Do we choose God, or does God choose us?
610243
Ephesians 1:4\njust as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,\n1 Peter 2:9\nBut you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1152476
No, you're correct. Many believers can't seem to grasp this simple concept.\n\nIn the following argument (which is the same as yours, just more in depth) the author does not assign god a gender, therefor god is referred to as "it", instead of "he" or "she".\n\n"The problem here is that God knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen. Its knowledge cannot be wrong. There is not a single event that it has not foresaw. Given that it created the Universe the way it did, do we have free will? Consider that when God made the Universe it could see every possible result of what it was doing. Which means: it could not create something without knowing what the results would be, and without knowing how it would be affected (and effect) the things around it.\n\nLet's say that Fred has a choice that will save his life, to accept God or not to accept God and the final choice is to be made tomorrow. God knows already what choice he will make - God cannot be wrong therefore Fred cannot choose otherwise to what God has predicted. When God created the chain of events that made Fred it also knew that it was making Fred's choice for him, and knew how the various circumstances and character would make him choose either right or wrong. Fred would go forth and make that very decision that God knew he would make, and by virtue that God knowingly set up all the factors that affected his decision, it was not up to Fred but to God to decide how Fred would fare.\n\nThis argument does not imply that God does not exist. It leaves us with three results, two of which have to be wrong.\n\n   1. God created everything with full knowledge and we have no free will to change it\n   2. God does not have full knowledge\n   3. God did not make the Universe or there is no God"\n\n - Written by Vexen Crabtree
748038
God gave us free will, and He is all knowing because He knows the choice we will make, but He doesn't force us into it.  We have to decide where we will spend eternity.
554191
The case of free will vs. predestination has everything to do with whose eyes you look through. Yes, because God dwell in eternity and sees the end from the beginning, He already knows the outcome of your decision. He looks at the earth's timeline, then chooses those who choose Him. However, to have true children and not robots, God gave us a free will to choose. We can choose to love God, we can choose to hate Him, or we can choose to exchange the concept of God for only what we can see within our puny science. If free will truly did not exist, God would provide a world with only one choice and provide tons of evidence to MAKE you believe. But He does not do that. He provides just enough evidence to allow you to think beyond the physical and into the eternal. But you must decide for yourself. But do not be surprised if God knows your decision the moment you make it. \n\nYes, God sees our life as a done deal. Yet, we ourselves do have free will to choose. It would be like I could go back in time, meet with George Lucas while attending USC film class. I would know everything about what he would write and the companies he would start. Does he have freewill to write Star Wars? Yes. Would my knowledge change the fact that Darth Vader will be Luke Skywalker's dad? No. It's a done deal because I am not bound by time. \n\nSo what is the big deal about free will? Well, those of us with children understand that there is a big difference between programming our computers to wake you up in the morning with "good-morning father-I-love-you" and having your little son or daughter jump on your bed at the crack of dawn yelling "Good morning daddy! I love you!" The Almighty God has a myriad of angels proclaiming "Holy, holy, holy"--but they have seen Him, so it is easy. Think what it means to God, having NOT seen Him, yet lifting your arms and proclaim, "Good morning Lord! I love you!"  \n\nBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Ephesians 1
1107306
This all we have to choose from?\nI will pick...... A. God. \nB. Is tempting, as spaghetti can be a pain, that self-twirling fork could be a God-Send.
331923
No. Christianity is about who you are, not just random choices you make.\n\nGrace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.\nBut also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.\nTherefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  II Peter 1:2-10\n\nLet us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:\n Fear God and keep His commandments,\n For this is man’s all.  Ecclesiastes 12:13
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God allows us to choose to do whatever we want to do.  It is society, humanity and organized religion that puts boundaries on behaviours and sets moral guidelines and laws to be followed.  God could care less what we do.  God loves us regardless and since there is no hell, we will still all return to be home with God when this physical incarnation ends.
567751
our creator is the one and only God. he gave us free will because he loves us. the devil tricks us into committing sins, we are not forced.
1100655
Ok, prepair yourself.  Before God even began creating the earth he has known EVERYTHING.  He knew that you would ask this question and that i would answer it.  God's choice is more God's will, and we are all in God's will.  If he wills it, it IS. \n\nIts easier to think of as a destiny.  He has the path set and we follow it.  Eventhough we are making our own desicions they are not new to Him.
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We do have free will, but all in all God knows everything. We have free will because he's not trying to change us (Or is he?)...
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I think that decision can only be made by God Himself.\n\nAnd even then it's done by an individual by individual basis, not a group basis.
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Good question. This is a big controversy in the church. I believe Gods word and it says that He chose us before the foundations of the earth and that we are predestined.\n\nRomans 8:30 \nAnd those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.\nEphesians 1:11\nIn him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, \n\nPlainly we are told that we are chosen and predestined. But the Bible also tells us that we have to make a choice. Its really hard to merge these ideas together. But if you give God the credit He deserves its much easier. God already knows what your choice is. He will not intercede and force you to go against your will of your choice. For example; those who are unsaved, He already knows where you will spend eternity. He predestined according to the choice He knew you would make where your place in eternity would be. So why are some chosen and not others? He, who knows all, past, present, and future, knew which ones would trust Him and which ones would not. He chose to save those who trust Him and choose to be with Him. He chose to give those who do not trust him or want to be with Him their wish and seperate Himself from them resulting in hell. So we are predestined according to our choices that may or may not have even been made yet. We are merely in the process of acting out our choices to arrive at the outcome. \n\nPlease know that God didnt draw names from a hat to decide who would be punished.\n\nI hope this helps. It is impossible to comprehend without faith and trust in the Lord.
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God is a loving God -- He loved us so much that He sent His beloved son Jesus to die for OUR sins so he gives us as many chances as we need -- we just have to accept Jesus as our savior.  Then God holds us in His mighty hand and no one can take us from Him.
76747
Because free will is all about choices. God know before a person chooses but HE doesnt choose for that person...its up to the person...People are finite, GOD IS INFINITE. That's what makes HIM GOD!!! And if you dont get it...be not dismayed...neither do I...but I believe and have faith in HIM who created heaven and earth.  He wants our love and He wants us to choose HIM...ptl
57586
God allows things to happen, but he still hurts for us when me make poor choices and he is always there for us.  We have free will.  If we did not have free will, we would be like robots.  God gave us forgiveness through his son Jesus.  I am praying for you right now, that your you will learn from your mistakes (and that we all will) and that you will call up God to hold you through the pain.
276159
Hmm...this is an interesting question. \nI suppose I believe that everyone has been chosen, both by God and the Dark One. They both have work for us to do and a purpose. The question, I suppose, would be who we choose to follow. At one particular point or another, a person reaches a "fork in the road," and has to decide which way to go. It's all a part of Freewill.
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It's not about choosing a religion first. It is about coming to know God by seeking him and asking him who he is--and then he leads you to the truth about himself.\n\nSo, that is what I would recommend: Seek to know God. Pray, ask him for faith, ask him to bless you with the knowledge of who he is. Keep your eyes open, and pay attention to where he guides you.\n\nSeeking God is not a game. It is the entire purpose of our life on earth. Just because some humans have misunderstood God and have created religions that attempt to point people in the wrong direction does not mean that it is God who created a game. it is actually people who created the game. God doesn't play games with human souls.\n\nBest to you in your search for the true, living God.