Introduction
For centuries predestination has been a meticulously discussed subject which causes many divides in opinion due to some verses in the Bible being potentially ambiguous or contradictory and it is therefore necessary to look at this ancient text as a whole in order to get an accurate understanding. Predestination is a significant topic as it brings into question the nature of the traditional Judeo-Christian God who has long been seen as omniscient (possessing universal and complete knowledge), omnibenevolent (infinitely good and all-loving), omnipotent (all-powerful) and immanent (permanently interacting with the universe). For some, the idea of having a supreme god and yet a sin-filled world is either impossible or simply means that this god is the ‘father of all evils’. Could it be that God is the alpha and the omega (the beginning and the end) but not the intermediate because he lacks the power, knowledge and love to regulate this world which has been spiralling out of control since the Fall of Man in Genesis 3? Another reason as to why it is significant is that it will reveal to us whether we are accountable for our actions or whether God’s sovereignty takes precedence over our culpability. The examination can be fragmented into two opposing perspectives, Calvinism and Arminianism, which both try to explain the predicament of predestination in regards to seven key areas: sovereignty, man’s depravity, election, Christ’s atonement, grace, man’s will and
Whilst the bible does not specifically mention euthanasia, it does address closely related topics. Euthanasia is essentially killing out of mercy, hence the name ‘mercy killing’. The bible tells us that we are not to murder (Exodus 20:13) and any form of taking a life is seen as killing. It says that we die when God chooses us to, and to murder is an attempt to deny God his right of appointing death. Therefore, ‘mercy killing’ is going against God’s will and is a sin. The sixth commandment is “You shall not murder”, and that justifies what is previously said. However, in the beatitudes, it says “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”. If we show mercy by killing,
As a person throughly studies the Words of God found in the Bible, one would find that there are many topics and doctrines contained within. One of the major doctrines or teachings found in Scripture is prophecy. Around 28 percent of the Bible is classified as prophecy. The men who wrote these prophecies did not write based off what they thought would happen. Neither did they write them after the events that were predicted took place as some critics of the Bible would claim. These men were inspired by an omnipotent, omniscient God Who knew the events that would take place in the world. After all, “Prophecy is written foreknowledge of the omniscience of our omnipotent God”
That God decreed to leave some in the common misery and not to bestow on them living faith and the grace of conversion. Calvin also believes that God predestined everything for everything that it does, such that God predestined me to be writing this report right now for my religion class, so that this isn't my own free will but it was God's set plan for me. Zanchius, a Reform Theologian, writes that there is most certainly a double predestination and gives passages to prove through God's Word that there is no other way. II Cor. 4:3 "If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing." I Peter 2:8 "They stumble because they disobey the message-which is also what they were destined for." II Peter 2:12b "…They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish." Jude 1:4a "For certain men who were marked out for condemnation long ago have secretly slipped among you." He concludes his arguments by saying that God could not erase a name that has been placed in the book of life or add a name because it was from eternity. He quotes Luther with, "This is the very thing that razes the doctrine of free-will from its foundation, to wit, that God's eternal love of some men and hatred of others is immutable and cannot be reversed."
In this essay, I 'll explore the Biblical worldviews of Romans 1-8 and my viewed opinions of all of the subject matters. On the other hand, I’ll aim to examine the sins committed by the Romans during the era of Paul’s generation and how in my opinion, these sins will continue to pledged to today’s society. Moreover, the Biblical Worldviews of the book of Romans illustrate God’s devotion to our daily lives. However, everybody’s worldwide as they see life, and that issue that surrounds them varies because of their beliefs, culture, and upbringings. Lastly, Bible Scriptures of each subject matter will be concentrated and clarified in specific details.
