Random thought, Does god know the future/path for every individual?
The question of whether God knows the future and the path for every individual is a complex and deeply philosophical one, touching upon theological concepts such as omniscience (all-knowing nature of God), predestination, and free will. Different religious traditions and theological viewpoints offer varying perspectives on this matter:
- Traditional Christian Perspective: In many Christian teachings, God is often viewed as omniscient, meaning He knows everything, including the future and the paths of all individuals. This belief is based on the idea that God’s knowledge is infinite and not bound by time, allowing Him to know all possible outcomes and events before they happen.
- Predestination vs. Free Will: Some Christian denominations, such as Calvinism, hold the doctrine of predestination, which suggests that God has predetermined the path of each individual, including their salvation or damnation. In contrast, other Christian teachings emphasize free will, suggesting that while God knows all possible futures, individuals still have the freedom to make their own choices.
- Judaism: In Jewish thought, there is a balance between God’s omniscience and human free will. God knows all possible outcomes, but humans are free to choose their actions. The emphasis is often on moral responsibility and the importance of making choices aligned with God’s will.
- Islam: In Islamic theology, God (Allah) is also omniscient and has foreknowledge of everything that will happen. However, this belief is balanced with the concept of human free will. Muslims believe that while God knows what choices individuals will make, He does not compel these choices, and humans are accountable for their actions.
- Other Religious Perspectives: Other religions and spiritual beliefs may have different views on the nature of divine knowledge and human destiny. For instance, some Eastern religions may focus more on the concepts of karma and reincarnation in determining an individual’s path.
In conclusion, the belief in whether God knows the future of every individual varies greatly among different religious traditions and theological interpretations. It often involves a complex interplay between the notions of divine omniscience, predestination, and human free will.
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Honestly Steve, it would take a book to answer this thoroughly and necessitates an true understanding WHO “God” of the Bible is - which of course scripture tells us. We are told to ‘search the scripture daily’ and that it is the ''It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter." (Proverbs 25 v2 i think). In short - absolutely Yes, the Deity knows everything and everyone, including each of our beginning and end - He IS the beginning, the now and the future, the one and only true Potentate, with underived immortality. To understand his plan and purpose with the earth and us, including how he knows our end from the beginning despite each of us having free will and how this is essential to that plan, requires an indepth understanding of His name as given us in scripture. The English translations use various words such as God, Lord, Lord God etc but in the original text these titles for God vary and have true depth of meaning - see notes on genesis 1 the creation as an example. Theres a book called Phanrosis by John Thomas that is a great study into the names of Deity. So, in short again - the Deity knows everything, ‘God or Lord’ in the bible often refers to the Elohim (there are a multitude of immortal angels who carry out the Deitys work that do not know everything)… they are free to influence powers on earth to bring about the Deity’s plan and purpose but do not directly control the free will of people (e.g. they may have brought about circumstances in Pharoah’s life to harden his heart and not let Israel go!). This is called ‘Providence’ and there’s a great book called ‘the ways of providence’ by Robert Roberts that describes this is a lot more detail with scriptural references and examples of providence at work. The Deity created the human race with free will - he did not create us as ‘robots’… we were created for His pleasure and must recognise and understand our need for reconciliation (following Adam & Eve’s fall from grace, resulting in us inheriting a sinful nature) and salvation - and CHOOSE to live a sacrificial life, always trying to overcome our sinful nature and its tendencies by obeying Christ’s commands. I hope that answers a little way… sorry i don’t have more time now. Great topic!
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