Hi Denise,
Guys, we may be mere man... but What is God? Can you tell me? Is he a life force? Is he a manifestation? The bible says God is spirit. Bible also says satan is spirit? I don't understand the defintion of spirit? is it something people try to explain how the brain works. like we are influenced by ego and ID and super ego in the brain? Where our morals of good and evil comes from, What if God is in the brain somewhere? Just guessing.
we know that people back then did not understand how the mind works,or how science works, for example the anatomy and physciology of the mind. Whatever we think in our mind, we tend to do it also. That is will, not free will of course.. because we act according to what are in our thoughts. That is cause and effect laws. What doesnt make sense is that Bible says God has emotions? The limbic system in the man's brain produces hormones that produces emotions. That is why you see disorders in people who have bipoloar, manic, or someone who seems happy all the time, or others who seem angry or sad all the time... or when you recieve meds, and it has an effect on the limbic system, you end up having flat face, showing no emotions.
How can God have emotions if he is spirit and not flesh? How can he say he love the smell of burning animal flesh if he is spirit? Humans has nasal receptors that helps them enjoy the benefits of smelling something.without it, you cannot smell. smell helps reach the brain which communicates with memory receptors that helpy you remember w hen you taste or smell something.. How can God smell if he is not flesh but spirit? Maybe God is he is the life force that binds all things? It is just that.. FORCE? maybe?
You are trying to put the horse before the buggy here. God came first, this creation of the human body and all of the marvelous things it is capable of is pattern after Him. The physical senses are limited to what we have physically to experience them with. I wonder how much more God is able to experience without these limitations? Infinitesimally more I would think.
Jesus Christ became a man, do you think He had never experienced any emotions before? Of course He did as the God of the OT, the Scriptures speak many times of His emotions. The human mind in all it's incredible functioning power to reason, comtemplate, judge a situation, intelligence to make decisions and that's not even talking about the emotions, but it is a very very very simple mind compared to God's mind. Jesus Christ has existed at least as long as this universe (billions of yrs), maybe much longer than that, He has had all that time to gain knowledge and wisdom from the Father. No wonder the Scripture say.
Isa 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
What if God is the froce that is the causer/effector, the force that is causer and effector because everything is under mathematical laws. Cause and effect laws. Planets are under mathematical laws, they obey the law. they just do what they were made to do..
Another question is... is it possible God does not have free will but a will? like we do. we don't have free will but we do have a will? .he makes judgement according to what he sees.
That is still cause and effect? Like for example. he saw the world was a bad place, he made the choice based on that to destory the whole land except for Noah and his family. Or because he saw all the evils at Sodom and Gorromah, that he felt he needed to destory it except for Lot and his family. Another example is Adam and Eve. God made the decision to move them out of the garden because they sinned. That is still cause and effect. he seems to operate under cause and effect laws as well. Does it mean he has a will or is his will "free" as well?
I think Force is like a series of mathematical equations.. once you make that equation- the result has to come that way.. or if you change the equation, the result would be quite different.. but it is the same idea. What if God is just FORCE that binds all things? like Jesus said, whatever we think in our hearts, so are we. Is that why he asks us to repent- change our thinking- change our ways. etc?
Force is an expert at mathematical equations. to see that eventually people will realize the equations they have been making has always been up to no good, and they will finally realize which equations will lead to a better thinking, better life, better future, so they end up going to the new equations instead... Force knows the future. Its like someone who knows how to solve mathematical equations- after several tries, after several practices, you 'll know the answer to the equation question. That is my guess?
What is God exactly? I am trying to understand.
This is directed toward the question in bold. So what is free will? From the American Heritage Dictionary;
Free Will: 1. The ability or discretion to choose; free choice. 2. The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.Does God make "choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will"? Does God ever do anything against His Own Will? God is sovereign, He is total in all things and in every way. Why? Because "He is before all things" and determined how everything would be.
Col 1:17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
so yes God does not have free will, it is a myth, it does not exist.
Ephesians 1:11 in Him in Whom our lot was cast also, being designated beforehand according to the purpose of the One Who is operating ALL in accord with the counsel of His will
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.
mercy, peace and love
Kat