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Question: How can a man go against God's will?
Vangie:
Question: How can a man go against God's will?
He can't. He just thinks he can. (until he's led to understand the truth of God's sovereignty--either in this age or the next).
Roy Martin:
Circumstances and choice kept me for most of my like not believing in God. Circumstance and choice made me fall on my face and cry out to God. Circumstance and choice led me away from God several times. Circumstance and choice led me back to God each time with more faith and understanding of how God works in my life.
We call it choice, and it is, but as I look back on my entire life, I can see that it was destiny. None of the choices I mentioned above were free choice. One of those choices a few years ago was to give up on God and go back to growing marijuana of which had always made me lots of money. I was one of the best. I moved out of State and started to do my thing. Disease and bugs and everything that could happen to marijuana plants happened. Nothing I tried would work. It was supernatural. During this whole time, a year, I couldn't get God off my mind. Finally I'm crying out to God again as he draws me back even more closer. Well I thought I learned my lesson about doing it my way but again I gave up on God to help me get my business going, so I grew some marijuana plants, but this time I just wanted a company truck, just a few plants for that. This time the plants thrived. I bought a good truck. It ran great, then w/o notice, the motor went out. I put a new engine in it that cost $4000. and a few months later it went out, the transmission went out. The mechanics were baffled, but I wasn't, because I knew exactly what happened. It was God. Another lesson for the good. It was all destined choices. What else could it be. Was it against Gods will? Yes, but it seems that it was His will that I go against His will to draw me closer to Him.
When the people in the desert with Moses went against Gods will, He killed them for their choice. The dead learned nothing because their dead, but what did it teach those that were left? God has a reason for everything. It seems bad that He killed those people, but they will still be in heaven after the LOF.
I keep wanting to make a choice to not think about this choice thing, but it just keeps coming back. It really doesn't seem that important such as the choice for what kind of ice cream and how it affects me spiritually. Well it is a desire of the flesh and its not good for me.
I just cant see where anything is free by looking at the way God has worked in my life. A choice is a choice, but it appears that choice means or is destiny at the same time.
This is just my observation of all the facts. All of my choices were steps to teach and draw me to God and know Him, but how can I call them my choices?
How many times is choice mentioned in the bible? It doesn't matter because all is of God. Is it just one of the mysteries we are not to know yet? The thing Im sure of is that we dont have free will or free choice.
Peace
Roy
mharrell08:
--- Quote from: Roy Martin on April 24, 2009, 07:29:23 AM ---Was it against God will? Yes, but it seems that it was His will that I go against His will to draw me closer to Him.
--- End quote ---
Exactly...this is a spiritual truth that many have not been given to understand yet.
Excerpt from Lake of Fire #15-A (http://bible-truths.com/lake15.html):
WHO HAS RESISTED GOD’S WILL?
So God has mercy upon whom He will have mercy and whom He wills, He hardens. But when I tell people that this is how God operates, they find fault with it. They say that isn’t fair. They say we are mere puppets if this is the way God operates. How can God blame and punish people for doing what God Himself caused them to do in the first place? The Apostle Paul got the same carnal-minded criticisms of God’s plan:
"You will say then unto me, Why does He [God] yet find fault? For who has resisted His will [Greek: boulema—‘resolve, purpose, a deliberate intention’]?" (Rom. 9:19).
This is an amazing Scripture. This Scripture shows the difference in attitude between those who understand God’s plan and will and those who do not.
After explaining to the Romans that God raised Pharaoh up for a specific purpose in God’s plan, Paul foresees the attitudes of his listeners. They will reason that if God is the One behind our actions, and we are totally incapable of doing other than what He determines we will do, then WHY DOES HE FIND FAULT WITH US WHEN WE SIN?
First it is most important that we look at and understand the word translated "will" in Rom. 9:19. It is not the usually Greek word, which is translated "will" hundreds of times in the New Testament. This Greek word boulema is used but twice in the Bible, here in Rom. 9:19 and in Acts 27:43 where it is translated "purpose."
So the question that Paul is setting up is not "…who has resisted His will?" but rather, "who has resisted His purpose [His plan, His intention]?"
To the question, "…who has resisted His will?" the answer is: EVERYONE! But when properly translated, to the question, "who has resisted His purpose?" the answer is: ABSOLUTELY NO ONE!
God has a will and God has a plan and purpose to reach that will. And no small part of reaching His desired will is to set men against His will, just as He did with Pharaoh. But no one has ever hindered God’s plan and purpose in reaching that goal and stated will. God’s will, will be done in His time.
So back to Paul’s questioners: If God causes us to do what we do, and no one ever has or ever can go against or resist that purpose of God, why does He blame us when we sin? And again, I will let Paul answer, since the question was directed to him. But you know what? Paul does not even deign to answer their question. That’s right, Paul proposes the question and then does not directly answer it. He considers the very question itself too demeaning, if not blasphemous to answer. Instead He says this:
"Nay but, O man, WHO ARE YOU that replies against God? Shall the thing formed [that’s us] say to Him that formed it, [that’s GOD] Why have You made me thus? Has not the Potter [GOD] power over the clay [man], of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" (Rom. 9:20-21).
Marques
Marky Mark:
Once puny O man comes to that point of Spiritual discernment, that only God can reveal, then, and only then, can that O man in all of us begin to understand the glorious plan and purpose of our Almighty Father,we are clay. God does not lie.
All Praise and Glory to Our Father,in Christ Jesus Name...
Peace...Mark
Amrhrasach:
--- Quote from: Marky Mark on April 24, 2009, 08:27:37 AM ---Once puny O man comes to that point of Spiritual discernment, that only God can reveal, then, and only then, can that O man in all of us begin to understand the glorious plan and purpose of our Almighty Father,we are clay. God does not lie.
All Praise and Glory to Our Father,in Christ Jesus Name...
Peace...Mark
--- End quote ---
And when that "beginning" to understand comes other things (understandings) begin also, perhaps slowly or even quickly, to fall into their proper place of understanding also. Hard to pinpoint the "all other" that I speak of but doors and windows begin to open. Sometimes a slow cracking open of a window, sometimes all the way open.
But clearly that "we are clay", in my opinion, is a pre-requisite humility lesson. Otherwise we attempt to serve two masters.
Gary
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