like many people, i have also struggled with this question. i did not want a Yes answer, i wanted a No. however, much to my consternation, i could not successfully defend a No answer. a Yes answer presented a lot of problems for me -- issues of free will versus predestination. jayjay said fore-knowledge will not necessarily logically conclude to predestination. he will answer Yes to the question, but will posit the inevitable "His thoughts are higher than mine" to explain how fore-knowledge will not interfere with free will.
i got online, and found a bloggers' post on this issue. please visit here.
i think the issue is settled for me:
1. God does know everything. If he does not, he is not God.
2. Despite God knowing everything, he went away anyway and created man.
3. He gave man free will.
4. Man used his freedom to sin against God. and he continues to do so.
5. But God desires friendship with man, even though he knew many will sin and betray him.
6. But as many as those who betray God, there will also be those who brave the odds and seek Him, and honor Him, and call on him through Jesus.
7. He will gather those who belong to Him so he may share His glory to them.
8. 7 will only happen if there is 6. 6 is only possible if there is 5. 3 makes 5 and 6 possible.
if you think of it this way, you will find that the issue of God's fore-knowledge as the ultimate killer of free will does not make sense. i challenge you to think about it.
happy thinking :)
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