God and time

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Radar

Puritan Board Freshman
I was considering the "God is outside of time"/"God sees the whole timeline at once" line of argumentation that predominantly is used by free willers. They like this in order to say that although God knows all of our future actions, His knowledge is merely descriptive, not determinately prescriptive. Thus all of our free will actions are genuinely free, we can choose to believe or not believe, etc. God merely "sees" our future free will actions from the perspective of His being "ahead" of us on the timeline.

To my knowledge, viewing God's foreknowledge in this way is not scripturally supported. I would think that God speaks unto us the proper perspective that He wants us to have.

Thus, He says, "before the foundation of the world," not "after the destruction of the world."

He says "from the beginning," not "after the ending."

He says "before time began," not "after time ended."

He says "Before the twins had done anything," not "after the twins had done everything."

Finally, He says "before they spring into being, I announce them to you," rather than "after I already witnessed them fully sprung into being, I descriptively forewarn you of them."

God seemingly goes to great pains to make sure we understand Him to be communicating a sure decree, not a description of events He merely knows about because He sees the whole timeline at once, and can speak to us now much like a time traveller from the future could.

Just my thoughts.
 
Eternal God and Temporal Man

With great hesitancy I respond to this subject - I am so infinitely finite when it comes to discerning our beloved Sovereign God. Given this acknowledgment, let am attempt to lucidly express my thoughts.
It is said, "God is outside of time." I, in part, agree with that statement. God made this "time-space-continuum" we call "[i:aa1ec90913]life[/i:aa1ec90913]" for mankind. Either through various theophanies of old or through the incarnation of our beloved Saviour, our Sovereign God has been impacting this "[i:aa1ec90913]T-S-C[/i:aa1ec90913]" since He first created it.
As to His thinking and pronounced statements relative to events, actions, etc. that can be observed in this "[i:aa1ec90913]T-S-C[/i:aa1ec90913]", I believe our KING is best understood as we give ear to HIS eternal Sovereign Decrees.
I am persuaded that problems of understanding and clear thinking often occur due to:
1. the lack of understanding of certain words:
a.) the genesis of those words
b.) the history of those words
2. the inappropriate application of such words due to the reality of #1.

We are, indeed, a most pitiful people. Apart from the sweet Holy Spirit and His loving illumination relative of the Holy Writ, we would certainly have darkness as a constant in all realms of reality.
 
[quote:a1573c3e4e][i:a1573c3e4e]Originally posted by Radar[/i:a1573c3e4e]
I was considering the "God is outside of time"/"God sees the whole timeline at once" line of argumentation that predominantly is used by free willers. They like this in order to say that although God knows all of our future actions, His knowledge is merely descriptive, not determinately prescriptive. Thus all of our free will actions are genuinely free, we can choose to believe or not believe, etc. God merely "sees" our future free will actions from the perspective of His being "ahead" of us on the timeline.

[/quote:a1573c3e4e]


A quick rebuke to their theology


Psalm 14:2,3
2The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
3They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one



Psalm 53:2,3


2God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
3Every one of them has turned aside;
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.


Wow repetetive? Maybe God is trying to tell them something ?
 
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