Does God : Know everything?

[Ritajanice]

Actually yes I do

Um yes he did, he gave Jonah the choice Jonah could have died in that fish, like you could have died in your sin

By Gods mercy and grace, he didn’t allow me to die in my sins, because he had already chosen me before the foundation of this world..chosen and predestined to become Born Again.

.

John 1, John 3, John 4 John 5 and John 6 destroy this thinking

i can chose to allow God to save me, or chose to remain dead in my sin.

Absolutely nothing to do with being Born Again..that’s your opinion.

God will not overrule my free will.

Un- truths.

Free will to be Born Again = un- truth.

There is NO freewill in becoming Born Again by the Living witness, the Holy Spirit.

 

[Behold]

Predestination is to establish the destiny of someone before they are born.

"Pre-destination" as Calvin teaches it, is what you are teaching.

However, Fore-knowing, is not "pre-destining".

Noone is Pre-destined to become a murderer, or a Satanist, or a Child molester.
And noone is Pre-destined to believe in Jesus.

Pre-destination denies that you have free will, and you most certainly do have Free will as every time you made another choice, today, and for the rest of your LIFE, you are using your FREE WILL.

The NT teaches that once you are "IN CHRIST", Then God foreknew, you would be "Pre-destined" to be "conformed into the Image of Christ".

That is not teaching that you are chosen to be born again, or initially chosen to trust in Christ, as CALVINISM, twists the verse to suit John Calvin's Theology.

 

[Eternally Grateful]

By Gods mercy and grace, he didn’t allow me to die in my sins, because he had already chosen me before the foundation of this world..chosen and predestined to become Born Again.

If you did what jesus said and called out to him, then you are born again

If you did not. Your still dead in your sin

Absolutely nothing to do with being Born Again..that’s your opinion.

Its your opinion it has noting to do with being born again

Jesus said otherwise.

Un- truths.

Free will to be Born Again = un- truth.

There is NO freewill in becoming Born Again by the Living witness, the Holy Spirit.

Then your God is not the God of love he claims to be,

He gave adam free will. Adam chose to sin

God does not over rule a persons free will. That would make him a dictator..

 

[Behold]

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, John 15

That is Jesus talking to His Apostles, regarding their ministry, their "call".
Jesus has not died on the Cross yet, so, none of them are born again yet.. in John 15.....
None of them have the Holy Spirit yet, as they didnt receive it until John 20..

So, in John 15, none of them them have the Holy Spirit yet, and "he that has not the Spirit of Christ, is NONE of GOD's".

So, Jesus is not talking to these Apostles about being (Calvin's LIE) = as predestined to be born again, as none of them are born again yet, in John 15.

He's talking to them about their ministry.....their "call" = "Apostles"..
Jesus called them to be "APOSTLES"
And He did the same for PAUL, "the Apostle to the Gentiles".... = after Jesus was back in Heaven.

 

[Ritajanice]

That is Jesus talking to His Apostles, regarding their ministry, their "call".
Jesus has not died on the Cross yet, so, none of them are born again yet.. in John 15.....
None of them have the Holy Spirit yet, as they didnt receive it until John 20..

So, in John 15, none of them them have the Holy Spirit yet, and "he that has not the Spirit of Christ, is NONE of GOD's".

So, Jesus is not talking to these Apostles about being (Calvin's LIE) = as predestined to be born again, as none of them are born again yet, in John 15.

He's talking to them about their ministry.....their "call" = "Apostles"..
Jesus called them to be "APOSTLES"
And He did the same for PAUL, after Jesus was back in Heaven.

Once again your opinion and belief.

We were chosen and predestined to become Born Again..just as His Living word says, backed up by His written word.

As for becoming Born Again by Paul..that = un- truth..we are Born Again by the Living Holy Spirit...not by Paul’s teaching.

Born Of The Spirit = Living Holy Spirit.

Born Of or by Paul = NO...he’s not the Living Holy Spirit.

◄ Ephesians 1:11 ►

Audio Crossref Comment Greek Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, New Living Translation Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. English Standard Version In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, Berean Standard Bible In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will, Berean Literal Bible in Him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of the One working all things according to the counsel of His will

 

[Behold]

Once again your opinion and belief.

