Over the last few weeks, I have given a considerable amount of thought to the issue of revelation versus agency. Some of my friends have been unwitting participants to the conversation. Some of my favorite books have as well. I present to you some of my thoughts because I think I found something on the topic worth sharing.
One friend of mine said this:
From what I know about her life, she thought that this guy she dated was the guy for her. The trouble is that God gives men agency as a catalyst to growth through choice, and so it can feel like the choices of others impact your ability to pursue your own happiness.
In the end, you control your destiny. In the end, you can do your best. I told a student this summer that my secret was to take control of the parts of my life that were in my control and trust the rest to God.
Now, I disagree with my friend because of something I just read from CS Lewis's Screwtape Letters XXVII. Screwtape tells Wormwood that God "does not foresee the humans making their free contributions in a future, but sees them doing so in His unbounded Now. And obviously to watch a man doing something is not to make him do it".
God does not MAKE us do anything. He knows what we will do because he sees us do it. His perspective covers a greater range than ours. Thus, our NOW is just a small portion of HIS. This is also why he can say he comes "soon" because from his perspective on a large continuum, it's not that far off.
To answer my quandry about Agency v. Revelation, it comes down to this. He already sees us choose what we choose in his NOW, so in our NOW, he can tell us what the future truth will be because it's his PRESENT. In that way, he gives revelation about future events that deal with people without any imposition on the agency of others. To see a man make a choice differs from any attempt to force a man to make that choice. He sees it, and so he shares his vision. That's why you can trust what he says people will do.
One friend of mine said this:
God will give you direction in your life but it is never set in stone when it involves others. Their agency can change your path.
From what I know about her life, she thought that this guy she dated was the guy for her. The trouble is that God gives men agency as a catalyst to growth through choice, and so it can feel like the choices of others impact your ability to pursue your own happiness.
In the end, you control your destiny. In the end, you can do your best. I told a student this summer that my secret was to take control of the parts of my life that were in my control and trust the rest to God.
Now, I disagree with my friend because of something I just read from CS Lewis's Screwtape Letters XXVII. Screwtape tells Wormwood that God "does not foresee the humans making their free contributions in a future, but sees them doing so in His unbounded Now. And obviously to watch a man doing something is not to make him do it".
God does not MAKE us do anything. He knows what we will do because he sees us do it. His perspective covers a greater range than ours. Thus, our NOW is just a small portion of HIS. This is also why he can say he comes "soon" because from his perspective on a large continuum, it's not that far off.
To answer my quandry about Agency v. Revelation, it comes down to this. He already sees us choose what we choose in his NOW, so in our NOW, he can tell us what the future truth will be because it's his PRESENT. In that way, he gives revelation about future events that deal with people without any imposition on the agency of others. To see a man make a choice differs from any attempt to force a man to make that choice. He sees it, and so he shares his vision. That's why you can trust what he says people will do.
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