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Asteriktos
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« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2011, 01:40:35 AM » |
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I think God doesn't actively present opportunities so much as allows humans to create situations where we can better cooperate with God. This keeps the free will of people from being violated, but still lets God help us. So, we find in First Timothy:
"Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." (1 Tim. 4:16)
There's the opportunity you spoke of--salvation--but it comes through a human instrument. Nonetheless, as Paul says elsewhere:
"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13)
So it is up to us to cooperate with God: God gives us the grace to desire good things and make those things actually happen in our lives, but at the same time it is also us that is participating. And so when these fruits are seen by others, it also gives them an opportunity to respond. Of course, someone might say that God sometimes directly encourages us and gives us opportunities, but I wonder how often this happens. With the exception of Jesus (which required a certain type of intervention), God seems content using humans as instruments to influence others, whether prophets, or patriarchs, or kings, or apostles, or priests, or grandma, or whoever else. Thought of another way, God could conceivably transmit to every one of us the truth by direct divine revelation, and insofar as we each individually had the capacity to receive it, that might work; yet he has chosen to go the long route, so to speak, using preachers, books, prayers, even nature itself.
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