God never changing?

Van · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2003 9:58 am Post subject:

Why does God change His mind? Because He does what He wills. Sometimes scripture provides His reasoning. But it usually, as far as I know, boils down to God deciding to grant mercy to some who otherwise would be doomed.

HeKkLeR · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2003 9:59 am Post subject:

Van, as far as I've read, God has only changed his mind when there was a more righteous decision to make.
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The HeKkLeR

vsjb34 · Fierce Poodle Joined: 04 Aug 2003 Posts: 281

Let me just say that I don't have all the answers on this but I implore you not to open the flood gates to the possibility that God is fallible.

See my post on Why our approach to Scripture matters.

Van · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2003 1:51 pm Post subject:

As I have said, scripture clearly teaches that God does not make mistakes. And I disagree, God's decisions are more merciful or more judgemental, but they are equally righteous. Who are you O man to say otherwise.

HeKkLeR · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2003 5:24 pm Post subject:

Van · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2003 7:19 pm Post subject:

I see that I have made a mistake and said something to offend you HeKkler. I did not mean to say something that you would take as a rebuke. Nothing you have said misrepresented scripture as far as I can recall.

Let me go back to your scriptures.

In Genesis 6:5-7, God is sorry that He created man, because every inclination of his heart was evil all the time. God decides to wipe mankind from the face of the earth along with everything else that moves. So here we have God sorry and grieved. Does this mean God made a mistake? God created mankind with the capacity to sin because mankind was created to glorify God by choosing to love God and ascribe to God the honor due His name. So the creation was not a mistake. The mistake was made by the men who chose to be wicked. God now reacts to the behavior of man and regrets making men that choose evil. But Noah found favor in the sight of God (Gen. 6:8 ) So God decides to save some in the Ark, the Anointed vessel of salvation, and then comes the flood.
Then God decides never again to destroy all living creature because of man.(Gen 8:21).

So by this action God has told a story, created an account, that is a type for Christ. Of how the few can be saved in the Ark of Christ. God takes actions that adversely affect many in order that some might glorify God and send up a pleasing aroma of mercy and justice and love.

Does this show that God made a mistake. Perhaps by our standards, but since God is the standard, whatever He does is right because He is sovereign.

In summary, God's actions were just and His change of action involved mercy, to both men and animals.

Following this, the world in repopulated and the people are scattered by diverse language and then God's intervention with Abram, found to be a man of faith. And the story of God's chosen people, the people of the promise starts to unfold.

As far as the other story, again we have God proposing plan A which is just and then going for plan B which is more merciful. We, mankind, like plan B and think it is "better" than plan A because we get mercy. In truth, either way would have been righteous because God is righteous.

Say you come to a fork in the road, and you take the left side. You travel over high ground and come to a town . I am behind you and take the right road and travel the low ground and come to the town. At the end of the day, we walk into New Jerusalum together, arguing over which road was best. Wink

Van · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2003 7:31 pm Post subject:

HeKkler, I think I see my offense, the "who are you O man" line. That was an allusion to Romans 9:20 and was not intended to be seen as a remark aimed at you or anyone personally. If this was it, sorry for my lack of care in my writing. Van

HeKkLeR · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2003 7:50 pm Post subject:

Hey Van, no offense taken at all!

I said it was a rebuke because what you said was correct and true. I took it in stride, not in pride. Wink

What you posted is close to the point I am making. If men begin to judge God by using manly wisdom, then our perception of God will not be perfect because we as men do not know perfection.

That is why it can be considered to some as God making mistakes.

As Mojo said, maybe we men should alter our perception of what we truly think perfection is, or stop judging God's actions.

If we rely only on what we individually perceive as perfection, and use it to label God, then we are doing God an injustice. Someone will always find a flaw in the actions of God using manly wisdom.

God is flawless in His righteousness, justice and glory for ever. That will never change. That is enough for me. Whatever actions that God brings upon me, is a blessing from God. That will never change.

Smile

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Peace

The HeKkLeR

HeKkLeR · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2003 8:04 pm Post subject:

Van · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2003 8:15 pm Post subject:

I think we are on the same page, maybe we work for the same boss!