95 verses of Open Theism...for Godrulz

Response to comment [from a Christian]: 

"List originally organized by ApolgeticJedi...

1. God worked in six day-divided time spans, but rested on the seventh day (Gen 2:1-2)
2. God brought the animals before Adam to see what he would call them. (Gen 2:19)
3. God is uncertain whether they will eat of the Tree of Life after the fall. (Gen 3:22)
4. God repents that he made man. (Gen 6:6)
5. God must patiently wait while the ark is being built (1 Pet 3:20)
6. Satan is willing to wager with God over how the future will turn out. (Job 1:11-12)
7. Abraham challenges God over his promise, and lives! (Gen 15:2-3, 6)
8. God is prevailed upon by Abraham over whether to spare Sodom. (Gen 18:23-33)
9. The angels of God argue with Lot about sleeping in the square (Gen 19:2-4)
10. God learns that Abraham would go to not withhold even his son (Gen 22:12)
11. God is moved by the cries of injustice (Ex. 2:23-25)
12. God agrees with Moses that a backup plan should be prepared. (Ex. 4:1-9)
13. God promised those in the Exodus would reach the promise land, but they don’t. (Deut. 1:8; 1:34)
14. God is uncertain how Israel will react when they see war. (Ex 13:17)
15. God tells Moses He will destroy Israel, but does not. (Ex 32:7-10; Deut 10:10)
16. God tells Moses He will not lead them, but He does (Ex. 33:3-19)
17. God wants to destroy Israel again, but is talked out of it (Num 14:11-12)
18. God sets both a curse and a blessing for Israel to choose. (Deut. 11:26-28)
19. God has faith in the people, that they can do it. (Deut 30:11)
20. God gives the choice of life and death. (Deut. 30:19)
21. God repents when his sets up people that lead others astray. (Deut. 32:36)
22. God promises to drive out the Canaanites, but doesn’t (Josh 3:10; Judg 2:1-3; 3:1-7)
23. Joshua charges that we can choose between good and evil. (Joshua 24:15)
24. God changes His mind about establishing Eli and his sons forever. (1 Sam 2:30)
25. God gives Israel a king before He had planned to. (1 Sam 7:7-8)
26. God had planned to establish Saul forever, but will not. (1 Sam 13:13-14)
27. God repents over making Saul king. (1 Sam 15:10)
28. David believes God can change His mind. (2 Sam 12:21-23)
29. God’s mercy stopped the punishment from completing what He said. (2 Sam 24:16; 2 Chr 21:15)
30. Elijah claims they had two options to choose from. (1 Kings 18:21)
31. God is not always in the wind, fire, and earthquakes. (1 Kings 19:12)
32. God is full of compassion. (Ps 78:38-40)
33. God is limited by man’s decisions (Ps 78:41)
34. God desires new songs (Ps 33:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1).
35. Heed my rebuke demands God, or else (Prov 1:22-27).
36. The span of your life is alterable (Prov. 9:11)
37. Solomon lists chance as a factor in life. (Ecc 9:11)
38. God tells Hezekiah that he will die, then adds years to his life. (2 Kings 20:1-6)
39. God expected His work towards Israel would not be in vain. (Isa 5:1-5)
40. God’s desire is to be allowed to forget our sins. (Isa 43:25).
41. God declares the future, rather than knowing it. (Isa 46:9-11)
42. It is not God that keeps men from being saved. (Isa 59:1)
43. The people were able to grieve the Holy Spirit. (Isa. 63:10)
44. God predicted Israel would repent, but admits He was wrong. (Jer 3:7-10)
45. Ordaining the sacrificing of children never entered God’s mind (Jer 7:31; 19:5; 32:35)
46. God gets tired of repenting. (Jer 15:6)
