isolated tribes who have never had contact with another culture, let alone heard the gospel. 

How is that possible?

Firstly, humans have the intellectual capacity to deduce from the vast, beautiful creation surrounding us that there is an invisible creator. Nobody believes that a car, a watch, or a paper clip just happened; there always has to be a creator. 

This is evidence from Paul statement in the New Testament:

Romans 1:20-21 (NIV)

20. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.


21. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

In verse 20 ~ Paul affirms that we will all be without excuse before God because we can experience the extent of His power and divine nature through creation alone.

In verse 21 ~ Paul continues to say some Humans have ignored this very evidence and have instead rejected His existence in love for their own wicked deeds.

This is true of all who have disregarded the existence of God, as they desire the darkness more than acknowledging the presence of a Holy God.

This is the burden of Romans chapter 1, that in the light of all the evidence available no one can claim ignorance of God as an excuse for refusing to honor Him or be grateful to Him. 

Psalm 19:1 (NKJV)

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Another good argument for the existence of God is the complexity with which creation is designed, allowing us to conclude on His power and knowledge.

Still, it does not give us any information about His character (e.g., love, life, mercy, goodness).

The Bible has been given to us for this purpose, to know Him. Therefore, if you want to know God in His fullness, you should read the scriptures to unfold His Nature and His divine plan for you.

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About God, All Questions

Is God real?

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God,   All Questions

Last Updated

Jan 10, 2025

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The question of whether God exists has intrigued humanity throughout history, this is evident in the diverse beliefs in a “supreme being” across various cultures. Every nation and tribe believes in some form of a God, a spirit, or a supreme being.

In order to answer this question from a christian standpoint, we will examine four key ways that God has shown us He exists, using the acronym “CCSS.” Creation / Conscience / Scripture / Savior.

Creation

Having God as the creator of the universe is the best way to explain its origins. The universe could not have been designed out of thin air; something had to have created it.

Consider the fine-tuning of the universe and how for life to survive; even a slight change in conditions could have devastating consequences. 

The following are six examples of our fine-tuned universe that are indicative of an intelligent designer.

  • If the strength of gravitational attraction were slightly different, life on earth would not be possible. 
  • If the moon were slightly larger, its gravitational pull would be higher, causing tidal waves that would engulf the land. 
  • If the earth had more than one moon, the tides would be unstable. 
  • If the earth was slightly closer to the sun, our atmosphere would be too hot to survive. 
  • If the earth was slightly away from the sun, we would freeze to death.
  • The earth has just about enough oxygen (that is 21 percent of the atmosphere) for creatures to be able to breathe. If there were a higher percentage of oxygen (above 25%,) things would catch on fire easily. If there were a lower percentage of oxygen (less than 15%), living beings would suffocate. 
  • Jupiter, a neighboring giant planet, has a powerful gravitational pull that attracts asteroids and comets that would otherwise  strike earth. 

Everything about our planet seems to have been designed to allow living creatures to exist. A question we should ask ourselves is this: “Are these the result of a random cosmic coincidence, or was there an intelligent designer involved?” 

Conscience:

Humans are born with a knowledge of right and wrong because God Himself has imprinted it on our conscience (Romans 2:11-16)

Our innate sense of right and wrong, is an evidence of a higher moral law, which suggests the existence of an external moral lawgiver.

Our conscience suggests that our understanding of right and wrong isn’t just something created by society, but rather it comes from God.

Scripture and Savior:

The Bible’s fulfilled prophecies, particularly those concerning Jesus Christ, bolster the argument for divine revelation. Examining the historical reliability of these texts can deepen our understanding of their significance. The figure of Jesus, as described in these  prophetic scriptures, presents a compelling narrative of God’s intervention in human history.

Conclusion

It is plausible to conclude from creation & conscience alone that all there is something outside of us which has set everything in motion. Christians take it one step further by teaching that this “something” is God, who is revealed in the sacred scriptures through the person of Jesus Christ.

Throughout the Bible, God’s presence is definite. In fact, the Bible never tries to defend or explain the existence of God; rather, it says the following about those who do not believe:

Psalm 14:1 (NKJV)

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.

Before anyone gets offended by the above verse, there is a distinct difference between those who do not accept God’s existence as an undeniable fact and those who doubt and are still seeking truth earnestly.

As a conclusion, ask yourself this: What more proof do I need apart from what has already been provided to me to believe in God? God does not need to prove Himself.

Consider this: If God were to write on the moon, “I AM JESUS, WORSHIP ME,” technically everyone would worship Him; however, the basis of such belief would be through fear, not faith.

However, this is not the way God planned for us to know Him. It is through creation, conscience, and His son Jesus, as revealed in the Scriptures, which God has chosen to reveal Himself to us and more importantly it must be through faith. Ultimately, it is simply our own ignorance and sin that hinders us from believing in Him.

THE FOOL SAYS IN HIS HEART, 'THERE IS NO GOD.'

Pslam 14:1

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