God's Sovereignty and Man's Free Will

If you wish to receive a reply, please provide your return e-mail address and name:
* e-mail Address:

* Name

The following personal information is optional.

Street Address

• City:
• State:
• Zip Code:

Please use your Bible to look up the following verses and answer the related questions. You can click on the verses to visit an off-site resource that provides the scripture. Questions without verses should be based on your opinion and common understanding.

Introductory Reflection

1. What should be man's primary goal of this life?
   
2. Why did God make man?
   
3. Does God have free will?
   
4. How does our views of God's sovereignty and man's will affect our spiritual lives?
   

The Character of God?

1. Is God a just and fair god? (Deuteronomy 32:4; Romans 2:11)

   YES  NO 

2. Can God lie? (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:17-18)

   YES  NO 

3. Can God, or the Bible, teach conflicting doctrines? (I Corinthians 14:33)

   YES  NO 

4. How is God a jealous god? (Deuteronomy 4:23-24)
   
5. What characteristics of God are exhibited in II Peter 3:9 and Ephesians 2:4?
   
6. What characteristics of God are exhibited in Ephesians 5:6, Romans 1:18, and Hebrews 10:29-31?
   
7. Does God have any of the characteristics of darkness or evil? (I John 1:5)
   

   YES  NO 

The Dilemma

1. Is God Sovereign? (Isaiah 40:13-14 ; I Timothy 6:15-16)

   YES  NO 

2. Can man oppose God's will? (Isaiah 43:13)

   YES  NO 

3. Who created and designed man? (Isaiah 45:9-10)
   
4. Is man encouraged to choose God's will? (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15)
   

   YES  NO 

5. How can man personally be "able" to resist temptation, if he has no free will to do good? (I Corinthians 10:13)
   

Predestination?

1. Has God predestined those who will go to heaven? (Ephesians 1:3-5)
   

   YES  NO 

2. What basis was used to determine those who would be predestined? (Ephesians 1:3-4)

Unfulfilled Decrees of God

1. Did the decrees of God, preached by Jonah 3:4, come to pass? (Jonah 3:4, 10)

   YES  NO 

2. Did king Hezekiah die when God decreed? (II Kings 20:1, 5-6)
   

   YES  NO 

3. Did the events regarding David happen as God prophesied? (I Samuel 23:11-13)

   YES  NO 

4. If God cannot lie (see question 2 under The Character of God) and predestination be true, how can these otherwise false statements be explained?
   

Unconditional Election

1. Has God elected the saved? (I Peter 1:2; 2:9)
   

   YES  NO 

2. Can the elect earn their salvation? (Ephesians 2:8-10)
   

   YES  NO 

Examples of Election

1. Who is described as God's elect in Isaiah 42:1-3? (I Peter 2:6) And, what was the work that He was elected to do?
   
2. Were the children of Israel elected as God's special people? (Genesis 25:22-24; Deuteronomy 4:37; 14:2)

   YES  NO 

3. Why were they destroyed and unable to enjoy the blessings of their special covenant? (Romans 10:1-3)
   
4. Did God try to keep them from being lost? (II Chronicles 36:15-16)

   YES  NO 

5. If the Israelites were destroyed because of their unfaithfulness, and God tried to keep it from happening, then how was their election unconditional and why could God not do what He set out to do?
   

The Possibility of Apostasy

1. Why are we to take heed to the warning of I Corinthians 10? (I Corinthians 10:12)
   
2. Why did the apostle Paul discipline himself? (I Corinthians 9:27)
   
3. If the great apostle Paul was in danger of being "disqualified" or a "castaway", how could his election have been considered "unconditional" and "irrevocable"?
   
4. What kind of people deserve a punishment worse than death? (Hebrews 10:26-31; 11:4-6; II Timothy 2:18 ) What descriptions are used in the verses showing their previous good standing?
   
5. What happened to the Galatian Christians? (Galatians 5:4; 4:19)
   

Conditional Election

1. How are we to make our election sure? (II Peter 1:10)
   
2. If Christians are unconditionally elected, how can they make anything sure, and how could their salvation not be sure to begin with?
   
3. What is the basis for God's change in judgment? (Jeremiah 18:7-10; II Corinthians 5:10)
   
4. Does God want anybody to be lost? Even the wicked? (II Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 18:23, 32)
   
5. Why are some people lost? (Matthew 23:37; John 5:40)
   
6. List at least one condition of salvation? (John 3:15-16, 36)
   

Comments

1. What do you think about the overall length of this lesson?
   very short  little short  just right  little long  very long 
   
   
2. What do you think about the overall challenge of this lesson?
   boring  little easy  just right  little tough  too difficult 
   
   
3. Do you have additional questions or comments?
   
   

Your feedback is greatly appreciated, because it helps us restructure the format of the lessons to help benefit future students.