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How do we know there's a God? What is he like?

If God knows everything, how can there be free will?

Postby Big Mac » Thu Oct 04, 2018 3:23 pm

If God has foreknowledge of everything, how is is possible that we have free will?
Firs off I'd like to preface this question by saying that yes, I do understand that this has been asked 1,000 times, and yes, I have looked into this question on this subreddit. However, I feel as if I haven't seen an answer that I can truly understand so I thought it would be helpful if I phrase it exactly how I want and be able to ask follow-up questions to anyone who replies. Here goes and thanks for reading!
If God knows 100% what will happen in the future, then there is nothing that I can do to change that. God knows exactly what I'll do in 10 years, whether or not I'll be in a relationship, I can't change that. God knows what I will do in 10 minutes, whether or not I'll make that sandwich, I can't change that. God knows what I'll do in 10 seconds, whether or not I'll carry on writing this post, I can't change that. In fact, God has known for literally forever that at exactly this time I'll be typing these exact letters on my phone keyboard, and there is nothing that I can do to change that because God is omnipotent and has foreknowledge of everything.

I've heard some people trying explaining how what I've just described is not correct because:

1. If I do X, God knows I will do X

2. If I don't do X, because I have free will, and I choose Y, then God knows that I've chosen Y (This may be wrong so feel free to correct me)

The problem I have with this is that it assumes that I make my decision first before God knows what will happen which is impossible because He has foreknowledge of everything. How can I choose to do Y if God knows that in exactly 10 seconds I'll do X. This would only work if we were to make all our decisions in a place where God doesn't have foreknowledge (impossible) and only once we have made these free-will decisions be put back in reality where God knows our free-will choices. Additionally, the answer seems very vague and doesn't seem like an actually explanation at all.

Again, thanks for reading and I hope I'll be able to get my head around this :).
Big Mac
 

Re: If God knows everything, how can there be free will?

Postby jimwalton » Sat Nov 03, 2018 12:15 pm

God can know everything, and we can still have free will, because knowledge is not causative. Because I know something doesn't make anything happen, and never can. Knowledge is never causative; only power is causative. Suppose you and I were good friends, and I knew you loved chocolate, and every time we go somewhere you order a chocolate dessert. Every time. My knowing that never causes you to order chocolate, or to order something else. But supposing I was 100 times smarter than I am now. Nothing changes—my knowledge of you causes nothing in you. Knowledge isn't causative. But suppose I'm omniscient? No different. Knowledge isn't causative, knowledge isn't determinative.

It's also possible that for God, who is outside of time, time is not linear. He may be able to see all of history simultaneously just because of how he sees, not because he has forced it all to happen. And if God is not bound by linear time, his 100% knowledge of our free will choices neither makes us determined nor devoid of free will. His knowledge doesn't negate our free will. Therefore, our choices are really free will choices after all.

There's nothing in the Bible claiming that God's foreknowledge is deterministic. As I said, knowledge is not causative. If for God time is not linear, then he can know without having dictated a distinct direction of behavior. In other words, alternate possibilities are always in the mix, but God see all and knows which possibility any given individual will choose without having determined it.


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