Acts 15, .. Jesus has not died on the Cross yet.

He's talking to the APOSTLES in Acts 15, before the Cross, ... about "i chose you"...

"YOU">. the Apostles....They were chosen, to become that "call" or "ministry".

So, later, Jesus dies on the Cross, and the 11 remaining Apostles meet Him, and He says.>"receive you the Holy Spirit".

That is John 20..

Your verse, is Jesus talking to them, before He died on the Cross.

That's not my opinion., that is NT reality.

And the reality is, you can't be born again, until Jesus has died on the Cross.

Jesus had not died on The Cross, in John 15, when He was talking to the apostles about their ministry as "Apostles"/

 

[Ritajanice]

And the reality is, you can't be born again, until Jesus has died on the Cross.

A Born Again has been chosen and predestined to be Born Again..that is the word of God.

You can’t be Born Again not until the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit witnesses that truth to our heart when we are Born Again.
Without God’s witness the Living Holy Spirit in our hearts...we are still dead and in darkness.
You need both the cross and becoming Born Again by the Living Holy Spirit....believe in the cross does not make your spirit Born Again...only the Living Holy Spirit can do that.

 

[Behold]

A Born Again has been chosen and predestined to be Born Again

In John 15, Jesus has not been crucified yet.. so, when he is talking to His Apostles about being "chosen", He is talking to them about becoming an "Apostle".

In John 20, Jesus has been crucified and now they are given the Holy Spirit.


Also, Calvin teaches that God knowing everything before it happens, is God causing it (pre-destining)..

So, Calvin - Tulip takes that misunderstanding and misapplies it to being born again, and not just that...

Calvinists, teach that Lie.,because He has taught them to teach it.

God makes : CHRISTians

Calvin makes : CALVINISTS who need to stand up and be counted.

That is how he infects them..
That is proof that He owns their thinking, regarding the NT.
This is why they are called "Calvinists" and not Christians.

 

[Ritajanice]

Your verse, is Jesus talking to them, before He died on the Cross.

No it’s not...we were chosen and predestined to become children of God before the foundation of the world...that is the word of God.

The natural man wouldn’t understand any of this.

Short commentary.

This election is said to take place “before the foundation of the world” (cf. John 17:24; 1 Pet.1:20). That is, God's choice in election occurred before time and creation, emphasizing that this choice was based on God's sovereign purpose, not human merits

◄ Ephesians 1:11 ►

Audio Crossref Comment Greek Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, New Living Translation Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. English Standard Version In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, Berean Standard Bible In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will, Berean Literal Bible in Him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of the One working all things according to the counsel of His will

 

[Wick Stick]

Nah... the Bible says His Word will go to every tribe and nation.

Paul was Chosen by God to be the "Apostle to the Gentiles".

"Gentiles".

I can't tell whether you're agreeing or disagreeing.

The Hebrew word translated "nations" and the word translated "Gentiles" are the same word - Goyim.

 

[CadyandZoe]

So saul did not chose to repent?

lol..

Yes, he chose to repent. Paul's point in that verse is to admit that without God's loving hand on his life the entire time, he wouldn't have ended up where he did. (IMHO)

 

[CadyandZoe]

"Pre-destination" as Calvin teaches it, is what you are teaching.

Why does that matter? I'd bet that, like me, Calvin believed that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The fact that we agree on something isn't relevant.

However, Fore-knowing, is not "pre-destining".

I didn't say foreknowledge is predestination. If that is what you think I said, then I misspoke. I was reacting to some who think that God looks down through time to see what will happen, which I maintain is not true.

Noone is Pre-destined to become a murderer, or a Satanist, or a Child molester.
And noone is Pre-destined to believe in Jesus.

So you say. But can you prove it?

Pre-destination denies that you have free will, and you most certainly do have Free will as every time you made another choice, today, and for the rest of your LIFE, you are using your FREE WILL.

Predestination does not necessarily deny free will. The idea that Predestination denies free will is a philosophical assumption, not a proven fact. I am convinced that predestination and freedom of the will are compatible because predestination takes place when God is acting in his transcendence. Free will takes place when God is acting in his immanence.

