> -----Original Message-----
> From: John W. Burgeson [mailto:johnburgeson@juno.com]
> Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2000 3:46 PM
> To: dfischer@mnsinc.com; asa@calvin.edu
> Subject: Re: Surprise
>
>
> Dick wrote: "Ah, but you are not God."
>
> I think I figured that one out awhile ago! < G >
>
> "What I am alluding to is God's foreknowledge. As someone put it, the
> past, present, and future are all in the "now" of God. If
> you and I were
> known to God
> from the foundations of the earth, then there are no surprises."
>
> I understand. Then why was God surprised when his creation
> went so wrong
> in early Genesis?
>
That is one of the bones I have always had to pick with Genesis.
To me it seems a lot like an adult placing a child in the middle of a mine
field with only the instructions to "Walk only on the path that I have shown
you." And with that the adult walks away FULLY EXPECTING the child to
follow the command and be safe from the unseen destruction lying in wait for
the first faulty step. (Not to mention not informing the child that there
is the possibility that an evil person may come along and try to lure them
off the path.) Then, to be portrayed as "surprised" when they go and blow
their legs off just makes God look like an naive fool who is completely
oblivious to the limitations of his own creation.
Being human I am fully aware of my ability to make stupid choices but I am
also well aware that I have the capacity to always make the right one on
matters that I am fully aware of the consequences. Don't cover myself in
A-1 steak sauce and play with a ravenous grizzly comes to mind.
So if there was no surprise that they would do such a thing and there was
foreknowledge without any intervention to prevent it or at least give more
direction to make them FULLY AWARE of the consequences... what was the
point? Was it all simply part of the master plan to begin with? Dupe Satan
into making them fall at which point a supreme sacrifice is needed, a Son is
sent to bridge the gap between the Creator and created, the Church is drawn
up into Christ, Satan is defeated and banished to burn for all eternity, a
new Heaven and Earth with a new Jerusalem established, and we all live
happily ever after (are we on God's timescale at this point?). Was the fall
necessary?
Or maybe this is all simply explained by literary license/worldview/myth?
Which leads me to another issue with free will. It seems like so many
people hold to the concept of free will being a defining feature of our
"being". That, free will is a gift from God which enables us to be
something other than a robot. But is our will truly and completely "free".
If so, where was Pharoh's free will to set the Hebrews free?
If God has only One will and that will is perfect and unchanging... why
create anything that could or would want to chose a separate will. Isnt He
just creating/enabling the possibility of sin? Isnt that in all effect a
imperfect design? And dont say that a lack of free will eliminates the
ability to give love freely. If the Trinity is of One will are they giving
love freely? Unless of course it applies only to beings outside of the
Trinity. But if that is the case, once again, why create anything at all?
As long as there is free will I don't ever see there being an end to sin.
So what am I missing that explains how my free will will be completely
transformed to His will and remain "free". And what is going to keep
someone from never choosing something other than Gods will? Maybe I just
have a misunderstanding of what our "end state" will be. Maybe we will just
be FULLY AWARE of the consequences and there will be no desire to want
anything else... I dont think Lucifer would have made his boast if he was
aware of what would befall him.
Any comments more than welcome here!
Ryan
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