Hi Dr. Brian, I was wondering whether you have an answer regarding whether or not God predestines people to kill others and/or kill themselves? Is there such a thing as "free will" theologically speaking? If yes, in what way?
This is a difficult question. There are many views of free will: determinism is the view that all things are determined. This would basically be how you described your question: that all things are predestined. But some would argue that things can be predestined without there being damage done to free will. Such would be compatibilists, who say that God can ordain/predestine something to happen and free creatures also freely will that thing to happen. In this view, God works through a person's free will. He is free in the sense that he is not compelled against his will. Incompatibilists argue that such is incoherent and that a person can only be free if there is no logical or causal determination on one's will. This is libertarian free will. Some like Augustine and Aquinas argued that all things are ordained by God. I think Calvin would be fairly in line with both, although perhaps with some caveats, especially with Aquinas. Such would generally say that even evil is predestined or caused, but God causes such evil through the free will of his creatures. Such are still held accountable since they freely willed to do such evil. Molinists and others don't like such a scenario, and argue that God's predestination is more in line with foreordination and "looking down the corridors of time" or into "possible worlds." Personally, I'm a compatibilist. I think God can will a person to do x and that person also freely will x in the sense that he is not compelled. Otherwise, God isn't really sovereign. Also, I hold a very high view of God's causality in the creature's ongoing existence. I hope that helps.
Unless one becomes as a child he shall not enter the Kingdom of God . Predestination is a heresy , Great thinkers are like the Rich . You know how hard it is for them to enter the Kingdom
Thanks. Predestination can't be a heresy since the NT clearly uses that exact word. There can be good and bad interpretations, though. I don't follow your great thinkers comment.
OK, forgive me , I miss wrote that ! Calvinist theology is Heresy ! or the doctrine of predestination by Calvin . It is not I who condemns the theology of Calvin , but the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church ( Orthodox ) Yes ! predestined does appear in the NT . It is not a ? of a Good or Bad interpretation but a true or false understanding of Holy Scripture. There are good and bad interpretations of Calvins teachings but the teaching is false ! As a rich man is content , self sufficient and secure in his material wealth as the Intellectual is content self sufficient and secure in his knowledge and wisdom ! Dostoevsky compares great thinkers to merchants . One is a merchant of goods while the other of Ideas ! Orthodox Christians are called to defend the Faith as preached by the Apostles , believed by the Fathers , lived by the Saints and preserved by the martyrs ! Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture ! Im neither an Apostle Nor Father not a Saint just a witness to the Truth and Triumph of Orthodoxy ! The church founded by Jesus Christ on the Day of Pentecost 33 AD in Jerusalem . If you would like to know why the Orthodox reject not only Calivins Theology but teachings of the Heterodox Roman Catholic, Reformation, Protestant Churches ! Learn about Orthodoxy ! it is easy! just go to a Liturgy and see for yourself the life of the church , that is 2000 years old ! Maybe the most inspirational Story of Protestants find the True Church is the story of 70'S movement Campus Crusades for Christ or you can ask the Bible MAN Hank Hannagraf
Calvinism contradicts Scripture all over the place. All of the Calvinist books behind you and all of Calvinism's vernacular are nothing but post hoc rationalizations, explaining how God's Word doesn't say what He clearly said, or how God said something that He never said, which is wickedness! If you want the truth, burn every Calvinist book you have, forget your Calvinist presuppositions, and read your Bible with intellectual honesty, and take God at His Word. You don't correct God's Word as Calvinists are famous for. God's Word corrects YOU!
Hahaha Assertions. Give me an example of where it says what you believe, that Jesus removed each and every one's sin i.e. died for each person who ever lived. Going by the plain reading of the text as you likely also assert, we have this one: I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR THE SHEEP. The sheep are not each and every person!!!!! If you want to talk about Calvinism come join us here when it is live: Rogue Calvinist.
@Soonerking You are obviously not reading the Bible and bringing your Calvinist presuppositions into the text... This is what the Bible says.... [The Bible-God's Word] I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John 10:11 [KJV] This is what Calvinists believe... [Calvinism-Man's Philosophy] I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for THE ELECT. John 10:11 [666] This is what the Bible says.... [The Bible-God's Word] I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:14-15 [KJV] This is what Calvinists believe... [Calvinism-Man's Philosophy] I am the good shepherd, and know MY ELECT, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for THE ELECT ONLY. John 10:14-15 [666] This is what the Bible says.... [The Bible-God's Word] But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:26-28 [KJV] This is what Calvinists believe... [Calvinism-Man's Philosophy] But ye believe not, because ye are not MY ELECT, as I said unto you. MY ELECT hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:26-28 [666] Jesus died for everyone. He took away all sin. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which TAKETH AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD. John 1:29 KJV And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD. 1 John 2:1-2 KJV For God so loved THE WORLD, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3: 14-16 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom FOR ALL, to be testified in due time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 KJV These Scriptures are as clear as can be and I'm sure any sixth grader can figure out that WORLD and ALL means "every person", and you don't? Lol. Please, don't insult God's character or my intelligence by saying that WORLD and ALL means something other than "every person." Only dumb Calvinists can't read the Bible and would believe something as retarded, wicked, and blasphemous as Limited Atonement. You are preaching another christ, an antichrist, and that is a very foolish and dangerous thing to do. Please come to your senses before its too late.
Excellent. Thank you so much
You are welcome! Thanks!
