There is a scripture in the bible which says, that it is not in a man, not even in a good man to direct his steps. Sounds like no man has free will. But that is not entirely the case. It is not within a man to determine his birth date or the day he will die, neither is it in his ability to manupulate time or events even though he thinks he can. And as time moves on, so he moves forward. As the arm of the clock steps forward so we step forward in time. So we cannot direct our steps because we cannot manipulate time back and forth or freeze it. What is done is done, what is going to happen in the future cannot be changed because it hasnt happened yet.
As i understand it, god is the one who decides when and where a man falls or gets up. But he is not the one who decides how we respond to life, in that we have complete free will. For example: Paul lived by the sword therefore he would die by the sword. He was instrumental in the persecution of the saints. I think it was an unchangable fact that paul was going to die an unnatural death. That was a given. However, if he had died without becoming an apostel, and he died an unnatural death, he would have died because he lived by the sword, so he died by the sword. But since he turned his life over to god, his type of death wasnt going to matter, he would still die the same way, but now it would be a martyrs death.
Another example: We all have talents. We can use it for the glory of god or we dont. Doest change the fact that we have the talent.
Take Hitler for example: He killed himself. He was always going to die an unnatural death but he could have done it as an act of willfull suffering and therefore brought glory to god, or he did it as suicide, therefore not bringing glory to god.
A man commits adultery and looses his children and his wife. If he used his 'passion' for the gospel, he would have lost his wife and children too. She would not have been able to cope with the dedication he has for god, anymore than she would have been able to forgive him for his adultery. But in the one case his life is bringing glory to god, in the other case it is not.
The wife would have always left her husband. She could have lost him through adultery or she could have given him away for the sake of the gospel, or SHE would have committed adulery and left.
Jesus was born to die. He did. And he would have. If jesus did not lay down his life the jews would have killed him anyway. He was going to die. But by the way he died he brought many people into glory.
All the disciples were going to die as martyrs. Judas died an unnatural death, just like the other disciples, but he brought it on himself. The death of the disciples brought god glory, the death of judas did not.
A man is dedicated to god, serves him faithfully and loves him dearly. He is shot in a hijacking and paralyzed for the rest of his life. The same thing would have happened to him had he been an atheist. Its how he responds to what happens to him that either brings god glory or not.
So god knows the end from the beginning of our life, he is the one that directs our steps, but we have free will to determine how we respond, and therefore we are still accountable.
Adam would have fallen. God said he would die if he ate from the wrong tree. Jesus died as well, by being nailed to a tree. The both died.
Bill gates would alwasy have been a rich man. He either would have won the lottery or he would have started microsoft. What he does with his money is what counts. Every man therefore has to be content with his lot. But we are still responsible for HOW we live our lives. Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people. The same tragedies strike them both, but they respond to it differently.
Maybe im over simplifying things here. But it makes sense to me...at the moment.
