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Q&A

Can Free Will Thwart God’s Plan?

Tom Nash

Question:

Does our free will thwart God’s plan for us?

Answer:

No, because God’s plan for us takes into account our free will. God surely wants everyone one to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9), but he truly loves us and thus will not compel us to love him in return. The choice is ours, though our salvation cannot come without God’s grace.

Because all time is present to God, who cannot be limited by something he creates, he necessarily knows our choices in advance of our living them out in history; and yet he provides us with free will to make those choices.

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