Free Will

Dear Brother Ron

Can an all knowing creator truly grant it's creations free will? I am assuming being all knowing implies knowledge of all events past, present, and future. This would mean such a creator knows all events that would befall it's creations and the actions they will take. I am having trouble seeing how this precognition can exist without predetermination. After all, how can the future be known if it can be altered? And if this predetermination exists, on what grounds can we say these creations have free will?

Seeker

Dear Seeker

Your statements only make sense if you believe the future is predetermined. What if probability is a dimension like height, width, depth and time? Think of it this way: I have the freedom to move left or right, up or down, backwards or forward. Similarly, we all face daily choices about our movements, spending, eating and a number of other factors. Often we do not know what choice we will make until we make it.

Each choice results in consequences. Some of those are minor. Others change our entire lives. Some can even result in death. But, like our movements, none are predetermined.Fortunately God is Lord of all dimensions, including probability. He knows the choices we will make and has designed His plan so perfectly that, no matter what choices we make, we can't mess it up.

Think of it this way-let's say you go to a lake. The lake is calm and the surface is smooth. So you decide to shake things up by throwing a large rock into the lake. There's a big splash and ripples quickly spread across the entire lake. But eventually the ripples die down and everything is the way it was before you threw the rock.

That's kind of how God works. His design for us is so big and so perfectly designed that even a jerk like me can't mess it up. For this, I am eternally grateful.

Best always
Brother Ron