Does God choose man or does man choose God?

[Dave Slayer]

Does God choose man or does man choose God? Which is more Biblical?

 

[Heidi]

Does God choose man or does man choose God? Which is more Biblical?

Dave, you really need to read the bible because all the answers to all your questions are right in there. God chooses man; "You did not choose me, I chose you." "No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." Ephesians 1:4, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world..."
And many, many, many other verses about God choosing man, not man choosing God.

But a lot of people don't like the fact that there is a higher intelligence in the universe who rules the universe whether they claim to be Christians or not. So they'll fight tooth and nail to make the bible contradict itself so they can take credit for whatever good is in their lives. Again, that's self-righteousness" which is the yeast of the Pharisee.

 

[bodhitharta]

God has chosen man from the beginning. We must understand that God is not a liar or a hypocrite. God would not have given Adam a command that was not a true command.

 

[Joe67]

I am thankful to God, the Father, and the Lord, Jesus Christ that they have preserved the record of Job, that we can see the relationship that God has to a self-justifying servant of the Lord.

Job was self-justifying, he was reproved; first through Elihu, then twice by God's communication.

Job repented,though he had not disobeyed. He said that he was "vile."

Then God gave Job the ministry to pray for the 3 "friends."

Job's captivity was turned. He was delivered/saved in ministry.

Job did not choose his loss or his boils. He did not choose whom to minister or how and what to minister. Through this process, repentance and salvation came to Job, though he was an obedient servant from the beginning of the process.

Joe

 

[follower of Christ]

Does God choose man or does man choose God? Which is more Biblical?

Both are biblical.
Some folks just go to one absurd extreme or another and miss the fact that without freedom to choose mans creation has no purpose whatsoever.

 

[follower of Christ]

Dave, you really need to read the bible because all the answers to all your questions are right in there. God chooses man; "You did not choose me, I chose you." "No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." Ephesians 1:4, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world..."
And many, many, many other verses about God choosing man, not man choosing God.

And there is an entire bible FULL of instruction for man to DO of his own free will what God instructs him to DO and to REPENT and COME to God in obedience.
You seem to push half of the picture as absolute and ignore what you dont like.

But a lot of people don't like the fact that there is a higher intelligence in the universe who rules the universe whether they claim to be Christians or not. So they'll fight tooth and nail to make the bible contradict itself so they can take credit for whatever good is in their lives. Again, that's self-righteousness" which is the yeast of the Pharisee.

And other forms of the 'yeast' teach perversions that make mans creation a pitiful mockery of Gods ability by stripping man of any ability to CHOOSE to obey and love his Creator...and thus all creation is a laughable joke, entirely without point or meaning...

 

[Reformed]

Both are biblical.
Some folks just go to one absurd extreme or another and miss the fact that without freedom to choose mans creation has no purpose whatsoever.

Man has the freedom to choose, but not in a libertarian fashion.

 

[Heidi]

Both are biblical.
Some folks just go to one absurd extreme or another and miss the fact that without freedom to choose mans creation has no purpose whatsoever.

Man has the freedom to choose, but not in a libertarian fashion.

Again, more unbiblical statements. Your statement comes from the mind of man, not the word of God.

The sinful nature cannot choose God. (Romans 8:8-9, 2 Corinthians 4:4, John 6;64-65, to name a few). Only the power of he Holy Spirit can give one the ability to believe. Your beliefs come from the secular world who doesn't believe that a higher intelligence runs the universe. The following is among the many, many, many verses that tell us that God is the actually controlling the events in the universe including the minds & hearts of men:

Isaiah 54:16, "For I the Lord have created the destroyer to work havoc...

"Isaiah 19:14, "The Lord poured into them a spirit of dizziness, they make Egypt stagger in all that she does..."

Job 12:24, "He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he sends them wandering through a trackless waste. They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards."

1 Samuel 16:14, "Now the spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him."

2 Thessalonians 2:ll "For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness."

Revelation 17:17, "For God put it into their hearts to accomplish His purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled."

DT. 28;28, "The Lord will afflict you with madness."

Jeremiah 15:4, "I will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did to Israel."

DT. 4:27, "The Lord will scatter you among the peoples and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you." In fact, most of Deuteronomy and for that matter, most of the bible tells us what THE LORD DOES and WILL DO.

Jeremiah 10:23, "I know O Lord, that a man's life is not his own. It is not for a man to direct his steps."

Proverbs 16:9, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

Romans 9:18, "Therefore, God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy and hardens whom he wants to harden."

There are so many more verses about the fact that God is controlling man that I would have to practically quote the whole bible to list them all!

But unfortunately, most people don't read or know the whole bible. They read a few verses, then make up beliefs in their imaginations about who God is rather than learn it from God himself in his word.

But there are others who do read the bible but don't like the fact that God controls the hearts and minds of man. So they too make up their own stories instead of relying on God's word. So my advice; read and believe the bible. Only then will you know who God is and what He does.

 

[Rebel]

God calls all men to salvation, but he leaves the choice up to them.

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:" Acts 17:30

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:" Deut. 30:19 (God speaking to Israel, pleading with them to choose life)