Hi Rodger,
Of course I don't mind. And I hope you and others on the forum don't mind when I use your and their comments and insights to meditate on and to use in my study of the Scriptures to further my understanding and gain insight I would not have reached on my own.
Just something I noticed last night after reading this topic and then doing some bible reading. Was reading Hebrews 3:12,13
"Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called today, lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
Since I had just read this topic on predestination when i read this verse the first thing that popped into my mind was "why is He telling us this when He knows exactly what we are going to do-He has predetermined it?"
Then I remembered this Scripture
2Tim 3:16 "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;"
and thought Hebrews 3 is scripture so God is telling us to take care and encourage one another, etc. because He is teaching us how we should act and think, teaching us right from wrong. These scriptures are how He teaches us right from wrong.
Gen2:16,17 "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it, you shall surely die."
God already knew what adam and eve would do, but if God had not warned our first parents not to eat of the tree, maybe they would still have eaten from it, since it's fruit was desirable, but they would not have know it was wrong. God had to tell them what was good and what was evil, and the consequences of evil.
Are all these words of God commands to us - take care lest, encourage one another lest, you shall not eat?
Guess what I'm trying to say is God already knows what we are going to do since He predestined it, but when He warns us and admonishes us it is for our sakes so we look at our actions and recognize the good and evil and learn from it.
Does this make any sense. Makes sense in my mind, but when I try to put it in writing it might just sound like goobely gock! not everyone has Ray's gift with words! So this is just some things I was thinking, in no way any attempt to teach anything. Corrections welcome
Thanks for listening.
Cindy