Our subject today is, has been, and will probably remain a hotly debated topic. Intelligent, truth-seeking scholars have put forth their interpretations and beliefs concerning God’s Word on Evil, Predestination, Foreknowledge, and Freewill. God’s sovereignty is associated with the above, but I will not go into it so much right now. After reading my post, study the Calvinists and the Armenians for a good study on our subject.
I hope you will find this study as fascinating as I do. Our reference book will again be Michael Heiser’s, THE UNSEEN REALM, Chapter 9, pgs, 63 – 65. Mostly paraphrased with my comments.
Let’s examine God’s foreknowledge and the free will of humankind, especially concerning the fall, and the questions that arise. WAS THE FALL PREDESTINED? IF IT WAS, how was the disobedience of Adam and Eve free? How are they genuinely responsible?
Let’s look at 1 Samuel 23: 1 – 13. The book of Genesis does not address our subject matter. 1 Samuel, is about the Philistines attacking Keilah. David is consulting Yahweh, ( YHWH) about whether he should go and attack the Philistines. Yahweh replied that they should go attack the Philistines. The men in David’s army spoke up and said that they were afraid. So again David consulted Yahweh, Yahweh said He was giving the Philistines into David’s hands. David continued to consult Yahweh about what he should do in certain situations and what the outcome would be.
David was asking God about the future, God spoke from His foreknowledge.
DIVINE FOREKNOWLEDGE DOES NOT NECESSITATE DIVINE PREDESTINATION.
None of the events that David inquired to God about actually happened. David exercised his free will.
That which never happens can be foreknown by God, but it is not predestined, since it never happened.
Since foreknowledge does not require predestination, foreknown events that happened, may or may not have been predestined.
This study is introductory and hopefully leads you to a deeper study.
Comments: The interplay between predestination, God’s foreknowledge, and man’s free will is a very mysterious subject. The bottom line, for now, is that we have free will, and our decisions matter and have consequences. God foreknows possibilities.
We truly see through a glass darkly … Frankie The Earthman.
Frankie The Earthman 