Followers

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Free-Will and the concept the God's in control

The main topic I will be discussing is the topic of free will and the fact that God is in control of our daily life.  This topic is very central to how we view life and God on a day to day basis.  This topic was bright to my attention by the movie the Adjustment Bureau.
First, I will begin my discussion my discussing the main Scripture references I see in this topic. These verses help you distinguish and sort out this topic of of God's Free Will in our life.  They also show how we do have free will in some aspects but God is in control of others.
The main verse about this topic is Ephesians 1:4-5.  This verse deals with free will in how God chose us before the creation of the world.  The verse says, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure his pleasure and will."
This verse describes how God chose us before the creation of the world.  He knew certain things about us before we would even be created.  It also reveals we have some measure of free will in deciding to follow Jesus but ultimately God has the greater plan and purpose.
Another verse that deals with these concepts is Romans 8:29-30. It says this on this concept, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." This verse also deals with the fact that God chose us before we had decided to follow him.  It's almost like God knew what would happen in our life and what we would end up going through.
The last verse I will discuss in this post is Philemon 1:14.  It says this on this topic, "but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be by compulsion but of free will." Paul was saying to Philemon that it was his willing desire to keep Onesimus with him.  Paul inquires Philemon of his choice to give his slave Onesimus to him.  He hopes that it is his desire to release Onesiumus to him.
The first chapter of Romans discusses how we did not choose God because of our sinful nature.  Before we knew God we were consumed by our sinful nature and desires of our flesh.  It says in verse 1:21, For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."  This shows how we do not have to capacity or desire to choose God before we entered our life with him.  He always choose us even before time.
This movie describes Matt Damon, a politician, who sees this girl randomly in the bathroom before his concession speech after he had lost.  They kiss in a very quick way and she is chased by some people we would later find out are the Adjustment Bureau.  A short while after he makes his concessions speech he gets on a bus and randomly sees the same woman again.  Some would call this chance while others call this  coincidence.  The Adjustment Bureau said that this random event that occurred did not follow Matt Damon (the character)'s plan for his life by seeing this woman again.
The Adjustment Bureau was place to make sure things that were supposed to be in order happened.  The Bureau has this set plan that has to happen in order for each person's life to be in correct order.  Sometimes they are right, while other times they can guess wrong.  In some senses, the Bureau could be compared to God.  God wants this specific plan for our lives and at times we turn away from it.
All throughout the movie, the Adjustment Bureau does things to make sure that David Norris would not see the girl he falls in love with early in the movie (Elise).  They burn her number that they gave him.  Years later,  David Norris sees (Elise) on the street and ends up re-connecting with her.
David Norris leaves her in the hospital when she was hurt while dancing because the Bureau said that their relationship would hinder her future plans of dancing.  The Bureau says that somewhere (Matt Damon's character and Elise) are not supposed to be together because she takes him away from what he's supposed to be. Thompson said they gave humanity free will after the height of the Roman Empire but humanity brought the Dark Ages down.  This led to the Renaissance Thompson says.  One of the people in the Bureau that helps Damon finds out that there is a change in the plan where they are supposed to be together.
At the end of the movie, David Norris finds out she is marrying her ex boyfriend.   Harry from the Adjustment Bureau helps David Norris get to the courthouse where Elise is getting married through these doors that the Bureau uses.  David Norris finds her in the restroom and they go through all sorts of mazes before they are at the top of this building.  David Norris and Elise kiss then Harry and the chairman head guys from the Bureau shows up.  Harry then says something that stood out to me, he says something to the tune that we all choose our path in life though we may stray sometime we are always lead back to our path in life.  Harry concludes the movie saying that the Chairman has a bigger plan of restoration of humanity in the world.
God's in control of our daily life.  2 Chronicles 29:11, says "Yours O Lord is the greatness and  the power and the glory and the majesty and splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.  Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all."  God knows the paths we will take as evidenced by these verses above but he allows us some free will to choose our life if it lines up with his plans for our life.  If it doesn't he will align us back to where to where he wants us to go.


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