"God is control." I hear that phrase a lot.

28,677 Views | 402 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by Waco1947
Waco1947
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What does "God is in control" mean to you?
Does God controls physics, biology, chemistry, relationships., job success or failure or medical cure? How does God control?
How can God be in control yet I have free will or do I?
Can God's will/control override my will?
curtpenn
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I acknowledge the truth of the statement while embracing the mystery and admitting I don't expect to ever be able to understand it this side of eternity.
GrowlTowel
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Waco1947 said:

What does "God is control" mean to you?
Does God controls physics, biology, chemistry, relationships., job success or failure or medical cure? How does God control?
How can God be in control yet I have free will or do I?
Can God's will/control override my will?



Apparently he commands "preachers" to approve abortions and old fashion butt sex.

Squeal like a pig.
Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
D. C. Bear
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Waco1947 said:

What does "God is control" mean to you?
Does God controls physics, biology, chemistry, relationships., job success or failure or medical cure? How does God control?
How can God be in control yet I have free will or do I?
Can God's will/control override my will?



It means that you don't understand how or when to use prepositions.
bearassnekkid
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Waco1947 said:

What does "God is control" mean to you?
Does God controls physics, biology, chemistry, relationships., job success or failure or medical cure? How does God control?
How can God be in control yet I have free will or do I?
Can God's will/control override my will?

It means He is sovereign over a creation in which he granted human beings free will. He foreknew the outcome of every free will choice, and decided to create the universe anyway. He is "in control" in that nothing is happening outside His knowledge or thwarting His will . . . but He also isn't determining people's choices. The events and unfolding of creation's timeline are known and therefore pre-ordained, but not predestined/pre-determined.
Midnight Rider
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A fall back catchphrase when events seem out of our control.
fadskier
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Waco1947 said:

What does "God is control" mean to you?
Does God controls physics, biology, chemistry, relationships., job success or failure or medical cure? How does God control?
How can God be in control yet I have free will or do I?
Can God's will/control override my will?

Ask your husband
Salute the Marines - Joe Biden
BusyTarpDuster2017
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I imagine "Repent, false teacher!" is a phrase you hear a lot as well.
Jack and DP
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I've never heard that before. I've heard "God is in Control"
fadskier
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Jack and DP said:

I've never heard that before. I've heard "God is in Control"
I misread the OP. I've never heard someone say that God is control. Must be something a pro-abortion, Bible-denying Methodist denomination says...but I could be wrong.
Salute the Marines - Joe Biden
Midnight Rider
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fadskier said:


Must be something a pro-abortion, Bible-denying Methodist denomination says...but I could be wrong.
Your are wrong. That is an incredibly broad generalization on your part.
fadskier
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Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:


Must be something a pro-abortion, Bible-denying Methodist denomination says...but I could be wrong.
Your are wrong. That is an incredibly broad generalization on your part.
I wasn't speaking of all Methodists...just possibly one church...it wasn't serious, just a reflection on a certain pastor through his posting of his "understanding" of scripture.
Salute the Marines - Joe Biden
william
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the modern eqv of the haitian crone with the chicken bone thru her nose smoking a hand rolled cee-gar pulling the heads off of rag dolls muttering indecipherable / gobbledygook incantations ......

- BUmma

and won't we all be surprised when / if / not we get past the pearly gates and there sits, on a stump .....

D!

{ sipping coffee }
Dale?
MoneyBear
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God can be in control of the grand story arc without overruling the free will of man. In the same way that "luck is when preparation meets opportunity" blessings and cursings can be defined much the same way. God places opportunities in front of people and, depending on their preparation, they succeed or fail in those opportunities.

Giving man free will doesn't mean that God operates like the clock maker (above and outside his creation while no longer affecting it) any more than saying "God is in control" means God is wrestling man's will out of his hands as he sees fit.

