Bubba said:
Francisdesales,
I like what you wrote, yet, how does it fit with this notion of foreknowledge presented often at this forum, that God knows those who will say yes to Jesus and then predestines them, in respect to your explaination "Things in this world can ONLY happen the way God intends BECAUSE He sees all NOW"? I believe that God determines those who are His for no other reason then His good pleasure. Your quote sounds a lot like a Roman Catholic priest who tried to reform the church of his day... Martin Luther. He said "all things happen out of necessity, but not out of compulsion".
Grace, Bubba
Bubba,
First of all, I would like to state a caveat - this is all speculation on my part - I am certainly not "in the know" on how God sees things!! With that said, however, we can use some rational thought to try to come to grips on the difficult question of predestination.
Unbeknowest to many, the Catholic Church does believe in predestination, although there are several "acceptable" theories on God's "foreknowledge" and man's "merit" and how they coincide. Grace and free will is a question that will never be fully understood in this life, I think. Thus, I, as a Catholic, can be quite flexible on how I approach this - as long as I don't travel into the heresies of double predestination or Semi-Pelagianism.
Now, technically speaking, God does not have "foreknowledge", because there is no "future" for God. Certainly, God knows what will happen to us in the future because He is currently viewing our past, present and future NOW! But because these all run together in "God's time", there is no foreknowledge or planning for contingencies. God doesn't have to "wonder" if man will foul up the plans of God because they are happening and have already happened, so to speak.
As to Martin Luther, he did say some interesting things, although I do think he went too far on the question of man's inherently evil self. In other words, that man is a beast that either the devil or God "rides". I don't subscribe to that theory, nor did the Church - ever. There has ALWAYS been an element of cooperation in the relationship between man and God, even in the OT. Commands are given with the expectation of their being followed, which naturally presumes that man is able, with God's grace, to obey them. But this is another subject altogether.
As to God and predestination, God sees who will actively seek Him out and at the same "time", sees how His grace brings that man closer to Him and eventually into union with Him. There are a number of theories on how man and God cooperate. We do know from Scriptures that man cannot merit by his own actions the gift of heaven. We know that his work cannot earn salvation. Thus, no matter how you eventually determine the level of man's cooperation with God's grace (and we know that man can grieve the Holy Spirit), it is ALL from God. St. Augustine said that anything we give to God is merely a return of the gift He has given to us. Thus, our cooperation in of itself is a fruit of His graces, just as the soil of our actions were put into place by the Supreme Gardener.
God will reward those who utilize the gift of grace He has freely given to mankind. How and at what level man plays a role in this is subject to speculation, I think.
Regards