Predestination is misunderstood...

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
3,449
444
83
That's not what I was saying....

There will come a point when good and evil cease to exist.
In your scenario Adam would forever being know good and evil. Not simply knowing 'about' good and evil.

Now we must know good and evil as our means to navigate through the fallen creation.
A memory of evil is not in itself evil. God commands us to remember both good and evil things, but to learn from them,. We can choose not to dwell on memories of evil and to focus on the good. But remembering some evil thing may be useful at times.
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
59,675
29,016
113
Hi, Magenta. Do you have a "for instance" you could share that I can perhaps repent over?
Hello, Paul, yes, for instance, your stance on how people should stick to what the
Bible actually says, compared to a very recent post where (
here <= link) you said,

God is not going to lobotomise us so we cannot remember anything bad. What will happen
is that we will be able to see it from other have perspectives that convert all the evil we
have known into valuable wisdom that we can use to inform our future decisions.


Mind you, that is just one instance where you have gone well beyond what the Bible says...
 

Mem

Senior Member
Sep 23, 2014
7,086
2,123
113
Yes. When we see the smoke we will understand its cause from perspectives that makes the judgment of the wicked just and loving and good. The smoke is perhaps a never-ending reminder of God's righteous judgment, but the source of the smoke (the torment of the wicked) may not be. The genitive "of their torment", can mean "from their torment".
Personally, I do see the meaning as better rendered "judgment' rather than torment.
 

Genez

Junior Member
Oct 12, 2017
2,687
390
83
it says,

"And-now lest he-keep-putting-forth (qal imperfect his-hand and-keeps-tainge (qal sequential perfect) also from-the-tree of-life and-keeps-eating (qal sequential perfect) and-keep-living (qal sequential perfect) forever.

Again and again and again and again is intrinsic to the Hebrew tenses used.
Tell me why Adam died if he had been eating from the Tree of life...

God was setting forth the scenario of what would take place if Adam were able to eat from the tree of life.
Which would have been..... From that point on, he would have been able to keep on eating from that tree.


And, your slant? It would be a lie that Adam could not die if he ate from the Tree....
For if he had been eating from it?
According to your slant, Adam would have never died...
 

Genez

Junior Member
Oct 12, 2017
2,687
390
83
A memory of evil is not in itself evil. God commands us to remember both good and evil things, but to learn from them,. We can choose not to dwell on memories of evil and to focus on the good. But remembering some evil thing may be useful at times.
Why have a memory of evil forever if evil will at some point will cease existing?????

Do you remember the numbers for the combination lock you had in your high school locker? You do not need to know it.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
3,449
444
83
Tell me why Adam died if he had been eating from the Tree of life...

God was setting forth the scenario of what would take place if Adam were able to eat from the tree of life.
Which would have been..... From that point on, he would have been able to keep on eating from that tree.


And, your slant? It would be a lie that Adam could not die if he ate from the Tree....
For if he had been eating from it?
According to your slant, Adam would have never died...
Because God stopped him from eating from the tree of life. He could keep on eating from the tree of Life and remain alive, until he ate from the forbidden tree.Then His access to the tree of life was blocked.

"You cannot get iron filings flying into your eyes while grinding, if you wear these goggles." This does not mean "Wear thes giggles once and you will never get iron filings in your eyes. You s=top wearing them, and your eyes can be injured.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
3,449
444
83
Why have a memory of evil forever if evil will at some point will cease existing?????

Do you remember the numbers for the combination lock you had in your high school locker? You do not need to know it.
Des God forget the past?
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
59,675
29,016
113
Because God stopped him from eating from the tree of life. He could keep on eating from the tree of Life
and remain alive, until he ate from the forbidden tree. Then His access to the tree of life was blocked.
The Bible does not say Adam and Eve ever ate from the Tree of Life. In fact it was blocked to them, and
they were cast from the garden specifically so they could not ALSO eat from it, and live forever after.
 

Genez

Junior Member
Oct 12, 2017
2,687
390
83
Because God stopped him from eating from the tree of life. He could keep on eating from the tree of Life and remain alive, until he ate from the forbidden tree.Then His access to the tree of life was blocked.

"You cannot get iron filings flying into your eyes while grinding, if you wear these goggles." This does not mean "Wear thes giggles once and you will never get iron filings in your eyes. You s=top wearing them, and your eyes can be injured.
Interesting..... to ponder.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
3,449
444
83
Is this gonna become a Predestination vs. Free Will thread? (just wondering)
Only if it was determined by God to do so from eternity past... or so the exhaustive divine predeterminist would have it.

Which make me think, why would God, given all the interesting ways he could have filled up time, deliberately determine that all these same arguments be litigated for centuries ad nauseam. Maybe it's not God's plan and he is disappointed that we have been distracted from his actual plans.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
3,449
444
83
"Free will" is only used in Scripture as a freewill offering...