Hi Dr. Brian, I was wondering whether you have an answer regarding whether or not God predestines people to kill others and/or kill themselves?
Is there such a thing as "free will" theologically speaking? If yes, in what way?
This is a difficult question. There are many views of free will: determinism is the view that all things are determined. This would basically be how you described your question: that all things are predestined. But some would argue that things can be predestined without there being damage done to free will. Such would be compatibilists, who say that God can ordain/predestine something to happen and free creatures also freely will that thing to happen. In this view, God works through a person's free will. He is free in the sense that he is not compelled against his will. Incompatibilists argue that such is incoherent and that a person can only be free if there is no logical or causal determination on one's will. This is libertarian free will.
Some like Augustine and Aquinas argued that all things are ordained by God. I think Calvin would be fairly in line with both, although perhaps with some caveats, especially with Aquinas. Such would generally say that even evil is predestined or caused, but God causes such evil through the free will of his creatures. Such are still held accountable since they freely willed to do such evil. Molinists and others don't like such a scenario, and argue that God's predestination is more in line with foreordination and "looking down the corridors of time" or into "possible worlds."
Personally, I'm a compatibilist. I think God can will a person to do x and that person also freely will x in the sense that he is not compelled. Otherwise, God isn't really sovereign. Also, I hold a very high view of God's causality in the creature's ongoing existence.
I hope that helps.
Augustine, the founder of Calvinism.
And? Truth is Early Christians held to aspects of TULIP. It is what is taught in scripture.
Unless one becomes as a child he shall not enter the Kingdom of God . Predestination is a heresy , Great thinkers are like the Rich . You know how hard it is for them to enter the Kingdom
Thanks. Predestination can't be a heresy since the NT clearly uses that exact word. There can be good and bad interpretations, though. I don't follow your great thinkers comment.
OK, forgive me , I miss wrote that ! Calvinist theology is Heresy ! or the doctrine of predestination by Calvin . It is not I who condemns the theology of Calvin , but the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church ( Orthodox ) Yes ! predestined does appear in the NT . It is not a ? of a Good or Bad interpretation but a true or false understanding of Holy Scripture. There are good and bad interpretations of Calvins teachings but the teaching is false ! As a rich man is content , self sufficient and secure in his material wealth as the Intellectual is content self sufficient and secure in his knowledge and wisdom ! Dostoevsky compares great thinkers to merchants . One is a merchant of goods while the other of Ideas ! Orthodox Christians are called to defend the Faith as preached by the Apostles , believed by the Fathers , lived by the Saints and preserved by the martyrs ! Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture ! Im neither an Apostle Nor Father not a Saint just a witness to the Truth and Triumph of Orthodoxy ! The church founded by Jesus Christ on the Day of Pentecost 33 AD in Jerusalem . If you would like to know why the Orthodox reject not only Calivins Theology but teachings of the Heterodox Roman Catholic, Reformation, Protestant Churches ! Learn about Orthodoxy ! it is easy! just go to a Liturgy and see for yourself the life of the church , that is 2000 years old ! Maybe the most inspirational Story of Protestants find the True Church is the story of 70'S movement Campus Crusades for Christ or you can ask the Bible MAN Hank Hannagraf
Calvinism contradicts Scripture all over the place. All of the Calvinist books behind you and all of Calvinism's vernacular are nothing but post hoc rationalizations, explaining how God's Word doesn't say what He clearly said, or how God said something that He never said, which is wickedness! If you want the truth, burn every Calvinist book you have, forget your Calvinist presuppositions, and read your Bible with intellectual honesty, and take God at His Word. You don't correct God's Word as Calvinists are famous for. God's Word corrects YOU!
Hahaha Assertions. Give me an example of where it says what you believe, that Jesus removed each and every one's sin i.e. died for each person who ever lived. Going by the plain reading of the text as you likely also assert, we have this one: I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR THE SHEEP. The sheep are not each and every person!!!!! If you want to talk about Calvinism come join us here when it is live: Rogue Calvinist.
@Soonerking You are obviously not reading the Bible and bringing your Calvinist presuppositions into the text...
This is what the Bible says....
[The Bible-God's Word]
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 [KJV]
This is what Calvinists believe...
[Calvinism-Man's Philosophy]
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for THE ELECT.
John 10:11 [666]
This is what the Bible says....
[The Bible-God's Word]
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:14-15 [KJV]
This is what Calvinists believe...
[Calvinism-Man's Philosophy]
I am the good shepherd, and know MY ELECT, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for THE ELECT ONLY. John 10:14-15 [666]
This is what the Bible says....
[The Bible-God's Word]
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:26-28 [KJV]
This is what Calvinists believe...
[Calvinism-Man's Philosophy]
But ye believe not, because ye are not MY ELECT, as I said unto you. MY ELECT hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:26-28 [666]
Jesus died for everyone. He took away all sin.
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which TAKETH AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD. John 1:29 KJV
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD. 1 John 2:1-2 KJV
For God so loved THE WORLD, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3: 14-16
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom FOR ALL, to be testified in due time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 KJV
These Scriptures are as clear as can be and I'm sure any sixth grader can figure out that WORLD and ALL means "every person", and you don't? Lol. Please, don't insult God's character or my intelligence by saying that WORLD and ALL means something other than "every person." Only dumb Calvinists can't read the Bible and would believe something as retarded, wicked, and blasphemous as Limited Atonement. You are preaching another christ, an antichrist, and that is a very foolish and dangerous thing to do. Please come to your senses before its too late.