Can God . . .

The last question we posed, "Can God make a rock bigger than He can lift", is one that cannot be answered with a yes or no. It is what is known as a dilemma. Often times skeptics use such questions in an attempt to discredit arguments of faith. The dilemma can be a useful tool in some cases. A good come-back to the skeptic that asks such a question is "Well did you quit beating your wife yet?" To answer this question with a yes or no would be to admit something which you may have never done. The person who has never, ever, beat his wife would instinctively answer no because he had never started. But without explanation a no answer implies that he still does it. You get the idea.

The new "Batman" movie is out. I happened to see a review on the news the other night and it looked to be somewhat interesting. It has been getting a lot of time on the local talk shows. Seems that some think it is perhaps a satire on the war in Iraq or a commentary on the battle of good and evil.

One show that I rarely get to hear all of is the one with Steve Deace on WHO in the late afternoon. I heard bits and pieces of his show on Monday. I have grown to appreciate a good deal of what Steve says on several subjects. However he frequently presents his "Christian world view" of the nature of man. In his view, man is absolutely, totally depraved. I have never heard him defend this position from the scriptures, only imply that all thinking Christians share this view. Now he may have defended this position on some occasion that I was not a part of the audience.

Your new question then is "Is man totally depraved from birth?" Please defend your position.

How did God accomplish this?

God's plan was perfect. Because He knew what man would do He was able to plan accordingly.

Oftentimes we play "what if". "what if man does this, what will I do?" God did not play "what if". His foreknowledge is so great it is not a case if but when! By knowing perfectly what man is going to do, God does not have to manipulate nor micro manage people's lives to accomplish His purpose.
In this way man is still a "free moral agent" with the freedom and power to choose.

God then accomplished His will and His plan by knowing exactly what man would do and planning accordingly. No second guessing, no coercion, no mistakes.

So far we have been dealing with some very serious questions. I wish now to pose one that is serious yet somewhat lighter. This question requires a yes or no answer, and then a defense of that answer. Here goes. "Can God who is all powerful make a rock bigger than he can lift?"

God's Plan According To Foreknowledge

In light of the fact that it is difficult for us to know what will happen in the next 15 minutes, the foreknowledge of God is nearly incomprehensible. How can He know what will happen1000 years from now? The comforting thing in this is that we don't necessarily need to understand fully, only to realize it is true. The scriptures make it unmistakably clear that His plan was formulated before the world was created. II Timothy 1:9

We tend to understand things in light of the human experience. Man does things by trial and error. Ever hear of someone with a "plan B" to use when plan A fails? God is not like that! Since He is all-knowing He knows that His plans will work. He does not need a "Plan B".

Consider that God made His plan before He made the world. Therefore at the appropriate time God gave the Law to Moses. Then when time was full God sent His son to fulfill the law and die on the cross for us. At the proper time Christ will come again! Sounds rather simple doesn't it. Yet that is the plan of God in a nutshell. Because God knew that man would sin of his own free will He made provisions to redeem and reconcile man to Himself.

Thought question: How did God accomplish this?
Happy pondering.