The NT teaches that once you are "IN CHRIST", Then God foreknew, you would be "Pre-destined" to be "conformed into the Image of Christ".

I disagree. Paul lays out the order of salvation in Romans 8

Romans 8:28-30

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.​

Order:
foreknew
predestined
called
justified
glorified.

That is not teaching that you are chosen to be born again, or initially chosen to trust in Christ, as CALVINISM, twists the verse to suit John Calvin's Theology.

Again, I repeat, predestination means "to establish the destiny of someone before they are born." Paul gives his readers an example.

Romans 9:10-13

And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”​

​

Some Christian denominations teach that "foreknowledge" is when God looks ahead in time to find those who will believe in him and knowing this, he predestines them to be chosen to receive eternal life.

Paul tells us that God established the destinies of Jacob and Esau before they had done anything good or bad. God was not looking ahead in time to see what the boys would do to reward them according to their choices. He predestined their lives such that the older would serve the younger. The choice was God's. This is why Paul says that the calling does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs but on God.

 

[Eternally Grateful]

Yes, he chose to repent. Paul's point in that verse is to admit that without God's loving hand on his life the entire time, he wouldn't have ended up where he did. (IMHO)

I agree 100%

But Saul could have said no. He had the free will do so, and we would have never heard his name

thats my point.

 

[Rella ~ I am a woman]

@CadyandZoe

Good morning....

In reply 155 you said

"But we are talking about an all-powerful God. What does it mean to be "all-powerful" if men or angels can do evil apart from God's will?''

I tend to write my best replies between 2AM and 4AM when I am awake trying to fall back to sleep.

Something popped into my mind and I will try not to drag this into a sequel of War and Peace.. though character count will contain me.... maybe.

A question, which I have no answer on as it just flashed into my mind is this... Do you think the evil that was in Sodom and Gomorrah was God's will? It was quite a story that angels came and when they were sheltered by Lot, the men came and wanted "sex" with them... and Lot gave his daughter to them instead. (Nice dad ). Of course back then women were somewhat disposable)

If it was God's will... why? Or did He just permit what was happening until it was destruction time?

I digress from the reason for this reply as that is not why I am writing ....

You have me thinking and I want to make this comment.... which will likely be met by shock from some but as I said... wee hours of the morning thinking .

I will restate that I do not believe that God deliberately causes evil or bad to happen
but when it is on the table... as in Job and Satan he may set some rules but then bows out.... maybe sitting up in heaven watching how things unfold on Heavenflix

But I do think our heavenly father likes to play games....

As I had said before the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, that is credited to him could be one example....

But how about one of the biggest.

Isaac and Ismael.

We know Jesus had to be descended back to David... but do all know David went back Isaac. (Actually Abraham)? We know that for those of us who believe, Jesus is OUR savior, and the only way we have to an eternity in heaven. The only way anyone has. Period.

Conclusion....Without Abraham, where would we be....?

But what about Ishmael?

Ishmael:
Islam as a religion was established by Muhammad, a member of the Arabic Quraish tribe from the West-Central part of the Arabian Peninsula in the region of present-day Mecca. Muhammad is a real person who lived from AD 570-632. He claimed to receive a revelation from the archangel Gabriel in AD 610 to be a prophet to the Arabic peoples promoting monotheism and a belief in Allah. His movement started slowly, but when he moved to Medina, it began to gain momentum. Later, Muhammad returned and conquered Mecca. By his death, his troops had conquered much of the Arabian Peninsula. By physical force and persuasion Islam spread across North Africa and the Middle East, reaching India by about the 11th century.

The Old Testament claims that Ishmael, son of Abraham moved into the area we now call "Arabia." It claims that the Arab peoples are the direct descendant of Ishmael. Muslims agree that this is true. They believe that the promised son of Abraham in Genesis is actually Ishmael, not Isaac. They claim that Abraham traveled to Mecca with Ishmael and worshipped the one true God at the Kabba, a stone idol in Mecca. There is not external verification of this claim and no evidence that Abraham made this journey. What we can say for sure is that Ishmael definitely did not establish the religion Islam because he died over two thousand years before the religion was founded by Muhammad. Muhammad himself definitely did not claim that Ishmael founded Islam, but he did claim that he was a prophet in the spirit of Abraham, Ishmael and Moses.