47. God promises to repent of what He thought to destroy a repenting people. (Jer 18:7-8)
48. God promises to repent of what He says to promote a backslidden people. (Jer 18:9-10)
49. God is uncertain if the people will repent if they hear his message. (Jer 26:2-3)
50. God is uncertain if the people will repent from a written message. (Jer 36:2-3)
51. God does not willingly bring grief on men. (Lam 3:33)
52. God despises the fatalistic viewpoint. (Eze 18:2)
53. God predicts Babylon will take Tyre, but they do not. (Eze 26:7; 29:18)
54. God predicts Babylon will destroy Egypt, but they do not (Eze 30:10)
55. What God wants, is for the wicked to turn from their ways. (Eze 33:11)
56. God becomes heartbroken. (Hosea 11:8-9)
57. God sends a drought to influence his people without success (Amos 4:6-11)
58. Nineveh repents and God refuses to fulfill His prophecy. (Jonah 3:10)
59. Jesus became flesh, who had never been so previously. (John 1:14)
60. The will of men and the will of God need to coincide. (John 7:17)
61. Some people are just born blind. (John 9:1-4)
62. Man has a choice, and God wants him to choose to abide in Him. (John 15:6-7)
63. Jesus is amazed at the unbelief of Israel. (Mark 6:6)
64. Jesus is marveled at the belief of Gentiles (Luke 7:9)
65. The Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God. (Luke 7:30)
66. They could have believed if Satan hadn’t interfered. (Luke 8:12)
67. Jesus teaches about chance meetings. (Luke 10:31)
68. Bad things happen without a reason. (Luke 13:2-5)
69. God wants to destroy Israel, but Jesus convinces God to wait-and-see. (Luke 13:6-9)
70. Woe! Men are responsible for their own actions. (Luke 17:1)
71. Perhaps they will respect the master’s son, says the master. (Luke 20:13)
72. Jesus asks people to come to him. (Matt 11:28).
73. Jesus predicts the last days will not last as long as prophesied. (Matt 24:22)
74. Jesus predicts he will return in His follower’s lifetime. (Mat 24:33-34; 16:28; 10:23; 23:31-36)
75. Jesus says he wanted Israel to rally to him, but they weren’t willing. (Mat 23:37)
76. Jesus left Godliness to become sin and to experience death, for us. (Phil 2:8; Heb 12:12-20)
77. The Father, for the first time, forsakes the Son. (Mat 27:46)
78. The Holy Spirit announces the start of the Last Days that never come. (Acts 2:14-20)
79. People can resist the Holy Spirit in their lives (Acts 7:51)
80. Paul advises to prevent prophecy from happening. (Acts 13:40-41; Hab 1:5)
81. Faith comes from things that men do – namely hearing and reading. (Rom 10:17)
82. God may return to Israel if the Gentiles abuse their position. (Rom 11:20-24)
83. Love is more important to God than a prophecy. (1 Cor 13:1-13)
84. Your prize is not decreed, but is based on how you run. (1 Cor . 9:24)
85. God changes His mind about keeping the Sabbaths. (Col 2:16)
86. God wants all to be saved. (1 Tim. 2:3)
87. God’s will is that men abstain from sexual immorality. (1 Thess 4:3)
88. Jesus must wait for his enemies to become His footstool. (Heb 10:12-13)
89. God does not pick one person over another (Gal 2:6)
90. If you do these things, your election will be made sure. (2 Peter 1:10)
91. The Holy Spirit counsels everyone to decide to come to Christ. (2 Peter 3:9)
92. Temptation originates apart from God’s decree but from our own will. (James 1:13-15)
93. God very strongly desires that we follow Him and not the world. (James4:5)
94. There is time in heaven. (Rev. 8:1; 6:10; 22:2)
95. The water of life is offered to whoever wills. (Rev 22:17)

