A Fellowship in Christ Jesus, IN the World, Not of the World
All Scripture Reference are KJV unless otherwise noted
Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
Malachi 3:16
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
There are four mainline theologies: Reformed (Calvinism), Classical Arminianism, Neo-Arminianism, and Open Theology, sometimes called Open Theism. The one main difference between them is their view of history and the foreknowledge of God.
Calvinism/Reformed and Classical Arminianism have all history predestinated, predetermined, completed, and unchangeable. Having predestinated all, God knows all. History is closed.
Neo-Arminianism rejects predestination and has history just being there complete, finished, unchangeable, where it comes from is never stated, God just looks down from eternity and sees the past, present, and future, all at once. Being able to see all, God knows all. History is closed.
Open Theology accepts that history is running in real time under the control and guidance of God. Many things are predestinated, predetermined, but not all. There is room for free will, plus time and chance, and most importantly God’s judgments. The future has not happened yet; hence, history is open.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Open Theology recognizes that God rules in the lives of men and sets up and takes down whom he will.
1 Samuel 2:7 The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
There are erroneous descriptions of Open Theology that distract from understanding it. It is preached by some that Open Theology has God guessing at what the future will be and attempts to juggle things accordingly. Such nonsense is unbecoming to anyone claiming to be a preacher of the truth. Below is another false understanding of Open Theology.
Open theism, also referred to as free-will theism and openness theology, is an idea that asserts that God does not exercise meticulous control over the universe but leaves it “open” for people to make significant choices – which also assumes that God has not predetermined the future. Proponents of open theism believe that God is omniscient (all knowing), but deny that this means that God knows everything that will eventually happen, so their view of God is that He is only as all knowing as they say He is.
That is a false and ridiculous idea of Open Theology. Open Theology posits that history is flowing in real time, the future has yet to happened. God is in total control of the flow of history, guiding and directing its flow according to His purpose. His foreknowledge of events refers to those things that He has predetermined and predestined. In between those events is room for time and change, free will, and most importantly God’s judgments upon man whether blessing or cursing.
God’s direction and guidance, man’s freewill, and time and chance all work together to fulfill God’s purposes. He is not having any difficulty controlling events to suit his purposes in having mercy or judgment upon the earth and leading all things to his predetermined end. God does not have to see what has been done to know what men will do; he knows their hearts and minds. History must be open and flowing for God to deal with and attempt to change those hearts and minds. The God of Open Theology is much greater than those of Reformed/Calvinism, Classical Arminianism, or neo-Arminianism.
Open Theology adheres to God knowing all that can be known the moment it becomes knowable. This includes that which He has predetermined. He knows the beginning as He created it, He knows the ending as He has determined it. It’s important to recognize that the LORD cannot know anything until He conceives it. Creation had to be thought up and designed first before it could be known. Whether this took a millisecond or a billion years, God had to conceive and design it before He could know it. So it is in creation. The Lord cannot know our thoughts until we have them.
The extent and limits of man’s free will must be properly understood. Men have free will of their heart’s desire, but actions are more restrictive.
An individual may desire to perform an action; God will use that desire to execute his will. He may allow or modify a desired act to be performed to deal with an individual using it to bless, correct, punish, or deal with another, etc. All actions are controlled by God to perform his will. But it is man’s desire, on a personal and national level, that the Lord guides and focuses for his purposes.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
All actions performed are either determined or allowed by God.
Lamentations 3:37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Men are presented with choices. The choices they make stem from their free will desires. The consequences and outcomes of these choices, however, are predetermined by God. Thus, everything remains within His plan and will. The Lord is not surprised by the decisions men make, He is prepared for all.
This doesn’t prevent Him from directing their thoughts to guide events toward the outcomes He desires.
Exodus 4:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
It will be said that this eliminates man’s free will! Not so, it certainly would not be difficult for the Lord to find a man with the right desires, whether good or evil to use for his purposes.
Romans 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
It says, “I raised thee up” not ‘I raise one up’.
God is controlling and guiding all things in accordance with His plan and will in real time. It is in real time that people cannot seem to grasp. They limit God to having to have predestinated everything, including what choices men make, to be sovereign. God is sovereign in controlling the outcomes. The God of Open Theology is much greater than that of predestination.
Many things are predestined from the beginning, while others are determined throughout history. Calvinistic predestination suggests that everything is predetermined, which removes the concept of God’s judgments on individuals. In contrast, Open Theology posits that God judges people in real time, applying predetermined consequences—both good and evil—based on their choices.
It is not a difficult concept and aligns with all Scripture. It does not make the Bible contradict as other theologies. Things are often added to Open Theology that have no bearing upon it, that confuse the issue. The main theme of Open Theology is that God is working in real time. It is simply a matter of conforming the rest to that.
It is often retorted that time would limit God. Let’s take a moment to reflect on this. God, as the Creator of all, is only limited by the boundaries He establishes for His plans. Since the LORD created time, He naturally confines His work of redemption within the time limits He has set.
When you start thinking about why God does or allows something, it can get complicated. A nation rejects God, so why not let it tear itself apart while letting it be a last warning to its citizens? There are so many reasons why God allows or directs the actions he does. This knowledge will have to wait until all is revealed.
Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.
James 4:13-15 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
“Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?”
Much of the lack of understanding is due to the false concepts of the extent and limits of biblical free will. Man’s free will extends and is limited to the thoughts and imaginations of his heart and mind. Men do not have free will of action. That is why we are judged according to the thoughts and intents of our hearts; sin is not in the doing, but in the wanting to.
Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Numbers 35:20-21 But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die; 21Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him.
Numbers 35:22-23 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait, 23Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:
It is the lust and desire to sin that condemn us.
James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
The Bible only makes sense if history is running in real time and God is judging and dealing with the hearts of men. Holding to some other theology is why so many find the Scriptures confusing and contradicting.
Open Theology
There are four mainline theologies: Reformed (Calvinism), Classical Arminianism, Neo-Arminianism, and Open Theology, sometimes called Open Theism. The one main difference between them is their view of history and the foreknowledge of God.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Open Theology recognizes that God rules in the lives of men and sets up and takes down whom he will.
1 Samuel 2:7 The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
There are erroneous descriptions of Open Theology that distract from understanding it. It is preached by some that Open Theology has God guessing at what the future will be and attempts to juggle things accordingly. Such nonsense is unbecoming to anyone claiming to be a preacher of the truth. Below is another false understanding of Open Theology.
Open theism, also referred to as free-will theism and openness theology, is an idea that asserts that God does not exercise meticulous control over the universe but leaves it “open” for people to make significant choices – which also assumes that God has not predetermined the future. Proponents of open theism believe that God is omniscient (all knowing), but deny that this means that God knows everything that will eventually happen, so their view of God is that He is only as all knowing as they say He is.
That is a false and ridiculous idea of Open Theology. Open Theology posits that history is flowing in real time, the future has yet to happened. God is in total control of the flow of history, guiding and directing its flow according to His purpose. His foreknowledge of events refers to those things that He has predetermined and predestined. In between those events is room for time and change, free will, and most importantly God’s judgments upon man whether blessing or cursing.
God’s direction and guidance, man’s freewill, and time and chance all work together to fulfill God’s purposes. He is not having any difficulty controlling events to suit his purposes in having mercy or judgment upon the earth and leading all things to his predetermined end. God does not have to see what has been done to know what men will do; he knows their hearts and minds. History must be open and flowing for God to deal with and attempt to change those hearts and minds. The God of Open Theology is much greater than those of Reformed/Calvinism, Classical Arminianism, or neo-Arminianism.
See: Calvinism, Arminianism, Neo-Arminianism, Open Theology
Open Theology adheres to God knowing all that can be known the moment it becomes knowable. This includes that which He has predetermined. He knows the beginning as He created it, He knows the ending as He has determined it. It’s important to recognize that the LORD cannot know anything until He conceives it. Creation had to be thought up and designed first before it could be known. Whether this took a millisecond or a billion years, God had to conceive and design it before He could know it. So it is in creation. The Lord cannot know our thoughts until we have them.
The extent and limits of man’s free will must be properly understood. Men have free will of their heart’s desire, but actions are more restrictive.
An individual may desire to perform an action; God will use that desire to execute his will. He may allow or modify a desired act to be performed to deal with an individual using it to bless, correct, punish, or deal with another, etc. All actions are controlled by God to perform his will. But it is man’s desire, on a personal and national level, that the Lord guides and focuses for his purposes.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
All actions performed are either determined or allowed by God.
Lamentations 3:37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Men are presented with choices. The choices they make stem from their free will desires. The consequences and outcomes of these choices, however, are predetermined by God. Thus, everything remains within His plan and will. The Lord is not surprised by the decisions men make, He is prepared for all.
This doesn’t prevent Him from directing their thoughts to guide events toward the outcomes He desires.
Exodus 4:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
It will be said that this eliminates man’s free will! Not so, it certainly would not be difficult for the Lord to find a man with the right desires, whether good or evil to use for his purposes.
Romans 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
It says, “I raised thee up” not ‘I raise one up’.
God is controlling and guiding all things in accordance with His plan and will in real time. It is in real time that people cannot seem to grasp. They limit God to having to have predestinated everything, including what choices men make, to be sovereign. God is sovereign in controlling the outcomes. The God of Open Theology is much greater than that of predestination.
Many things are predestined from the beginning, while others are determined throughout history. Calvinistic predestination suggests that everything is predetermined, which removes the concept of God’s judgments on individuals. In contrast, Open Theology posits that God judges people in real time, applying predetermined consequences—both good and evil—based on their choices.
It is not a difficult concept and aligns with all Scripture. It does not make the Bible contradict as other theologies. Things are often added to Open Theology that have no bearing upon it, that confuse the issue. The main theme of Open Theology is that God is working in real time. It is simply a matter of conforming the rest to that.
It is often retorted that time would limit God. Let’s take a moment to reflect on this. God, as the Creator of all, is only limited by the boundaries He establishes for His plans. Since the LORD created time, He naturally confines His work of redemption within the time limits He has set.
When you start thinking about why God does or allows something, it can get complicated. A nation rejects God, so why not let it tear itself apart while letting it be a last warning to its citizens? There are so many reasons why God allows or directs the actions he does. This knowledge will have to wait until all is revealed.
Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.
James 4:13-15 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
“Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass,
when the Lord commandeth it not?”
Much of the lack of understanding is due to the false concepts of the extent and limits of biblical free will. Man’s free will extends and is limited to the thoughts and imaginations of his heart and mind. Men do not have free will of action. That is why we are judged according to the thoughts and intents of our hearts; sin is not in the doing, but in the wanting to.
Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Numbers 35:20-21 But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die; 21Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him.
Numbers 35:22-23 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait, 23Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:
It is the lust and desire to sin that condemn us.
James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
The Bible only makes sense if history is running in real time and God is judging and dealing with the hearts of men. Holding to some other theology is why so many find the Scriptures confusing and contradicting.
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