October 20, 2024 / 3 Minute Read
a hard knock life
For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:29
For many years, I struggled to synthesize the biblical concepts of free will and predestination.
I couldn’t understand how one could have autonomy in life while simultaneously being bound to a predetermined fate.
Do our decisions really matter?
Can fate truly be changed?
After a fair amount of meditation, prayer, and research, I think I’ve come to the conclusion of the matter.
Life is like a video game.
Just think about it…
In a video game, YOU are in control of your character.
You have free will.
However, there are certain barriers and parameters that your character can’t cross.
You can only operate within the in-game map.
You can only activate animations that have been assigned to the character.
You can only interact with certain individuals to progress the story.
While players are able to move around and interact with the world freely, they are unable to change the core mechanics of the game, such as the dialogue of cutscenes or the cannon ending of the story.
Every mission, interaction, and conversation is known and created beforehand, or in other words, predestined.
One difficulty in the discussion of predestination vs. free will is the common understanding of free will being the absolute freedom to do anything we choose. This is not how the Bible presents free will, nor does it match reality. Our freedom is always limited by our circumstances and our nature: e.g., we are limited in our “freedom” to fly because we are not, by nature, birds; and we are subject to physical laws such as gravity and aerodynamics.
We have a free will in the sense that we are capable of making moral choices. However, human beings do not truly have a free will, as popularly defined.
We have a will. We can make decisions. Biblically speaking, we have the responsibility to respond to what God has revealed to us, including His call to believe the gospel (John 1:12; 3:16; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9–10; Revelation 22:17). But, again, our will is not truly “free” because we have constraints that shape our decisions.
Via: https://www.gotquestions.org/predestination-vs-free-will.html
When playing a video game, the player appears to have free will.
Yet, they can only do what the game allows.
I believe the same is true of our physical world.
To us, it seems like we’re in control.
In reality, it is God who plans our steps and ultimately decides where we will go.
There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel—that will stand.
Proverbs 19:21
If life is a game, then God is the game developer.
While it may seem like our characters have autonomy, they are limited by the barriers instituted and enforced by the Creator.
We walk on roads that have already been paved.
We live out stories that have already been written.
Have faith that yours will be glorious.
Bye Chance.
references
https://www.gotquestions.org/predestination-vs-free-will.html
by chance 