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by Flynn444 on October 13th, 2006

Flynn444

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If the reason God allows suffering and evil in the world is to preserve our free will, then why does the Bible have him violating free will in the past?

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Answers. 6 helpful answers below.

  • by SABOTEUR on November 20th, 2009

    SABOTEUR

    Amazing!

    You've PROVEN there is no GOD!

    How's it feel to be able to RELAX now and not have to worry about it?

    Man, I envy YOU.

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  • by Perryman on October 13th, 2006

    Perryman

    When God created humans, among the many marvelous gifts he gave them was free will.
    I do not know what you mean by saying that "God has violated free will in the past".
    Mankinds' willfull rebellion introduced sin and suffering.

    The Bible tells us that God created man in his ‘image and likeness,’ and one of the qualities God has is freedom of choice. (Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 7:6) Thus, when he created humans, he gave them that same wonderful quality,the gift of free will.
    That is why we prefer freedom rather than enslavement by oppressive rulers. It is why resentment builds up against harsh and stifling rule so that people often revolt to gain freedom.
    The desire for freedom is no accident. The Bible gives the underlying reason. It states: “Where the spirit of Jehovah is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)
    So wanting freedom is part of our nature because God created us that way. It is something that he wants us to have because he himself is the God of freedom.
    2 Corinthians 3:17.

    God also gave us the mental abilities, such as the powers of perception, reason, and judgment, that work in harmony with free will. These enable us to think, weigh matters, make decisions, and distinguish right from wrong. (Hebrews 5:14) We were not created to be like mindless robots that have no will of their own; nor were we created to act primarily out of instinct, as were the animals.
    However, was the marvelous gift of free will to be without limits? Well, would you care to drive an automobile in heavy traffic if there were no traffic regulations, where you were free to drive in any lane, in any direction, at any speed? Of course, the results of such unlimited freedom in traffic would be catastrophic.
    It is the same in human relations. Unlimited freedom for some would mean no freedom for others. Unrestricted freedom can result in anarchy, which damages everybody’s freedom. There must be limits. Therefore, God’s gift of freedom does not mean that he purposed for humans to behave in any manner without considering the welfare of others.
    God’s Word says on this point: “Behave like free men, and never use your freedom as an excuse for wickedness.” (1 Peter 2:16, The Jerusalem Bible) So God wants our free will to be regulated for the common good. He did not purpose for humans to have total freedom, but relative freedom, subject to the rule of law.
    Whose laws were we designed to obey? Whose laws work best for us? Another part of the scripture at 1 Peter 2:16 noted above states: “You are slaves of no one except God.” This does not mean an oppressive slavery but, rather, that we were created to be in subjection to God’s laws. We are the happier if we stay subject to them.
    God’s laws, more than any code of laws that could be devised by humans, provide the very best guide for everybody.

    Humans are also subject to God’s physical laws. For instance, if we ignore the law of gravity and jump off a high place, we will get injured or killed. If we stay underwater without a special breathing apparatus, we will die in minutes. And if we ignore our internal laws for the body and stop eating food or drinking water, we will also die.
    So we can certainly choose to ignore God's laws, and thus suffer the consequences, or we can choose to heed God's reminders, and thus reap the blessings.

    Source material: scriptures cited an Awake! Magazine 10/8/90 pages 6 thru 7

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  • by Captain4876 on December 5th, 2009

    Captain4876

    It's because suffering isn't allowed for the purpose of preserving our free will, that is an unbiblical lie.

    All things happen according to God's will. [Ephesians 1:1] Free will and Predestination work in a paradoxic concursus, meaning that While God works all things according to God's will, all things also work freely according to our will.

    For example, If God predestined for us to throw a cup at a wall, we would throw the cup- yet freely by our own choice. While it has been predestined, we are still responsible for the action. This was a doctrine formed by Calvin in the 1500's.

    The second thing you must consider is that we live in a fallen world. Suffering and evil exist because we have fallen away from God, rejected him, and are now in judgement under him. Therefore, all evil that exists in our world is an indirect result of the sin that exists in our world.

    Lastly, While we may freely choose to cause evil, it does not escape God's sovereignty. However, while we may intend it for evil, God intends it ultimately for Good [Genesis 50:20].

    There's a lot more to do with suffering in the Bible, it's basically a book on suffering. Christians are meant to suffer [1 Peter 4:12-19]. Just let me know if you have any more questions.

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  • by Weird Science on November 29th, 2009

    Weird Science

    God does not exist, and the Bible is a bunch of stories people made up, it's a bunch of BS basically. That is why :)

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  • by Moongrim on November 20th, 2009

    Moongrim

    God makes the rules.

    Therefore he can do anything he wants to violate free will and you'll have a kazillion believers saying that he didn't violate free will.

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  • by clmarch on November 20th, 2009

    clmarch

    I think this question is difficult to answer because it isn't stated if you are discussing free will with regards to Philosophy, Theology, or Science. Can you clarify?

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