The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Gods Character??

Oops! Methinks you need to backup and start over. First of all, God doesn't "bend" anyone's will, if by "bend" you mean "force", i.e., to that which a person would not do on their own and most willingly. God doesn't nor could He FORCE the human will. Why? Because He would be violating the very nature of the creature He Himself created in His own image. From conception, an individual does whatever he/she desires. CovenantInBlood pointed this fact out to you in his reply. ALL human beings are totally free to choose what the deem most important in any given circumstance, according to their nature.

Secondly, now let's deal with this question with God as the subject. Everything that exists; its beginning, end and all that occurs in between has been foreordained by God from eternity. There isn't even one rogue atom or molecule out there anywhere. Again, EVERYTHING has its origin from God, including it's every moment, purpose and end. There is nothing that is not under God's direct sovereign providence (control) and which has been designed and determined to accomplish God's perfect will.

Isaiah 46:9-11 (ASV) "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; [I am] God, and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not [yet] done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure; calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country; yea, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it."

Isaiah 55:10-11 (ASV) "For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."

Psalms 135:6 (ASV) "Whatsoever Jehovah pleased, that hath he done, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps;"

Proverbs 19:21 (ASV) "There are many devices in a man's heart; But the counsel of Jehovah, that shall stand."

Daniel 4:35 (ASV) "And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?"

There can be no doubt that these two truths, 1) God is absolutely sovereign in both power and authority, and 2) Man is free to choose whatsoever he desires according to his nature and is thus wholly responsible for what he does, when considered as being equally true have a strong tendency to boggle the human mind. So, rather than accepting them as being true, since Scripture indisputably teaches both, men "bend" those truths one way or another. Some even go so far as to deny one or the other or even both. The problem is, when you start twisting the inspired, infallible written Word of God, you consequently bring judgment upon yourself because to do so is to make God a liar and to create for yourself an idol; fashioning something out of your own imagination to replace the one true God.

Let me ask you a question at this point. Do you think that those men who drove the nails into Christ's hands and feet did so against their will? Or, did they crucify Him because they freely wanted to? In other words, do you think that even one of the individuals responsible for the physical crucifixion of Christ or who participated in His crucifixion in any way, from Herod down to those who stood by and mocked Him as He walked by them on the way to Golgotha, did what they did under compulsion; totally against their will?

After we have the above settled.... then I think your second question about Satan, etc,. can be dealt with. But since you begin by making the same unfortunate error, "If God bends my will to go kill someone or to be the man holding some one hostage. . .", it would be fruitless to answer that question until you understand those two basic truths and answer my question.

In His grace,