History. Written a long time ago or do we have some say in it?

[Mark Noo]

I was listening to some old mp3s of a preacher the other day. He said that "history was already written" and that is why "prophecy works". (he was from Tennessee)

OK. I guess.

Is everything already written out about my life? Or do I have some say in it?

We know what happened to Jonah when he decided not to preach to the people of Nineveh.
I think the Bible also talks about Saul "kicking at the pricks", meaning he was resisting God's call to him and finally Jesus just took him. Because he belonged to Him.

If God has a plan, surely it cannot be to wait for my next mistake so he can fix it. How does a sovereign God accomplish anything if we can just do whatever we want. What if he needed me in Town A to do something and I decided to be in Town B? Does his redemptive plan get held up while he waits for me.

Is there any scripture that supports man having agency? Or is it like Election. If you are picked, you are picked, if not picked, sorry.

 

[Call me Nic]

I was listening to some old mp3s of a preacher the other day. He said that "history was already written" and that is why "prophecy works". (he was from Tennessee)

OK. I guess.

Is everything already written out about my life? Or do I have some say in it?

We know what happened to Jonah when he decided not to preach to the people of Nineveh.
I think the Bible also talks about Saul "kicking at the pricks", meaning he was resisting God's call to him and finally Jesus just took him. Because he belonged to Him.

If God has a plan, surely it cannot be to wait for my next mistake so he can fix it. How does a sovereign God accomplish anything if we can just do whatever we want. What if he needed me in Town A to do something and I decided to be in Town B? Does his redemptive plan get held up while he waits for me.

Is there any scripture that supports man having agency? Or is it like Election. If you are picked, you are picked, if not picked, sorry.

You do have some say. God gives us the commandment to choose who to serve in the Law, and in the book of Joshua. However, God knows who will choose him and who won't.

Prophecy works because God knows everything lol, that pastor has a weird way of looking at prophecy. God is omnipotent, that's the simplest answer.

 

[lesliedellow]

I was listening to some old mp3s of a preacher the other day. He said that "history was already written" and that is why "prophecy works". (he was from Tennessee)

OK. I guess.

Is everything already written out about my life? Or do I have some say in it?

We know what happened to Jonah when he decided not to preach to the people of Nineveh.
I think the Bible also talks about Saul "kicking at the pricks", meaning he was resisting God's call to him and finally Jesus just took him. Because he belonged to Him.

If God has a plan, surely it cannot be to wait for my next mistake so he can fix it. How does a sovereign God accomplish anything if we can just do whatever we want. What if he needed me in Town A to do something and I decided to be in Town B? Does his redemptive plan get held up while he waits for me.

Is there any scripture that supports man having agency? Or is it like Election. If you are picked, you are picked, if not picked, sorry.

The usual Calvinist position is that God:

“from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.”

To quote the Westminster Confession. It is everybody’s everyday experience that they act upon their own will and wishes when they make one choice, rather than another. But, nevertheless, all their choices, like everything else, were predetermined by God since before the creation of the world.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

Is everything already written out about my life? Or do I have some say in it?

Depends on whether we approach the question from a Divine perspective or a human perspective. From a human perspective, it appears we have much say, even most say, but consider how one thing leads to another. Even from our birth, at certain points in time, to certain parents, in certain locations, etc. Our choices can create a chain of effects, and our choices can be pre-conditioned by God in such a way that we will choose a certain way, whether we realize it or not.

From the Divine perspective, can the knowledge of God fail? Is there anything He does not know? When we consider He is immutable and omniscient (per Scripture), it should become much easier to embrace the doctrines of predestination and election in Scripture.

Bottom line, we do not know everything, but God does, trust Him.

 

[twin1954]

As AW just said God is in absolute control of all things. He does in no way look to see what will happen or the choices we make but purposes them according to His wise council and decree. He has purposed to glorify Christ Jesus the Lord in the salvation of chosen sinners. Our choices are predetermined in His ordains all things to accomplish His purpose.

Our choices are our to be sure: God does not believe for us or force us to make choices. He does, though, control all the circumstances and influences in our lives, who we are born to and where, who and what we come in contact with, our personalities and so on. He directs us by His loving hand of grace for the elect and long suffering patience for the reprobate to bring to pass His purpose of grace in Christ Jesus the Lord alone.

He does not force His will on anyone but directs our path and everything else by sovereignly ordaining and decreeing whatever is needful to bring us all to our appointed end. He does so in absolute wisdom and love for His chosen race.

We make our choices but God directs our steps. See Prov. 16.

 

[The Righterzpen]

I was listening to some old mp3s of a preacher the other day. He said that "history was already written" and that is why "prophecy works". (he was from Tennessee)

OK. I guess.

Is everything already written out about my life? Or do I have some say in it?

We know what happened to Jonah when he decided not to preach to the people of Nineveh.
I think the Bible also talks about Saul "kicking at the pricks", meaning he was resisting God's call to him and finally Jesus just took him. Because he belonged to Him.

If God has a plan, surely it cannot be to wait for my next mistake so he can fix it. How does a sovereign God accomplish anything if we can just do whatever we want. What if he needed me in Town A to do something and I decided to be in Town B? Does his redemptive plan get held up while he waits for me.

Is there any scripture that supports man having agency? Or is it like Election. If you are picked, you are picked, if not picked, sorry.

Is everything written out about your life, or do you have some say in it?

Um... Yes and yes. The omniscience of God I think is so vast that there are decisions we make in life that probably have no practical bearing on eternity; (or at least that we can see in the here and now) What color socks I put on this morning - Did God know that in eternity? Maybe; but does that matter. Probably not. LOL.

Obviously God knows and uses to the advantage of the advancement of His kingdom, what era we're born in, what nation, what family, who we end up marrying, who our children are, major life decisions (like if we join the military and go to war) and major repercussions of those decisions on our lives. etc. Even in the "mishmash" of those choices and potential outcomes of what ever path; God's plan is not frustrated by mistakes, or disobedience, or whatever the case may be. All those God loved in his foreknowledge come to redemption and the rest is; as they say - "in the details".

Are there "events" God "orchestrates" in "real time" that are the result of individual decision making (which could have outcome A or outcome B)? That probability seems reasonable to me. Yet again, I think God's omniscience is beyond our ability to comprehend. Here again though, is where i think omnipotence and omnipresence is much vaster than we grasp. God not only has the knowledge, but also the power and presence to carry out His will and the very reality of what God IS, is beyond our ability to grasp in that regard.

So to answer your question about "If I'm suppose to be in town A and end up in town B....because of???" (whatever). God's knowledge, power and presence is vast enough to "compensate" for the "failure" of the creature that is inherent in the nature of what "the creature" is to begin with. (Keep in mind, we are not only talking about the will of humans, but the will of animals, the "will" of the weather, the "will" of earthquake that's about to strike, all of which is in God's sovereign control.

So, I don't know if that answers your question; but I think that's where the answer is - in the "BIGNESS" of God.