Predestinated with Freewill
Our ability to imagine incredible things and the capacity to choose seemingly unbelievable outcome with the fortitude to act on such belief in-spite of all the adversities makes us standout among all the creatures. This gift of choice is unique to the human beings which establishes our unique identity.
Yet we notice that there are benchmarks beyond which our capabilities fail. Because God has set certain limitations to our freedoms so that we don’t diverge and step into another’s boundaries but operate within our limits. This is God’s mechanism to facilitate an optimal growth environment for everyone without infringing our freewill. In case someone wander off; there are regular markers with guidelines to remind of the right path before final call.
Boundaries of Freedom
Creation which we call as Nature is the initial mode of communication of God’s identity. Knowing the real-world open our understanding to heavenly/spiritual incites (John 3:12). As any natural illness in body reflects as rashes on skin or as fewer or pain; similarly emotional disfunction also surfaces as emotional pain that comes after temporary pleasures or in the form of oppressive dreams etc.
Physical and Mental limitations are the boundaries set by God for our protection which act as a sign or warning. Our decision plays an important role to follow God’s laws and trust his vision or to step aside and choose a shortcut. Crossing the limits will have impact unless we are under the safety of blood of the lamb.
Predestination: God never infringe our right to exercise freewill. That’s why predestination is always based on our choices. In Deuteronomy 30:19 god says “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”. And based on our choice God confirms in Philippians 1:6 saying, “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” and in 2 Timothy 4:18 that “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom”.
Repentance is a Choice
Holy spirit constantly inspires every person to make right choice; patently reminding the consequences of sin and the availability of God’s mercy. God knows our limitations and doesn’t force anyone to keep the law without providing help.
Those who make the choice will receive the indwelling holy spirit. Once the spirit is in us, he will constantly communicate and inspire our next steps. Thus, will initiate epigenetic changes to remove hereditary strongholds or curses and creates new habitual patterns.
When truth is presented all that God asked is a small choice of trust to change the trajectory back to life. Because of our free will we have to accept things where we did wrong and also confess that our strength is not enough and desire his help and be willingness to humble accept his path of deliverance. And because God is good, he will not give up on us but will correct us even if we are caught up in the worldly ways. His ways are righteousness that will lead us into true joy and perfect peace.
Joining Divine Adventure
Walking in repentance is not a burdensome path but it is a transformative process where even our past failures are turned into a testimony. It is God winning strategy that turned Saul into Paul. By each revelation we understand a truth of God for example there is no expression of Love in loneliness. We can say ‘God is love’ only because they expressed it to each other first. Trinity is the godhead where love made perfect, the reason we can talk or understand love is because he set the example.
That’s why every step we take is internally fueled by a goal in mind reveled by the Holy Spirit with each revelation of truth. When our work is associated with divine vision we have hope and a reason to go on which gives us a sense of purpose. Logos is a that word from God or the divine revelation that builds hope and pistis (translated as faith in English) is the force that compels us to acting out in faith. This faith or pistis is built on the trust in the love of God ‘knowing that he who has promise is faithful’ (Heb 10:23). God’s love fights for our protection and take care of us in any situation. Such love compelled Abraham to forsake the comfort of the worldly city and seek for a city that God himself is building.
Babylon vs Zion
City in bronze age was a place of safety that gave protection from wild beasts or bandits. And due to the clustering of people and need for efficiency will introduce sharing of tasks in collecting resources. This distribution of labor enhances the skillset, and the specialization widens the verity in resource. With the increase in availability there is rise in the standard for living. This introduces new challenges as the community undergoes transformation. For smooth functioning within various groups certain rules are establishes. These codes of conduct for community can be found in Mesopotamian cuneiform laws, roots of which can also be seen in the book of Leviticus.
There are two prominent ideas to govern a city each with their own unique laws. One is Babylonian system established by nimrod and another is Zion which is a vision from God to Abraham. Babylon is built on the principle of slavery where few elites enforce rule over others and so is founded on fear whereas Zion is established on love, truth, justice and mercy. Abraham was looking for such a city where laws were just where God himself was king.
Law in Zion
God has placed abundance in nature and distributed it so that we learn to share one another’s needs so that once skills benefit another. In Deut 30:19 God askes Israelites to choose life or death and God justice is then based on this choice. God is slow to anger and plenteous in mercy, but no one can withstand the fierceness of God. That’s why we are called to the throne of grace in mount Zion.
When we accept God’s guidance, we are no more under the law of works but are under grace so that there is no more condemnation. We are now under new law which is Law of Faith that is recognized by the fruits. These are the foundations for the laws in Zion. That’s why we are justified by faith as our identity is no more in the past but is in the future. The choice is only between Zion or Babylon which determines our justification, Therefore, how we envision our goals determines our destiny.
