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Maybe Rahab was the exception. Only her and her family were shown mercy and received grace from the God of Israel. Even though she was a lying pagan prostitute who deserved to be stoned on at least 2 of these accounts according to God's law.
So the Creator determines a destination for some but not all?
Help us out here. Do you mean the details like choice you mean? Does the Creator predetermine what happens in His creation, in our everyday life? And whether we choose to obey Him or serve ourself, take up our cross daily or not? Who has determined or predetermined every cause and effect since the beginning?
Out of interest, and with respect, besides yourself, who said It is good to not use them interchangeably?
In theological discussions, these are two established terms with the meanings I provided. It is not good to use them interchangeably, because it shows you are not well oriented in the area.
Unless it's God's will Who said, I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
But God Himself creates evil.
Are you saying that because all have sinned and none seek God that they are born on the freeway to destruction? And if God didn't use His free will to choose some, all would reach their inevitable destination, the lake of fire?
A blind person doesn't have the capacity to see any light. So how can they know what light is and what it exposes? Isn't this what Jesus came to perform? The miracle of healing, giving sight to the blind so they can see Him Who is the Light and follow Him on the narrow path that leads to life.
Because you have to compare to know what's better.
So our daily life has no bearing on our destination? As this has been predetermined. Are our rewards and treasure in heaven predetermined or not?
Sure. So has the Creator predetermined our exit in this life from the broad road and rerouted our journey to make sure we reach our new destination?
Yet we are all born blind. Someone born blind can only see and know darkness. Not much of a choice for that poor person. But if by some luck they gain a fraction of sight and therefore light, they could head towards it and follow it. Where does this 'luck' come from? Is it purely random?
You are not understanding what God is saying. When he forms light, by contrast all that is outside of it is darkness, this is how darkness is created. When He creates peace all that opposes it is evil. That is how evil is created , by contrast. It's not saying that God literally does evil.
It's not random, because there's a Bible to choose from, and if there's no Bible there's no choice.
The problem is not so much being blind, as in the imagination that one isn't blind when one is. Jesus told the Pharisees...because you say "we see" your sin remains.
Why do you not think it is sin that works in those people, rather than they themselves do?The problem is not so much being blind, as in the imagination that one isn't blind when one is. Jesus told the Pharisees...because you say "we see" your sin remains.
Righteousness is granted to a person if they can admit their own blindness. From there they can receive light.
The devil's tactic is to create a shadow religion whereby God can only see you AS IF you were actually in the light...even as you wallow in darkness. This tries to push the blindness back onto God. As in..."when God sees me He only sees JESUS."
....or else...the fiction I believe in is part of God's plan...the upside down gospel...making something to believe in about oneself from nothing. In that scheme all I have to do is believe that in my nakedness I am actually fully clothed, that in my blindness I can actually see. The foolish idea is that God routinely called things into existence that aren't there. That fictitious proposition is proposed by the devil as a faith that saves. Utter foolishness! It is turning aside to fables. The fable in this case is the "emperor's new clothes" (of righteousness) So then unrighteousness is seen as righteousness...destroying the gospel by twisting its message to favour the flesh and its pretense of naming and claiming. In this scheme God's love blinds Him to the truth.
If that was the case then why does Jesus rebuke the Laodiceans so sharply, calling them poor naked wretched and blind? The devil takes away people's reasoning power...giving them "hopium" ...by promising them life and glory for a mere posturing that doesn't include God at all. No, it is a scheme based on the imagination that exalts itself above a real knowledge of God.
We have free will. As such we can boast of our greatness, or pound our chest in humility. How do we behave knowing we are sinners? Do we turn to a false gospel and declare ourselves righteous based on our new beliefs? If we do that we are adding sin to sin.
Is it not sin dwelling in them that made the Pharisees do these deeds? Just as Jesus said, "Your sins remain."
No...it is sin dwelling ON them that makes them wicked. Sin dwelling IN them makes them weak. But a humble man can avoid presumptuous sins...and be justified by God even with sin still IN them.
