If we had the proof of His existence then how us, mortals, could oppose His will?
God has left a tiny area of free will open in us. It has to do with aspects of faith that we have in Him. It doesn't have anything to so with any of our standard understanding of free will, like choosing which side of the bed to get out of in the morning.
Our free will has to do with limited aspects of our faith in God. That's it. God judges us according to our faith in Him.
Then how could He test us?
God tests us based on the freewill portion of our faith in Him.
...the area of free will...
That is something I can
prove false...
If you believe these 3 common Christian beliefs:
1) God created the universe exactly as it is
2) God could have created the universe differently if he wanted to (billions of possibilities)
3) God is Omniscient (knows the future)
Then free will
cannot exist
God created
this specific universe, knowing exactly what would happen, including your personal choices (free will)... he could have created a universe where I was a Christian instead of an Atheist, but God created this universe, knowing that I would be an Atheist...
It's God's fault I'm an Atheist, not mine!
A point about free will and prayer...
When you pray for God to change his divine plan to benefit yourself... You claim that you know better than God does? You ask him to change his perfect/divine plan because your kid has cancer?
Who are you to question God's divine/perfect plan?!? God gave your kid cancer because that is
His plan, and
you think you know better than God? The lolz
Well, that isn't quite the way God has it expressed all over the Bible. From
https://www.openbible.info/topics/free_will:
Proverbs 16:9 ESV / 640 helpful votes
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
Joshua 24:15 ESV / 209 helpful votes
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
John 7:17 ESV / 164 helpful votes
If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
Revelation 3:20 ESV / 141 helpful votes
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV / 121 helpful votes
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
John 1:12-13 ESV / 97 helpful votes
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 ESV / 73 helpful votes
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
Genesis 2:16-17 ESV / 72 helpful votes
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
...
There are many more passages at the site listed. Many of the passages express how God gives us free will.
The idea of cause and effect suggests that there is no free will. But how can one talk to a materialistic scientist who doesn't believe in spirit and soul, but only believes in bio-mechanical operations of mind?
It seems that you can barely stay on point. Are you a mind reader that you know my underlying assumptions enough so that you can examine them? If you happen to know my underlying assumptions, are you so foolish that you think that you can judge their validity fairly?
