Some people say God does not care what we do so long as we say we are sorry and as him to forgive us, like go to confession. Others say God controls our life, like we are predestined. I need proof of either, is there an answer?
Answers (5)
If you want to know about God, it only makes sense to read the book He gave for that purpose: the bible.
It is not reliable to let people tell you what the bible says. Many people will make up stuff because they don't know what it says, and many will make up stuff because they wish it would not say what it says. You just have to read it for yourself.
Read a chapter of Proverbs every day. Proverbs has 31 chapters so you can keep your place by just looking at a calendar. There is no religion or nothing in Proverbs and you don't have to believe anything. Just read to find wisdom.
When you are comfortable with that, then read the bible from Romans to 2 Thessalonians over and over until you start to remember what it says. That is the part that applies to Christians.
Here is a book to help you to understand the bible. It's a free download and you can get a hard copy at any bible book store.
www.philologos.org/__eb-htetb/
"How To Enjoy The Bible".
God dignifies us by allowing us to choose our own course. He has given us the gift of free will. Otherwise humans would be reduced to nothing more than machines doing what they were programmed to do. If God coerced people into following a certain course, it would nullify the gift of free will. The same would be if fate dictated what we do and everything that happens to us.
We can choose whether we will follow God's moral standards or not.
How unloving God would be if before we were born, he predetermined the course we would take and then hold us responsible for our actions. Freedom of choice precludes predestination.
Jeremiah 25:5,6 "turn back, please, everyone from his bad way and from the badness of your dealings, that I may not cause a calamity for you.' This appeal would be pointless if God had already fixed every individuals destiny.
Acts 3:19 says: Repent, therefore, turn around so as to get your sins blotted out.
Why would God ask people to repent and turn around if he knew beforehand that they could do absolutely nothing to change their destiny.
Deuteronomy 30:19,20 I have put life and death before you, the blessings and the malediction, and you must choose life in order that you may keep alive, you and your offspring, by loving Jehovah your God, by listening to his voice, and by sticking to him.
Jehovah want us all to make the right choices in life, but he will never force us.
People have different opinions about free will. Some say that free will does not really exist because God has already decided all our actions. Others say that free will is possible only if we have absolute freedom. However, the Bible teaches that we were created with the ability and freedom to make intelligent personal choices.
At Joshua 24:15 he speaks to the nation of Israel: "Now if it seems bad to you to serve Jehovah, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, whether the gods that your forefathers served on the other side of the River or the gods of the Amʹor·ites in whose land you are dwelling. But as for me and my household, we will serve Jehovah.”
A key part of our mental and emotional makeup is free will. Yes, God implanted in us the faculty of freedom of choice. It was indeed a wonderful gift from him.
As for God being in control: The Bible teachings provide clear answers. Mankind will not die off from pollution, lack of food and water, or a global pandemic. The world will not be destroyed in a nuclear holocaust because God is in control of our planet’s future. Granted, God has allowed humans to exercise free will. However, they will reap the consequences for their decisions. (Galatians 6:7)
God has a required way for seeking and receiving his forgiveness. A person must acknowledge his sin, recognize that it is an offense against God, confess it unqualifiedly, have a deep heartfelt sorrow for the wrong done, and have a determination to turn from such a course or practice. ( 2Co 7:8-11) He must do what he can to right the wrong or damage done. (Mt 5:23, 24) Then he must pray to God, asking for forgiveness on the basis of Christ’s ransom sacrifice. Now concerning free will. No normal person wants his life taken out of his control so completely. Because of the way God made us. The Bible tells us that God created man in his ‘image and likeness,’ and one of the faculties God himself has is freedom of choice. (Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 7:6) When he created humans, he gave them that same wonderful faculty—the gift of free will. That is one reason why we find it frustrating to be enslaved by oppressive rulers.
So the desire for freedom is no accident, for God is a God of freedom. The Bible says: “Where the spirit of Jehovah is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17). God gave us free will as part of our very makeup. Since he knew the way our minds and emotions would work, he knew that we would be happiest with free will.
For more information on this subject and others, please go to jw.org "Online Library." Also for free downloads publications or read online.
Of course we have free will. God has given us an intellect - the gift to choose. However, the road is already paved, we can't change the road. But the car is in our hands, we can go left or right, fast or slow, stop or move on. Therefore, God has given us free will for today, for our current actions - we are in command of them. But what about those actions which we did in the past that has become our Karma and that unfolds in our life as a circumstance? That is the reaction of our part actions.
You have free will. God gives you the choice of following him or the world. Just like with drugs or alcohol, you can either choose them or you can choose him. It's ultimately your decision, for everything. But remember that if you believe you must show it. Physically and mentally. you can't believe and then do the opposite of what God wants from you on purpose. But you choose to... and he knows what you will choose, but he doesn't make you pick him.