According to biblical tradition and historical interpretations, the descendants of Ishmael are generally considered to be the Arab people. This is based on genealogies and narratives in the Bible and other historical records, suggesting that Ishmael's offspring settled in the Arabian Peninsula. This lineage also plays a significant role in Islamic tradition, as Ishmael is regarded as an ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad, further linking him to the Arab nations.

According to Genesis 25:12-18, Ishmael's sons became the leaders of twelve tribes across the Arabian Peninsula, thus linking him to the Arab nations.

(So there are 12 tribes of Israel AND 12 tribes of Ishmael???)

Ishmael was not to be heir with Isaac, however, out of His mercy, God also promised to make Ishmael a great nation because he was a son of Abraham. And it is from this nation that Islam eventually came. And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.

Biblically we are told there was contention between Sarah and Hagar.

So while Islam did not come from Ishmael it was a religion established by Muhammad who claimed
that he was a prophet in the spirit of Abraham, Ishmael and Moses.

But Christianity did come by Jesus (the savior) from Isaac... Ishmael's half brother.

No wonder the two groups always had contentions between them that continue to today.

No wonder they want the Jews eliminated... even today.

So sure seems like God might have had a plan, knowing there would never be peace between them.... or is He just watching?

 

[CadyandZoe]

I agree 100%

But Saul could have said no. He had the free will do so, and we would have never heard his name

thats my point.

Can we draw a distinction between "could have" and "would have"? If so, would that distinction help our understanding?

 

[Eternally Grateful]

Can we draw a distinction between "could have" and "would have"? If so, would that distinction help our understanding?

Not sure where would have would fit..

 

[CadyandZoe]

Not sure where would have would fit..

Well. I should give an example.

Human beings have the ability to make a free choice. CAN I choose between chocolate and vanilla?
Another might ask whether his daughter will choose chocolate or vanilla. She CAN choose chocolate, but WILL she choose it?

The ability to do something is different from the willingness to do something, wouldn't you say?

The issue of whether Paul chose to repent follows the same logic. To be logical, I must agree that Paul chose to repent, but whether he could have chosen otherwise is a matter of the will rather than a matter of ability. Doesn't Paul's confession imply a negative answer? If God was directing his path toward his apostleship from birth, then how does that happen unless God has a more than strong influence over Paul's will?

 

[The Learner]

yes

 

[Behold]

path toward his apostleship from birth, then how does that happen unless God has a more than strong influence over Paul's will?

Would you agree that God the Father had "strong influence" over Jesus's will?

After all,.... Jesus said He came to do His "Father's Will", which shows that Jesus had His own, as He's making a distinction.

Also, when Jesus was entering into His "Passion" and was beginning to suffer the strain, even before the whipping, that preceded the Nailing to the Cross..... = Jesus asked God to take away this coming situation....altogether.

So, this shows that Jesus understood that this circumstance that was come to Him, that He was "born for".....could have been changed.

However, if God had released Jesus from the coming death on the Cross then none of us could have become a part of the eternal family of God.

So, Jesus later said that He would do HIS Father's will......all the way to the Cross, which again shows that Jesus had free will and could have refused the Cross.

THE NT explains that "for the JOY set before HIM, He endured the Cross"..

So, Jesus The Lord, made the CHOICE to fulfill His Father's Will.

 

[Ritajanice]

but WILL she choose it?

I see it this way, i don’t have the freewill to say NO to God, why, because I was chosen for his purpose and plan,I cannot say NO to God, ..I am obedient to the witness the Living Holy Spirit.

Could Jesus say NO to the Father..no he couldn’t..and neither can his children who are Born Again of imperishable seed...I wouldn’t even entertain freewill...

God knows that and He knows I am an obedient child.

Of course we could say NO out of ignorance..like a new babe, but, once he brings you in the Spirit to understand his will/ word...you wouldn’t dare say NO.

We belong to him, we don’t belong to ourselves..my opinion/ testimony and belief.