Are the concepts of predestination and free-will and “either or” or “both and” concept? We are looking at Psalm 139 to see what David’s experience is with those.
2018-07-15 (right click and save as to download)
In all battles, there ultimately is the hill you die on – the one place where you stop giving ground and either win the victory or die trying. In an argument, it is the one point you won’t compromise on. In subjects you are passionate about, there many be many hills you will die to protect, and even more when we get into spiritual or religious conversations. But, in regards to the Christian faith, what is the ultimate separator? The one hill that we must agree on in order to be even be in the same faith?
For the Christian, it is the salvific issue (explain). Speaking in tongues is not, your view on the rapture or tribulation is not, your view on a human’s volition (power of choice) is certainly not. This is important – we will have separate opinions on predestination and free will throughout this church, and that is ok. This is not something you have to agree on in order to worship together and believe in the same Jesus.
I recommend you see it not as an “either or”, but a “both and” type of situation. Think of them more as points on a sliding scale, with many smaller stops in between. There is room in Christianity for that scale. Just as in 1 Samuel 8 where we see that God always intended and planned for Israel to have a human king, but the Israelites’ sin brought it to pass; human’s cognition and God’s exercise of control are not mutually exclusive.
That said, the questions for you is to determine where on that scale you fit.