And one of my favorites, very early on, why did God ask Adam, "Where are you". There is no good answer for Calvin. The Bible says Adam hid from God, so that is that. Some say God knew where he was but wanted to test Adam to see what he would say. Could be, but that doesn't help the Calvinist. It means Adam still had to choose to answer God, and God didn't know his answer."

On his radio program, Crosswalk, Gino Geraci got a call from a woman who started to pray and then thought "Why am I even doing this?"

I was curious as to how he would answer her. He gave an example (I paraphrase):

Geraci: "Have you ever told your husband that you love him?"

Caller: "Yes."

Geraci: "Do you think he ever wants to hear 'I love you' again?"

We pray to come in line with God's love for us? According to God and book of life "You vil love me!" And this is called a relationship?

People who argue against open theism can at least get the argument right. Geraci says, "For them, God changes (Mal 3:6)."

Do we say that God changes his holiness? No.
Do we say that God changes his character? No.
Do we say that God changes his commitment to righteousness? No.

What do we claim? We claim that the future is not settled.

The caller agreed with Geraci. I'm sure her prayers were power packed and sincere.

"Why pray?"-- Why pray if we cannot move the heart of God? Why pray if God is "above time" and God "created time"--which means that time is not real and things are not really occurring, and our choices don't really matter? God will save me because a book says so. A book said long ago that I vil respond to God and he vil accept me.

J. Vernon McGee used to say that we can become the "elect" at any time if we choose God.

"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out (Jn 6:37)."

I asked Geraci, if a man comes to Jesus will he be cast out? In other words, if the book of life were a Word document (an editable file), can a name be added? He said no. Why would a man come if he cannot be added to the book of life? Why would I love a God who will not love a man who would come to him? I wouldn't because it would mean that God is not merciful as he claims to be.

Why pray for lost family members if there is no hope for them because they are an "unelect"?

Geraci also says if God can change his mind then he would be diminished in some way.  In other words, his previous choice would have been in error.  And that is not the case.  God does not change and God does not make errors.

Open Theists do not claim that God makes errors.  Then again, they do not believe that God knows a future that does not exist.  Enyart asks, "How many hairs are on the boogie mans' head?"

The answer is:  none.  The boogie man does not exist.  God does not know a future that does not exist.  He has not made a choice in a future that does not exist.  He cannot fast forward a video tape to see the future because it does not exist.

If we say "yes" to God, he is not diminished.  He moves us from the "going to hell" crowd to the "going to heaven" crowd.  This does not diminish God in any way. 

If a man asks a woman to marry him and she says "no", is he diminished?  No.  Hurt, but not diminished.  He is still a good catch for another.    

Does God elect everyone?  He invites everyone (otherwise, why contradict your own will? :hammer:)  It is not his will that anyone reject him although some do (2 Pet 3:9).

See:

Does God Elect Everyone?

Response to comment [from a Christian]:  "He [God] can't handle evil exposure?"

Do you choose not to think of homosexual acts all day long?  Why can't God choose not to think of a thing?  Do you choose not to think of what goes down the toilet?  Why can't God choose not to think of what goes down the toilet all over the world all day long?  

Can God handle evil exposure?  Sure.  Who argued that he can't? 

Does he choose to think of evil always?  God can be more than us but he cannot be less.  If you can chose not to think of a thing, then God can choose not to think of a thing. 

[Adam in garden "Where are you?"] "...a rhetorical question."

Perhaps God wanted to see how Adam would respond.  Have you ever asked a question and wondered how someone would respond? 

And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? [Gen. 3:8–9].
"Religion will separate you from God—and Adam is lost. Adam is lost, and it is God seeking him and not man seeking God."
McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (1:ix-26). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

"[W]e do not make all similar verses anthropomorphic like Calvinists do (God changing His mind; now I know, etc.)."

Can you change your mind?  God can be more than us but he cannot be less.  Why can't God change his mind?   

If God can't learn anything, why does he say he can learn something? 

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him [Heb. 5:8–9].
McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (5:541). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
I stand here in the presence of a mystery, a mystery that I cannot fathom. I know only that God got something out of the death of Christ that has made heaven more wonderful and has added something to heaven where everything is perfection and that the Son of God has learned something!
McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (5:541). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

An open theist can reject both Calvinism and Arminianism.  It is not an either/or deal.  You understand that right?  Both views are Greek pagan in origin. 

95 verses of Open Theism...for Godrulz