In response to your examples, at least some of those (physics, biology, disease, medicine, etc) were put in place by God and it is up to man to find them. What have we actually created in this world that didn't exist before and just had to be forged or combined in a certain way? Opportunities that God provided and people seized.

I'd point to a handful of scriptures like "there's nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes) or "through him all things were made and without him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1) but the general theme of your post is asking me to interpret something that God has not explicitly revealed and requires a certain amount of inference and cross-reference so I can't site a specific passage.

**Bonus Material** I'd contend that God has not ever wrested the free-will of many away even in instances like with Pharaoh. He controlled the words of Moses mouth (Exodus 4:12) he saw the pride in Pharoah's heart (Exodus 5:2, 1Sam 16:7) and he used the words of Moses to exploit that weakness. Opportunities and preparation...

Just my 2 cents
Sic'em
Midnight Rider
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And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
MoneyBear
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Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
Well I would guess not because we would just be decaying flesh with no consciousness...
Sic'em
Midnight Rider
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MoneyBear said:

Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
Well I would guess not because we would just be decaying flesh with no consciousness...
I figured somebody would pick up on that.
fadskier
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Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
If you don't care, why are you here?
Salute the Marines - Joe Biden
Midnight Rider
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fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
If you don't care, why are you here?
Because I don't know.
curtpenn
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Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
If you don't care, why are you here?
Because I don't know.
I don't claim to "know". I envy those who do know. And yet I live in hope of the resurrection and choose to live by faith. Always a paradox the dilemma posed by faith; if we say we "know", how can we exercise faith?
fadskier
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Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
If you don't care, why are you here?
Because I don't know.
Don't know what? If God is in control? If God is control (as in the op.) If there is a Heaven? What?
Salute the Marines - Joe Biden
Midnight Rider
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fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
If you don't care, why are you here?
Because I don't know.
Don't know what? If God is in control? If God is control (as in the op.) If there is a Heaven? What?
I don't know if there is a God. If there happens to be a God, I don't know if he is in control (or is control). I don't know if there is a heaven. But I have an innate curiosity about these things, which draws me into theological discussions.
Waco1947
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Apologies. "Is God in control?"
Waco1947
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God is sovereign? The Bible says so but Secular Christians do not believe it but their belief in their own free will, existence in a physical world, and living in relationship with free will humans convinced them is not sovereign. Secular Christians-believe the Love Commandment as first and foremost. And they that Jesus is Lord and died on the cross for to Show Humanity how much God loves us. God's power and sovereignty is the cross and love (according to I Corinthians)
Oldbear83
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Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
If you don't care, why are you here?
Because I don't know.
That's too bad. I do know, but ironically the only way for you to know is through faith.

Frankly, a lot of things in Life work that way.
That which does not kill me, will try again and get nastier
Coke Bear
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Midnight Rider said:

I don't know if there is a God. If there happens to be a God, I don't know if he is in control (or is control). I don't know if there is a heaven. But I have an innate curiosity about these things, which draws me into theological discussions.


I certainly appreciate your honestly and openness.

Have you investigated philosophical arguments for the existence of God?

LIsted in this link are St Thomas Aquinas' 5 Ways from his Summa Theologica.

Please note that this is just an overview of his arguments. In his Summa, he provides amazing counter arguments against his 5 ways. He then rebuts the counter-arguments cementing his original arguments.

Finally, if you're on the fence about believe, I would suggest Pascal's Wager:

"Either God is, or he is not. But to which view shall we be inclined? Reason cannot decide this question. [Remember that Pascal's Wager is an argument for sceptics.] Infinite chaos separates us. At the far end of this infinite distance [death] a coin is being spun that will come down heads [God] or tails [no God]. How will you wager?"

Essentially, wouldn't it be better to believe? If you win, you win everything. If you lose, you lose nothing.

