Do you agree with Determinist or Free Will Theology? Why?

This is one of the very questions that I spoke about in my last post, one of those tricky questions that someone could ask and there is no specific answer for. Even amongst believers each one can take a different side, or have a different view. For me, I’m not sure exactly where I stand on the matter. Maybe I can debate my way to an answer through this post. I know that I am not fully one way or the other but somewhere in-between.

This weekend we went through the book of Daniel, and according to this teaching and many of the prophetic books of the Bible, there is a large Determinist element. The whole story will come to a close determined by God, which He sent to Daniel to share with us. An elaborately detailed story which brings this age to an end.

I am also one of those people who likes to believe that God has designed certain people to be together. That no matter what step I take, God will make things work out according to his plan for my life. Which contrasts both the free will and determinist theories.

But to be completely determinist is just ridiculous. God would not of created us to be little robots that He controls each and every move, making us follow him. Forcing us to worship Him would go against His very nature. He created us to be with him where He is, for us to love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind. But He has given us the choice to do so.

I guess that leaves me the same place I was at the beginning of this post, somewhere mingled between the two sides. Let me say it this way, God has designed a masterful plan, a plan that requires our obedience. But in the case of our flesh getting in the way, making our own decisions, He is able to work all things out to work with His big picture plan.