He has ultimate authority over whether we are saved after death, but we have the capacity to do as we please. Biblically speaking all of God’s creations are like this, hence the devil choosing to rebel.
So, correct me if I'm wrong but what it seems like you're saying is that for all intents and purposes while we are alive here on this plane of existence God isn't really in control of anything?....that's like the exact opposite of what the first guy who I responded to said. In my opinion God is either 100% in control of everything or it's not actually God (by definition.)
It is difficult to interpret the true meaning of certain Biblical texts because a lot is likely to be allegorical and described in ways that made sense to those of the era, using familiar frames of reference. It is slightly more confusing for us in the modern era. I used to be an atheist myself, so I understand the difficulty when trying to connect to God through the texts alone. From what I can gather from experience, God has a plan for us all (i.e fate). However, it is more over-arching and He doesn’t control us like pieces on a chess board, although He theoretically could. I think the purpose of that ‘hands off’ approach is to allow individual growth. We know ourselves that the result of being extremely controlling tends to be rebellion, so that strategy is unviable.
So He is in control of us, but tends to use that power sparingly. Prayer is an example of His ability to do that. For example, If I repeatedly ask Him to help me improve my mental health, He will direct, guide and inspire me to do things and feel things I wouldn’t have ordinarily done. He will navigate your actions in such a fashion that leads you to the answer to your prayers. So this is what is meant by Him ruling us.
As for control of the world itself, the devil being in control of it is perhaps a nod to the harshness of nature and the temptations it can cause. It seems likely that the devil is responsible for that environment. Now, my interpretation of the world is that it was possibly created for HUMANS to rule over, which is why we are given, in the Bible, jurisdiction over the animals. It’s also probably why Jesus (God in human form) will be King of the World when He returns. The Garden of Eden is God trying to teach humanity how to rule over and maintain this beautiful home He has given us. Unfortunately the devil meddled and did something (known as biting the apple) that altered our state and made us self-conscious way too early in our evolution. We were not capable of ruling the world at that point (maybe still too animalistic and 3 Dimensional?). The devil managed to snatch control of the world from humans and God has been trying to help us get control back ever since. However, we must be ready and capable to do it. We all must be capable of resisting temptation and being totally kind-hearted to do so. Life is a part of that purification process and when our life ends, we shall one day return to take back what is rightfully ours.
This is just my interpretation of things, obviously others may think differently and perhaps I’ve got some things wrong, or some right. I hope this helps a bit. I’m sorry you’ve been downvoted, it’s never a nice thing, Happy New Year and may God bless you.
God is NOT in control of your choices. Or mine. God does not control his children in that way.
The key to understanding scripture correctly is to understand how human responsibility factors into God's providential work. Calvin's predestination model is wrong, and so is the idea that God is in control of everything. God's vision and ideal was ALWAYS a joint project, where his children have a responsibility that cannot be ignored.
You mustn’t forget that God is in a fight with the devil. God rules the people, and the devil rules the world.
Oh, so God isn't in control?
He has ultimate authority over whether we are saved after death, but we have the capacity to do as we please. Biblically speaking all of God’s creations are like this, hence the devil choosing to rebel.
So, correct me if I'm wrong but what it seems like you're saying is that for all intents and purposes while we are alive here on this plane of existence God isn't really in control of anything?....that's like the exact opposite of what the first guy who I responded to said. In my opinion God is either 100% in control of everything or it's not actually God (by definition.)
It is difficult to interpret the true meaning of certain Biblical texts because a lot is likely to be allegorical and described in ways that made sense to those of the era, using familiar frames of reference. It is slightly more confusing for us in the modern era. I used to be an atheist myself, so I understand the difficulty when trying to connect to God through the texts alone. From what I can gather from experience, God has a plan for us all (i.e fate). However, it is more over-arching and He doesn’t control us like pieces on a chess board, although He theoretically could. I think the purpose of that ‘hands off’ approach is to allow individual growth. We know ourselves that the result of being extremely controlling tends to be rebellion, so that strategy is unviable.
So He is in control of us, but tends to use that power sparingly. Prayer is an example of His ability to do that. For example, If I repeatedly ask Him to help me improve my mental health, He will direct, guide and inspire me to do things and feel things I wouldn’t have ordinarily done. He will navigate your actions in such a fashion that leads you to the answer to your prayers. So this is what is meant by Him ruling us.
As for control of the world itself, the devil being in control of it is perhaps a nod to the harshness of nature and the temptations it can cause. It seems likely that the devil is responsible for that environment. Now, my interpretation of the world is that it was possibly created for HUMANS to rule over, which is why we are given, in the Bible, jurisdiction over the animals. It’s also probably why Jesus (God in human form) will be King of the World when He returns. The Garden of Eden is God trying to teach humanity how to rule over and maintain this beautiful home He has given us. Unfortunately the devil meddled and did something (known as biting the apple) that altered our state and made us self-conscious way too early in our evolution. We were not capable of ruling the world at that point (maybe still too animalistic and 3 Dimensional?). The devil managed to snatch control of the world from humans and God has been trying to help us get control back ever since. However, we must be ready and capable to do it. We all must be capable of resisting temptation and being totally kind-hearted to do so. Life is a part of that purification process and when our life ends, we shall one day return to take back what is rightfully ours.
This is just my interpretation of things, obviously others may think differently and perhaps I’ve got some things wrong, or some right. I hope this helps a bit. I’m sorry you’ve been downvoted, it’s never a nice thing, Happy New Year and may God bless you.
God is NOT in control of your choices. Or mine. God does not control his children in that way.
The key to understanding scripture correctly is to understand how human responsibility factors into God's providential work. Calvin's predestination model is wrong, and so is the idea that God is in control of everything. God's vision and ideal was ALWAYS a joint project, where his children have a responsibility that cannot be ignored.