Is God fair?

[Carl]

Originally Posted by Aquila

Predestination doesn’t teach that mankind is a preprogrammed bio-bot. In fact, it affirms God’s sovereignty with regards to His will and purpose. This doesn’t negate man’s free will, it only expresses the idea that in the end… God’s will triumphs in all things to bring about exactly what He desires. In other words… not only does man have free will… an Almighty Sovereign God does too! For example, Saul was on the road to Damascus, enroute to persecute Christians. But God, through Christ, shows up and rocks Saul’s world to bring Saul into compliance with God’s purpose for His life…

Acts 9:1-9 (KJV)
9 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

Notice something, Saul was on his way to persecute the church. However, God had a different plan. In fact, Paul wrote of God’s will and destiny regarding his calling:

Galatians 1:15-16
King James Version (KJV)
15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

On the road to Damascus the free and human will of Saul collided with the sovereign and all-powerful will of God. God knocked Saul off his horse and appeared to him in the glorified radiance of Jesus Christ. Jesus says something that most don’t really pay attention to. Jesus said, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” Few know what this truly means. You see, oxen were used to work the soil. The prick or goad was a necessary devise. The prick was usually a wooden shaft with a pointed spike (prick) at one end. The man working the ox would position the goad in such a way as to exert influence and control over the ox. You see, if the ox refused the command indicated by the farmer, the goad would be used to jab or prick the ox. Sometimes the ox would refuse this incentive by kicking out at the prick. As result, the prick would be driven deeper into the flesh of the rebellious animal. The more the animal rebelled, the more the animal suffered. Hence, the statement to Saul: "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." Saul was rebelling against God, God had no doubt been drawing Saul and Saul was using his “free will” to resist. As a result, Saul got knocked off his horse, was personally confronted by the Lord Himself, and was then blinded! God knows exactly how to bring a rebellious elect child to the end of himself, even if it takes the most drastic of measures! Saul’s “free will” was broken as it collided with God’s sovereign and predestined plan for him. God knew it would take this. And God timed it just right. Everything according to divine plan. Notice… Saul had free will… but so did our Sovereign and All-Powerful GOD.




God will NEVER subordinate His sovereignty to man’s choices. Even when God permits a man's choices to affect creation, it is in accordance to God's sovereign divine plan. God subordinating His sovereignty and providence to the will of man would lead to absolute chaos. Is God the author of confusion? Nope. Imagine, in your view… Saul could have still resisted God. Would God have a “plan B”? Might Saul have already been a “plan E”??? How many Epistles should have been written by how many people who resisted??? What if God willed to save a man, and that man resisted and resisted and finally decided that it’s okay to serve God now. Then, another man, in his free will, gets into his car drunk on the same night the first man is on his way to church and BAM!, they crash into one another killing both! Poor God… I guess He really wanted that man saved… and finally got through to him…only to have another man’s free will hijack the whole plan.

God’s plan is working in perfect precision. The elect are being saved. And it is to reach the elect that we preach.

Man has free will. However,... so does GOD.

Sure God has some things planned ahead. But predestination precludes some from ever having a chance to be saved. God is not willing that any should perish. God does not have to have a complete blueprint with total control to be sovereign.