Free will and god being all knowing
If I have free will, I can make any choice I want. However, if god is all knowing, he is aware of every choice I will make before I make it. Therefore, I am unable to make a choice that god is unaware of. If I am unable to make a choice that god is unaware of, then my choices are not actually choices. They have been predetermined. I am incapable of making an an actual choice because the choice I end up making is pre-known by god. If the choice is known before it is actually made, then it is simply a completion of a pre-arranged event. Therefore, my free will is meaningless. I am not capable of actually making a real decision. In other words, if God already knows the future, then humanity is destined to corroborate with his knowledge of the future and not have true free will to deviate from it
The only way free will can exist is if god is not all knowing. However, if god is not all knowing, then he is not all powerful and is not god. The two concepts are mutually exclusive.
This also presupposes the problem of an omniscient god who has free will directly in arguing that the will of God himself would be bound to follow whatever God foreknows himself doing throughout eternity.
According to Jeremiah 18, god does not know what he will do in the future. "At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it" (Jer. 18:7-10).
Jeff, You have this all wrong. We have a gracious and kind Father same as you but who has eternal and all mighty capabilities.In His kingdom after the war in heaven, when He formulated the plan of salvation, the one thing that He deemed absolutely, unchangeably necessary was that he grant us, His children, the full power of choice, to make our own decisions, He granted us free agency. Of course he knew we would make mistakes, just like you know your children will make mistakes, but just like you as a parent, He will not prevent the mistakes, nor will he prevent the consequences. That is the purpose of the atonement of His son for us. We are free to chose satan's path or the good path back to the Father. Annd like any parent He wants us to chose Him. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteAlma 42: 25 What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God.
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30 O my son, I desire that ye should deny the justice of God no more. Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point because of your sins, by denying the justice of God; but do you let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart; and let it bring you down to the dust in humility. (as the latter, I feel you fully understand, being the man that you are, Jeff)
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ReplyDeleteYou can say I have it wrong, but you do not point out any flaws in my argument. You simply repeat the concept of the biblical god.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between the biblical god and parents is that parents are not all knowing ( as much as they would like to pretend they are).
If god is all knowing, then our choices are not actual choices. We are merely fulfilling our part in his pre-known plan.