RE: The free will argument demonstrates that christians don't understand free will.
May 2, 2014 at 6:22 pm
(May 2, 2014 at 3:12 pm)RobbyPants Wrote: You already admitted that better world exists: heaven. You already said that we can have all those problems fixed. Now, either we have free will in heaven, but only do good, or we don't have free will in heaven. Either way, Christians assert that heaven is better than earth and whichever existence it is (free will but we're always good, or no free will) is by definition better.With respect to the issue at hand, ‘the world’ encompasses everything, the whole of reality Anyone can see that this use of ‘the world’ contains both a place of bliss (Heaven), a place where good and evil coexist (Earth), and a place of torment (Hell).
On August 12, 1990 my wife and I exchanged vows. In so doing we chose to be with each other to the exclusion of all others. We have not lost our freedom in anyway by honoring that commitment. In actuality, our commitment to each other has opened up a whole new range of choices. The Bible repeatedly and emphatically compares the relationship between God and his people as a marriage, with Him as the bridegroom and the community of believers as the bride. Heaven is for those who can honor and treasure that relationship. Hell is for those who either turn down the relationship offer or cannot maintain their commitment to it. Either way, God does not force the relationship on anyone.
There is absolutely nothing inconsistent about having a protected place for people who can indefinitely keep their promises nestled in a larger reality that could be the best of all possible worlds. And nothing about people who unceasingly deepen the mutual love between them and their Lord and Savior undermines the liberty they enjoy by foregoing the obsessions and compulsions of sin.
