The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum A burning question

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]Does he, say, have all the possibilities mapped out, and if we do this then this happens (cause and effect)?</font><hr></blockquote><p>I have never been comfortable, either intellectually or otherwise with anything that even implies that "God knew..... therefore He did, etc." What I find especially objectionable is the example Marcus gave, "God knew all the possibilities of would happen and therefore designed a contingency plan for all possible scenarios." [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/rolleyes.gif" alt="rolleyes" title="rolleyes[/img] The most odious, to the senses and the one which is taught in Scripture is that God determined, foreordained, decreed ALL THINGS, even down to the movement of the smallest particle of matter, and [color:red]thus</font color=red> He knew what would be. God's "foreknowledge" is derived from His eternal counsel and not vice versa. From this truth, we are seemingly forced to then make an apology by stating, "But God is not the author of sin!!!" and likewise affirming, "Secondary causes are upheld, not doing violation to the volition of the creature", etc. Fine and dandy... these things are true.<br><br>Incontrovertibly, God (fore)ordained the Fall and man's redemption in Christ AND holds each and every human being responsible for their own sin and corruption. When Adam fell, he died. And so, everyone of his progeny are born into this world with the stain of guilt upon their record by imputation and the corruption of soul by inheritance. How can these things be? Paul effectively deals with this issue in Romans 9. After dashing the objections to the ground and revealing the progression of salvation with the rejection of the Jews and inclusion of the Gentiles, he finds himself overwhelmed by these incredibly profound truths and exclaims:<blockquote>Romans 11:33-36 (ASV) "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him [be] the glory for ever. Amen."</blockquote>Should we not to likewise? . . . "to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved:"<br><br>1 Timothy 1:17 (ASV) [color:blue]"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, [be] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."</font color=blue><br><br>In His Grace,