to free will, a good deal of the doctrines stems from the Ancient Greeks. In Isaiah 46:10-11 and Acts 15:18 we are informed that no one is free but God and that his will takes precedent over and above the will of all others. Yet in Gen 2:16-17 and Deuteronomy 30:19-20, we find that God provides us with the freedom to commit sins. Yet choosing to sin carries with it an evil result, but if we choose not to sin then we will be rewarded. Arguments against free will claim that mankind is limited and blind. Mankind can never have enough knowledge to please God. Since individuals cannot see, then they are not truly free to use their will in the manner they desire. We are told Moses said as much to the people of Israel, ôMoses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: æYour eyes have seen all that the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hearö.
There are many other resolutions to the predestination/free will problem. Those who reject predestination often feel that their ôgoodö behavior is wholly of their own choosing and that through their own choices and actions they are in position to earn the reward of eternal salvation. Job was such an individual. He believed that God was unjust but Jehovah replied to Job ôout of a whirlwindö and said, ôWould you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?.ö Once again, we see the concept of human limitation and the limits of knowledge once Job replies to Jehovah and comes to understand his blindness, ôI know that you [God] can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, æWho is this [Job] that obscures my council without knowledge?Æ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things to wonderful for me to know....