Waco1947
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Oldbear83 said:

Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
If you don't care, why are you here?
Because I don't know.
That's too bad. I do know, but ironically the only way for you to know is through faith.p

Frankly, a lot of things in Life work that way.
Faith in what? Jesus? What does that mean to you? To believe in doctrine or to follow Jesus in love and no fear because He is with us
MoneyBear
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Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
If you don't care, why are you here?
Because I don't know.
Don't know what? If God is in control? If God is control (as in the op.) If there is a Heaven? What?
I don't know if there is a God. If there happens to be a God, I don't know if he is in control (or is control). I don't know if there is a heaven. But I have an innate curiosity about these things, which draws me into theological discussions.


Here's a mind bender: We always speak about if God is real as if the discussion could define Him. Would God cease to be real because we reasoned that He is not? Would faith lose its power if we reasoned that He is? The Hebrew writer says faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (11:1). I know that God is real because it is reasonable to conclude that all things have a beginning and the Bible teaches that God is the beginning of all things (Hebrews 3:4). Faith fills in the gap beyond what I can observe to where God is. God also created you to have that innate curiosity in hopes that as you reach for conclusions you will find Him (Acts 17:27). I pray that you find Him.
Sic'em
Oldbear83
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Waco1947 said:

Oldbear83 said:

Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
If you don't care, why are you here?
Because I don't know.
That's too bad. I do know, but ironically the only way for you to know is through faith.p

Frankly, a lot of things in Life work that way.
Faith in what? Jesus? What does that mean to you? To believe in doctrine or to follow Jesus in love and no fear because He is with us
You do not take my meaning, Waco.

"Faith in what" means you depend on your mind, your comprehension. To live in faith means placing your faith in the Christ of the Gospel.

That which does not kill me, will try again and get nastier
GrowlTowel
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Waco1947 said:

Oldbear83 said:

Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
If you don't care, why are you here?
Because I don't know.
That's too bad. I do know, but ironically the only way for you to know is through faith.p

Frankly, a lot of things in Life work that way.
Faith in what? Jesus? What does that mean to you? To believe in doctrine or to follow Jesus in love and no fear because He is with us


Butt sex and abortion. Why do you hate procreation?
Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
fadskier
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Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
If you don't care, why are you here?
Because I don't know.
Don't know what? If God is in control? If God is control (as in the op.) If there is a Heaven? What?
I don't know if there is a God. If there happens to be a God, I don't know if he is in control (or is control). I don't know if there is a heaven. But I have an innate curiosity about these things, which draws me into theological discussions.
Yes
I'm not sure
Yes

I would say this. If you believe in God, accept Jesus as your Savior and it all turns out false...you've lost nothing. It it turns out to be true, you've gained everything.
Salute the Marines - Joe Biden
Midnight Rider
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"What have I got to lose?" type of faith is no faith at all.
fadskier
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Midnight Rider said:

"What have I got to lose?" type of faith is no faith at all.
It was tongue in cheek.
Salute the Marines - Joe Biden
Waco1947
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GrowlTowel said:

Waco1947 said:

Oldbear83 said:

Midnight Rider said:

fadskier said:

Midnight Rider said:

And won't we all be surprised if we find there ain't no pearly gates, above us only sky, and all this debate about whose understanding of the scripture is correct is just a bunch of mental masturbation.
If you don't care, why are you here?
Because I don't know.
That's too bad. I do know, but ironically the only way for you to know is through faith.p

Frankly, a lot of things in Life work that way.
Faith in what? Jesus? What does that mean to you? To believe in doctrine or to follow Jesus in love and no fear because He is with us


Butt sex and abortion. Why do you hate procreation?

Binary Thinkers like you have tormented free thinkers since .... well Jesus.
In 1536, English theologian and scholar William Tyndale, who was the first to translate the Bible into Early Modern English, was executed for heresy.
Keyser Soze
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Generally it is just a figure of speech when we (man) is not in firm control of things.

Deeper, it is about the dichotomy of God being all powerful and the free world that runs it's own course.

How are our choices free will yet God already knows our choices?
 
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