Help with the bible...

I have not read anything like this. I would think it is free will. I do not think anything is pre-destined.

Are you sure you're not talking about the elect by any chance?

Romans 8:29-30 tells us, “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.” Ephesians 1:5 and 11 declare, “He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.…In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to his planThe important thing to remember is that no one deserves to be saved. We have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and are all worthy of eternal punishment (Romans 6:23). The Bible says that we have the freewill choice – all we have to do is believe in Jesus Christ and we will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10). The Bible never describes God rejecting anyone who believes in Him or turning away anyone who was seeking Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). In the mystery of God, predestination of the Elect works hand in hand with a person being drawn by God (John 6:44) and believing unto salvation (Romans 1:16). The Bible teaches that Man was created with the ability to make moral choices and that he is responsible for those choices. This theme of being held accountable for our choices continues throughout Scripture. “He who sows wickedness reaps trouble” (Proverbs 22:8a). “All hard work brings a profit, / but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23). “Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you” (Romans 13:3).Often, when the Bible speaks of destiny, it’s in reference to a destiny people have brought upon themselves: “Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction” (Philippians 3:18-19). “This is the fate of those who trust in themselves”Each person was judged according to what he had done” (Revelation 20:13).We sin because we choose to. We can’t blame “Fate,” kismet, predestination, or God. James 1:13-14 says, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”Scripture also teaches that we choose to have faith. The oft-repeated command in Scripture to believe implies that we do have a choice in the matter. “Be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27; see also Acts 16:31; 19:4). Lest we get the wrong idea, we are not the sovereign masters of our fate. Only God is sovereign. His sovereign control is called “providence.” He has chosen to give us a free will, and He has created a moral universe in which the law of cause-and-effect is a reality. But God is God alone, and there are no “accidents” in the universe.An all-wise, all-powerful God must have a plan, so it should be no surprise that the Bible speaks of a divine plan. God’s plan, since it belongs to God, is holy, wise, and benevolent. God speaks in Isaiah 48:3, “I foretold the former things long ago, / my mouth announced them and I made them known; / then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.” What God announces, He does (and He may announce it centuries ahead of time!).Fighting against the plan of God is pointless. “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan / that can succeed against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30). Even what we would normally call “chance” or “fate” is under God’s control. “The lot is cast into the lap, / but its every decision is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33). In other words, God does not take a “hands-off” approach to running the world.Everything that happens in the world is made to work out according to God’s purpose. Evil exists, but it is not allowed to thwart God’s providence. God uses even sinful men for His purposes. “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; / he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases” (Proverbs 21:1).God’s sovereignty reaches even to a plan for our individual lives. This is shown in God’s calling of Jeremiah—before the prophet was even born. “The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, / before you were born I set you apart; / I appointed you as a prophet to the nations’” (Jeremiah 1:4-5).The Bible teaches that God is in charge. At the same time, He has given us the freedom to obey or disobey Him, and there are some things that God does only in answer to prayer (James 4:2). God blesses the obedient, and He is patient with those who disobey, even to the point of seeming laxity. He has a plan for our lives, which includes our happiness and His glory both in this world and in the world to come. Those who accept Christ as Savior have accepted God’s plan (John 14:6). From then on, it’s a step-by-step following of God’s best for us, praying for His will to be done (Matthew 6:10)

(Alpha and Omega;56711)
I have not read anything like this. I would think it is free will. I do not think anything is pre-destined.
Alpha and Omega, There is nowhere in the Bibliotheca Divina that says or even hints at the idea that ordinary individuals like you and I are destined, or foreordained for anything!!! Ther are many place where God has foreordained things, such as is son to suffer and die for us, Acts 2:22,23, 4:28. It is also foreordained that a certain number of Jesus' disciples would go to heaven with Jesus to be Kings and Priests with him, BUT, it is only the number that is foreordained, not that each individual that would make up that group, Rev 1:6, 5:9,10, 7:4, 14:1,3, 20:4-6, Eph 1:3-5. These will rule over us!!! As for the great majority of us we must work out our own salvation, Phil 2:12. Even when we reach a level that God can give us undeserver Kindness, or Grace, a condition of Promerit, we must continually make sure that we do not drift away, or worse draw away, 2Cor 13:5, Heb 2:1,3:12, 2Pet 1:10. God wants all of us to come to an accurate knowledge of truth, 1Tim 2:4,5, John 17:3, He wants everyone to repent and come to Him for salvation, but God knows that only a few will respond to God's callling,,2Pet 3:9,10, Rom 3:5,6, luke 13:23,24, Matt 7:13,14,21-23. Another thing that is destined to come is ARMAGEDDON, which is the destruction of ALL who do not know God or do not obey Jesus, 2Thes 1:6-9, Rev 16:16, 19:11-21.

(musicmad;56725)
Hi kriss,thanks for your extensive reply, when you say..Even what we would normally call “chance” or “fate” is under God’s control. “The lot is cast into the lap, / but its every decision is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33). In other words, God does not take a “hands-off” approach to running the world.Everything that happens in the world is made to work out according to God’s purpose. Evil exists, but it is not allowed to thwart God’s providence. God uses even sinful men for His purposes. So if 'im correct in understanding all of this what your saying is, apart from free will where we have the independence to choose between good an evil, "essentially our own salvation" everything else is ment?? example: you said, "the lot is cast in to the lap" does this mean the talents we are given, the nature and breed that we are, the positions in society that we are given whether a king a peasant a genius or just a common man. Have all these things already been pre-decided for us by GOD??Musicmad
In my own opinion I believe the Word tells us that God fore knew us our soul/spirithe knows what weakness strengths we all have(not our flesh weakness strengths but those of our spirit) he laid out a plan for each of us that would best give us the opportunity to both take advantage of our strength of spirit and overcome our weakness's of spirit. Some things he made unchangeable like the lot in life we are born into and the gift each of us is given. Others are a matter of free choice. What one does with the lot in life they were cast is your free will. I do not believe one is fated to be a success or failure for example but rather given a set of circumstances, we can choose how to react to our circumstances our reaction determines the next set of circumstances, ect. God being all knowing sets up the circumstances our free will determines the outcome.Example: One is born to a poor family in a war torn country (your Lot is cast)As one grows up a set of circumstances presents itself all these circumstance are geared to make one choose a direction one direction brings you closer to the Lord the other direction takes one away from the Lord the direction you choose determines the next circumstance. This happens over and over through out ones life. If one consistantly turns toward God (think Job here) no matter the adversity he will overcome because his strength is in the Lord. If one consistantly turns away from God the opposite is true.Most of us have a mixture of both right and wrong choices, we might call these life lessons in the flesh. So in a sense we control our own fate, But God chooses the Road we travel down. Our choices and experiences on the road determine how we get to the End of the Journey. hope this helps.