Question About Open Theism

[Nick M]

Why is Classic versus Open theism a heaven or hell matter?

It isn't. Do you mean the false gospel of Calvinism? Classic what?

 

[Clete]

Why is Classic versus Open theism a heaven or hell matter? I really have never participated in debates about these two theologies.

I know of no Open Theist who would ever suggest such a thing. There are plenty of Classical theists who would do so! Calvinists in particular very often believe that the TULIP is the very gospel itself!

Biblically, however, all that is required to be saved is to believe the following things...

• God exists and is the Creator of all things and He is perfect, holy, and just.
• We, having willfully done evil things and rebelled against God, who gave us life, deserve death.
• Because God loves us, He provided for Himself a propitiation (an atoning sacrifice) by becoming a man whom we call Jesus Christ.
• Jesus, being the Creator God Himself and therefore innocent of any sin, willingly bore the sins of the world and died on our behalf.
• Jesus rose from the dead.
• If you confess with you mouth, the Lord Jesus Christ (i.e. openly acknowledge your need of a savior and that He is that Savior) and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED.

Oh well, here are three examples I like to ponder regarding God's will and his knowing how everything ends and man's gift of freewill.

Queen Esther's uncle once posed this question to her [paraphrased]: Perhaps you were meant for a time like this and if you fail to pick up your destiny God will choose someone else. You will suffer while someone else accomplishes God's will and is rewarded.

After God rejected Cain's form of an offering He asked angry Cain this question, "Do you not know IF IF IF you do well you will be accepted?"

Samson was chosen before he was born to accomplish God's will to rid that area of the Promised Land of the Philistines. Along the way Samson did everything against God's will which should have stopped God's plan for him, but God used him anyway at the very end to kill more Philistines than ever before ...

All three of these smack of the co-existence of God's will and man's will.
Just because God knows how everything is going to turn out in the end does not mean an individual has to take the high road. I a person fails at his purpose from God, God will use someone else.

Personal experience for what ever it is worth. I think it sort of relates to this topic about God's will versus the free will behaviors of men. Our having a free will or refusing to listen to God's will is going to change the end God knows is ahead. [???] Still a seeker of how things work.

While driving my car the still small voice of God said: "Wreck."
I did everything I knew to be safe ... even took a longer but safer way home and remembered to use all my driving signals when needed. I got to my street with signals on for turning toward my house and wham!!! A woman on her phone slammed into the back of my car.

I asked God, "I heard your warning and did all I could to trust you. Why was I still in a wreck? He simply said, "You were listening." And I understood he meant she wasn't. This was an example of how she was living out her will not His; so, we were in a wreck.

Yet, God protected me. Car totaled but I was not hurt. A bit of back strain. The man in the car behind her's stayed until the police came and explained everything to the police. God took care of me even though she was not listening. She was speeding, had just passed him in a right turn lane that was running out, and was on her phone. I had my blinker on for my turn.

Okay, it wasn't God's voice. We can know this for a fact because you don't get to have your cake and eat it too.