Whereas it is clearly taught that man is a slave.

And slaves are not free.
Slaves have free wills. Can a slaves master force his slave to want or not want something the slave chooses to want?? Can a slave not disobey his master?? Think of Onesimus and Philemon.
 

fp

Junior Member
Feb 9, 2014
6
1
3
Hi Paul, I haven't been on CC in a very long time, so I'm not sure if I'm doing this right.
I am of the persuasion that GOD created humans in His image. We are made for him and by him. We are the only creation that was given the ability to CHOOSE what we want to believe/act out. Adam and Eve were created for relationship with one another and Him. From before time, GOD was, and has ALWAYS had a plan and a purpose. NOTHING came into existence that wasn't a part of His plan or that caught him by surprise. ALL things came from Him and will go back into Him. "Religion" has greatly muddied His great Plan. If those who want more of Himself instead of just wanting to quote scriptures, which are taken out of context, then the "argument" is pointless.
 

sawdust

Active member
Feb 12, 2024
898
178
43
67
Australia
"You may eat from every tree of the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.". The tree of life was in the garden.

Your claims are mere assertions. there is no logic behind them.
No logic? Your the one saying the Immortal can die. :eek: ;)
 

brightfame52

Well-known member
Nov 21, 2020
6,259
547
113
Anyway, when you know the true face of God,You're dead anyway.The words in the Old Testament are no joke.I'm really dead.I have never seen the face of Jesus Christ.So only he can save me.
Im not sure I understand you, but man by nature is dead to God, he can do nothing Godward worth anything towards Salvation, he must be born again, resurrected from the dead, which is totally out of our control.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
3,449
444
83
No logic? Your the one saying the Immortal can die. :eek:;)
Something or someone can be incorruptible or immortal under present conditions, but become corruptible or mortal under a change of circumstances. If I have a Stainless steel coated bench-top, it may have no flaws and be rust-proof. But if the integrity of the surface is weakened and cracked, it become subject to corrosion.

As long as Adam and Eve lived and confomed to the requirements of God, they had access to the tree of life and would not die. But after disobeying, they lost integrity and became liable to increasing corruption, and began to die. Without access to the tree of life, death eventually overcame them.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
3,449
444
83
Hi Paul, I haven't been on CC in a very long time, so I'm not sure if I'm doing this right.
I am of the persuasion that GOD created humans in His image. We are made for him and by him. We are the only creation that was given the ability to CHOOSE what we want to believe/act out. Adam and Eve were created for relationship with one another and Him. From before time, GOD was, and has ALWAYS had a plan and a purpose. NOTHING came into existence that wasn't a part of His plan or that caught him by surprise. ALL things came from Him and will go back into Him. "Religion" has greatly muddied His great Plan. If those who want more of Himself instead of just wanting to quote scriptures, which are taken out of context, then the "argument" is pointless.
Hi, fp. Firstly, it helps to start your response by clicking on the blue reply button. This will automatically add to the top of your post the text you are responding to.

I am with you as far as " I am of the persuasion that GOD created humans in His image. We are made for him and by him. " After that I would need evidence from scripture.
Angels are creations, and can also choose what they want to believe/act out. Lucifer did. Some animals might also be able to do this.
The concept of "before time" is not in the Bible, unless I've missed it.
Yes, God has had a general plan from before creation. I agree.
That nothing came into existence that was not a part of His plan would need evidence from scripture.
That nothing has caught God by surprise is contradicted by some biblical texts.
All the things in the original very good creation came from God. Corona virus was created later, but not by God.
 
Dec 3, 2023
440
77
28
Im not sure I understand you, but man by nature is dead to God, he can do nothing Godward worth anything towards Salvation, he must be born again, resurrected from the dead, which is totally out of our control.
Anyway, when you know the true face of God,You're dead anyway.The words in the Old Testament are no joke.I'm really dead.I have never seen the face of Jesus Christ.So only he can save me.

God led Israel to defeat many Gentiles who believed in other false gods in the Old Testament.(This part is only suitable for the God in the Old Testament to declare his sovereignty,That is to tell the Israelites and the Gentiles that there is only one true God to rely on..)【Many people mistakenly understand it as arbitrary massacre unbelievers,When we have entered the New Testament era.】

The teachings of Jesus Christ,
The Gospel of Matthew
5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

1 Corinthians 13:4
Charity suffereth longEnduring patience/Patiently endured:, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,【What I want to ask is whether charity here refers to charity organizations.

Hebrews 6:15
And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

The Gospel of Matthew 10:22
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

The Gospel of Matthew
24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

The Gospel of Mark
13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:


Honestly ,If I can't do these teachings,I am really dead.If I really do this,I really died, too.