In the Garden
I'm going to explain what happened in the Garden of Eden, and how that applies to us today. Furthermore, I will explain (for the purpose of other viewers) why predestination actually makes God a, 'not so nice person'. On the other hand, I will show that when mankind is truly given the choice whether or not to be saved; it is no longer God condemning the souls of individuals, (as in predestination)) but individuals condemn their own souls, by rejecting Jesus Christ.
Let's begin!
Who is God? God is truly greater than words can tell, greater than the human mind can comprehend. His strength is without measure, His knowledge more than can be put into print. His wisdom greater than all the created beings combined. He lives in the eternal state, which alone is beyond comprehension. He created time, and one day will bring it to its close.
I cannot emphasize two things enough: 1) God not only knows everything (general knowledge such as science, but knows our thoughts, what we have done, what we are doing, but He also knows every choice we will make about everything; great or small. 2) God uses this knowledge (of our future decisions) to provide us with an opportunity to make the right decision in the event that we make a wrong decision.
For example, God told Jonah to go to Nineveh; Jonah chose not to obey, and went in a different direction. However, since God already knew what choice Jonah was going to make, He prepared a fish (whale) to provide Jonah with an environment that would give Jonah an opportunity to rethink his choice. Jonah now had to make a choice: 1) Repent (change his mind about going to Nineveh); or 2) Refuse to repent, and be a yummy meal for the fish. God had a purpose for Jonah; preach to Nineveh. He also used this story for a second purpose; to show all who read this story for generations to come, God will provide us with "opportunities" to fulfill His purpose, and it is always easier (on us) if we obey God sooner, rather than later. Please understand, God knowing what Jonah was going to do both times, is not to be confused with God forcing, or predestinating Jonah to make those decisions. The one (foreknowledge) is God influencing Jonah to make the right decision through a provided circumstance; while the other (predestination) is forcing BOTH of Jonah's decisions, because Jonah had no choice but to act in the fore ordained way that God directed, good or bad.
Let's look at the beginning.
God created the universe in six days, and rested on the seventh day. On Earth, He planted a Garden named Eden, the place where Adam and Eve would live.
Gen. 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
According to the above text there were two trees in the midst of the Garden; the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Gen. 2
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Gen. 3
1. Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3. But of the fruit of the tree whichis in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Here is where we are:
Adam and Eve are in the Garden of Eden. They DO NOT have a sin nature. They have been presented two conflicting 'stories' of what will happen if they eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: 1) God says, You eat it, you die. 2) Satan says, You eat it, you will not die; and, your eyes will be opened!
One of them is telling the truth, and one of them is lying. It's just that simple. Adam must choose. Eve must choose.
Do I obey God, or do I not obey God; that was not only the question that Adam and Eve faced, it is the one we must face. God has given us His Word, the Bible. Within its pages we find the history of Earth, along with the Commandments of God. We also find the consequences of both obedience, and disobedience of His Commandments.
Like Adam, we are presented with God's side of the story, (found in His Word, the Bible); and Satan's side of the story, found in the "sin nature" (the knowledge of good and evil) we inherited from Adam's "wrong" decision. Adam was created innocent, as we are (although we are born with the "nature" to sin. Adam was innocent until he chose to disobey God. We as children grow up learning through our conscience "good and evil". (We know [even as a child] that it's wrong to steal cookies from the cookie jar, and then lie about it.) As Adam condemned himself when he chose not to obey the Commandant of God, we likewise condemn ourselves when we choose not to obey the Commandments of God written on our hearts (the knowledge of good and evil) that speak to us through our conscience.
Even Wayne Grudem, (a Calvinist) who is a Theologian and Professor of Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary states in his "Systematic Theology" under the heading of "The Covenant of Works" (which in its entirety, is too long to post) , "God sovereignly imposes this covenant on Adam and Eve, and they have no opportunity to change the detailsâtheir only choice is to keep it or to break it."
The problem of course with Calvinism however is their definition of "choice". You see, at another place, under the heading of "objections to the doctrine of election", paragraph 1. Titled: Election means that we do not have a choice in whether we accept Christ or not.
"According to this objection the doctrine of election denies all the gospel invitations that appeal to the will of man and asked people to make a choice in whether to respond to Christ invitation or not. In response to this, we must affirm that the doctrine of election is fully able to accommodate the idea that we have a voluntary choice and we make willingly decisions and accepting or rejecting Christ. Our choices are voluntary because they are what we want to do and what we decide to do. This does not mean that our choices are absolutely free because, God can work sovereignly through our desires so that he guarantees it our choice come about as he has ordained, but this can still be understood as a real choice because God has created us and he ordains that such a choice is real. In short, we can say that God causes us to choose Christ voluntarily."
I'm sorry, either the choice is "absolutely free", or it's absolutely "not free", you can't have your cake, and eat it too"!
John 6: 44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up the last day.
John 12:
30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
31 Now is the judgement of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.
John 3
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Numbers 21
8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Notice that Jesus compared the "lifting up" of the brazen serpent with Himself being "lifted up". Just as "any man" lived physically when he beheld the serpent; "whosoever" believeth on Jesus as Saviour when He was "lifted up", "should not perish, but have eternal life".
It doesn't sound like Jesus was talking about the "elect", it sounded like He said, "whosoever"!
Adam had a choice in the Garden of Eden;
The people had a choice in the wilderness; and,
We have a choice today!
2 Peter 3: 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Choose Jesus today!
Jack