Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

God created humans in His own image to have a unique fellowship with Him. He had to give them free will, because that was the only way that they could voluntarily choose to love and follow Him, which, in turn, was the only condition under which real love could exist. "Love" that can only be obtained against individual will or through compulsion can never be genuine.

Humans therefore had to be able to make a choice between loving and serving God or not doing so. God knew that this created the possibility of a negative choice, and, as a result of His omniscience, He also knew that humans would fall into sin. But, because God is outside of time, and thus views all events that have ever occurred, or that ever will occur, in "real time", that did not (and still does not) compromise humans' free will, or relieve them of responsibility for their decisions and actions.

A reference that I have found to be helpful in developing an understanding of this concept is C. S. Lewis' discussion in his book Mere Christianity (particularly, Chapters 1-3 of the section of the book titled "What Christians Believe"), which can be fully viewed for free online at pages 21-28 at the following web address:

https://www.truthaccordingtoscripture.com/documents/apologetics/mere-christianity/Mere-Christianity.pdf

July 24 2020 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Grant Abbott Child of Father, Follower of Son, Student of Spirit

The heart of God desires an intimate personal relationship with every human being. God is the creator and we are his creation, his offspring. God created humans for his pleasure and to fulfil his plan and purpose for us. 

God uses two powerful images throughout the bible to give us a picture of his heart's desire for us. He uses the image of a husband and wife, and the image of a parent and child. God is depicted as the husband and we are his wife, he is pictured as the parent and we are his child.

The husband and wife image is beautifully illustrated in the book of Hosea. Throughout the book, God is pictured as the husband and the nation of Israel as his wife. God uses the relationship of Hosea and his wife as a living parable to show us how much God loves us, is willing to forgive and restore the relationship, and much more.

Why do people want to get married? We have all seen the horror stories of marriages gone bad that lead to great anger and bitterness through divorce. We have also seen some great marriages, blossom, develop and mature, that are filled with love and intimacy, very fulfilling and satisfying. We choose to get married because we believe the benefits of a great relationship outweigh the risks of what could go wrong. God feels the same way about us.

The parent and child relationship is beautifully illustrated in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. God is depicted as the Father who has one faithful son and one rebellious son. God waits patiently and expectantly for his wayward son to return home, and then hosts a great party to celebrate, when his son finally comes home. The apostle Paul often uses this parent and child relationship in his letters. When we come to faith in Jesus Christ we become an adopted child of God. We are welcomed into God's eternal family and we have complete access to God as our Father in heaven.

Why do parents have children? Couples know there are no guarantees that their children will grow up to be responsible adults, whom they can take pride in. Parents know their children will at times be rebellious and not listen to their instruction or follow their example. But that doesn't stop them. The love and joy of raising a child, your own offspring, who carries your genes, is so rewarding and fulfilling that parents are willing to take the risk that their child might become a prodigal son. God feels the same way about us. 

This is the kind of love that God has for us. The joy He experiences when people seek him with all their heart, is worth the risk He takes by giving human beings their free will to pursue God or not.

July 27 2020 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Kenneth blythe

The way that I understand it, is that God had a specific plan that would create creatures that by choice would worship Him only. In Genesis chapter 1 : 1 it reads, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." This appears to be a complete creation. At this time most probably is the era when the dinosaurs roamed this earth. However, Genesis chapter 1 verse 2 reads, "And the earth was void and without form." I believe that gap between verse 1 and verse 2 is when war took place in Heaven. 

The Angels had free will and Lucifer the Archangel enlisted one third of the angels in Heaven to side with Him to oust God. They failed to do so and they were cast down to this earth. This is understandable because Satan was on hand when God created the garden of Eden.

July 31 2020 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report