Thus, in theology, God saved the only a select few” (Hunt, Martin, Rosenwein, Smith 453). The idea that humans lacked free will and that their major life events were predetermined by God was a radically different mindset that shocked the world at the
Introduction The study of John Calvin reveals a very complex man who found relations with others troubling if not outright burdensome. Many see Calvin as a rigid, authoritarian dictator whose doctrines on predestination have destroyed the Christian message. Today we remember Calvin for his theology of Five Point Calvinism,
Nelson Pike shows that St. Thomas Aquinas presents three possible solutions to the problem regarding the incoherence between God’s inability to sin and His omnipotence, or ability to do anything. Only the third solution will be discussed in this paper. St. Thomas’ goal is to prove that God can coherently be both omnipotent and impeccable. In this instance, impeccable means perfectly good and lacking evil. At this point, it may be helpful to specify how the terms “good” and “evil’ will be used moving forward. In his discussion, Pike defines “evil” as “Any situation which is such that if one were to (knowingly) bring it about (though it is avoidable), that individual would be morally reprehensible” (212). This definition should suit our purposes,
In this paper, I will attempt to detail the relationship between free will and knowledge in relation to human error. In doing so, I hope to show that our errors in judgment are not imperfections in our creation, and therefore do not discredit a perfect God. First, I will attempt to show that we, as
One of the most hotly debated topics throughout Jewish history is the question of how the biblical God can be truly good and omnipotent while evil exists in the world. The main problem of the existence of evil in this world is that biblical religion centers on the concept of a single God who is unrestrained by the domains of nature and the physical world. Many argue that the existence of evil prevents us from viewing God as both limitless and good. This essay will outline the solutions given in the lecture as a way to correlate the concepts of evil and a completely good God together.
This book highlights God’s will and its role in the course of history as well as its interaction in our daily lives. Few mentors in my Christian sphere would feel comfortable affirming that it is possible to live outside of God’s will. The majority of individuals that have helped establish my worldview focus on God’s will as absolute with my free will choices allowing me to follow along in accordance with His will. Hart’s perspective calls into question my previously unchallenged stance on God’s will and its role in the progression of my life. This argument by Hart has not completely convinced me to alter my belief in this area; it has presented a new approach that has the potential to correct erroneous thinking on my part. The active process that Christ will perform in “making all things new” (Revelation 21:5) seems to support a current world out of tune with the will of God in all areas. Christ will complete the process of revitalizing our current, sin-infested world. It will be made new either by my previously conceived idea of Christ unifying and purifying all aspects of this world into one final product, or by Christ declaring previous parts of history abominable and purifying this world through deconstruction and
We serve an omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent God. He created us all in his likeness giving us dominion of the earth and knows our every move before we even make it. Yet in the in the midst of the Garden of Eden, evil entered into our world. Christians have come to ask how is it that the God who has created everything allow evil to enter into his creations. The answer is not to blame God for letting sin in, for it is through us as humans who were given free will to make our decisions, evil entered creation. We have come to terms that our free will has a brought evil into the world but we still have questions about this evil and our will that need to be answered. For instance why would a God who is all knowing give his creations free will, if He knew with that free will His creations would bring evil into this world, and have to provides grace and mercy for His creations who are doomed without Him. A fourth century theologian and philosopher St. Augustine of Hippo is able to explore and articulate such questions of how evil and the free will are intertwined that have perplexed Christians.
Predestination in West World and back in the day, is strongly debated because it raises some of the same issues we are faced with in Adam and Eve situation. Can freewill exist in a world where God is all knowing and all powerful? What does it mean for us to live ethically when these choices were made in advanced by the “Maker”?
The problems of evil existing in society are difficult to understand is because it questions God’s reasoning for allowing evil to exist. To challenge and better understand God’s motives are the objections to the moral or intrinsic evil actions created by man. An illustration presented in this paper of the immoral evil of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when they broke their commitment to God in the Garden of Eden by eating the apple. Another instance of a moral evil was the act of murder committed by Cain that demonstrates that God allows moral evil to happen in society. Could it be that God permits man to commit moral evils by letting man make their own decisions; may they be good or evil? The sins of man are moral evils committed by man
When an author begins to write a book they usually have a certain purpose in mind. They might want to convey a message or simply entertain their reader. In the three Abrahamic texts that we read; Genesis, Matthew, and the Quran, some would argue that the author 's purpose was to create a blueprint for how humans should live their lives; a rather daunting and consequential task. The main problem is written text, and especially text that was written in 1,400 BC, and based off of ideals and traditions that date back even further, in the Bibles case, is it’s going to seem outdated and may often be misread or misrepresented. A simple sentence even in modern times can be twisted and bent to mean just about anything. Ask our politicians. Now think about what could happen to the meaning and form of ancient text after being rewritten and translated so numerous times.
This paper will approach each aspect of God Divine decrees, from a biblical standpoint and His plan of salvation. The working of God’s plan includes three periods in time: