DrBubbaLove
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- Jan 17, 2008
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(Red_Letters88;37361)
BTW...I know im gonna get it for this, but wasnt the betrayal by Judas a necessary betrayal?Im not saying Judas didnt have free will, but these things needed to happen- correct?
There are several ways to understand something as being necessary. One is that a particular result requires something else in order to be realized. A puppy requires a female dog, Creation requires a God for example. Remove the necessary thing, and the result cannot be. Another way to speak of necessity is to differentiate between contingent things (like a coin toss) and non-contingent things (effects of gravity). Judas's betrayal being "necessary" is in the former sense, not the later.Judas has free-will, so his participation in the betrayal is a contingency. IOW he as a choice. So at least until he acts, the outcome has two potential possibilities. However, the betrayal and certain aspects of the manner were foretold, so we can say in that sense that it would be necessary that it happen the way it happened (one of His own, pieces of silver...etc). That kind of necessity does not change Judas's actions from being contingent (result of his choice) to non-contingent (he had no choice). Judas participates in the betrayal by his choices, and his participation results from those choices and is foretold. It is necessary in that sense because how it would happen was known by God and He told a prophet about it.Events can be foretold because that knowledge is given to the prophets by God, who has Perfect Knowledge. Perfect Knowledge would include knowing things that result from contingencies. IOW like every coin toss, God knew before hand the outcome of Judas's decision. God knew before Judas ever lived (or anyone) what choice Judas would make given all the conditions leading up to the point Judas made the choice. God would also know what those conditions would need to be in order for Judas to freely make the choice he did. So the idea God knows everything does not preclude the possibility of God influencing some of those conditions (we have no indication that He did or did not in this case), but Judas still had a choice to make.
BTW...I know im gonna get it for this, but wasnt the betrayal by Judas a necessary betrayal?Im not saying Judas didnt have free will, but these things needed to happen- correct?
There are several ways to understand something as being necessary. One is that a particular result requires something else in order to be realized. A puppy requires a female dog, Creation requires a God for example. Remove the necessary thing, and the result cannot be. Another way to speak of necessity is to differentiate between contingent things (like a coin toss) and non-contingent things (effects of gravity). Judas's betrayal being "necessary" is in the former sense, not the later.Judas has free-will, so his participation in the betrayal is a contingency. IOW he as a choice. So at least until he acts, the outcome has two potential possibilities. However, the betrayal and certain aspects of the manner were foretold, so we can say in that sense that it would be necessary that it happen the way it happened (one of His own, pieces of silver...etc). That kind of necessity does not change Judas's actions from being contingent (result of his choice) to non-contingent (he had no choice). Judas participates in the betrayal by his choices, and his participation results from those choices and is foretold. It is necessary in that sense because how it would happen was known by God and He told a prophet about it.Events can be foretold because that knowledge is given to the prophets by God, who has Perfect Knowledge. Perfect Knowledge would include knowing things that result from contingencies. IOW like every coin toss, God knew before hand the outcome of Judas's decision. God knew before Judas ever lived (or anyone) what choice Judas would make given all the conditions leading up to the point Judas made the choice. God would also know what those conditions would need to be in order for Judas to freely make the choice he did. So the idea God knows everything does not preclude the possibility of God influencing some of those conditions (we have no indication that He did or did not in this case), but Judas still had a choice to make.