Can God do all things???

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| Lynna Lunsford said:
| >And what about Saul of Tarsus? The murderer and persecutor of
christians?
| >I think being physically blinded and struck down, hearing a audible
voice
| >is a * Very "strong" suggestion if not a *command to live for God and Do
| >his will?
| >Has anybody read anywhere where God asked Paul *IF he wanted to be a
| >minister?
| >IF* he wanted to go to a  house and wait for Anninias? 
| >"I *DONT* *THINK* SO......"
| >I believe that it reads that he ***TOLD*** him
| 
| Dave:
| My question to you sister is this: Does God do to everyone as He did to
| Saul of Tarsus? No. Let's put it this way...Does God want all to come to
| repentance? I hope you answer "yes". Then why doesn't He "make us"
repent?
| Because we have a free will...thus, God cannot do all things. Yes, it's
| impossible for Him to lie and fail. However, He'll never violate the
human
| will. If He did, He never should have made humans with a free will. Grant
| it, I love Him and want to do everything He commands of me as a Child of
| God. But to the sinners, He'll never force them to live for Him.

Anneliese:
I think the thing we have "issue" with here is the choice of the word
"cannot" to describe the reason God doesn't "make us" repent or desire
baptism, etc.  I think it is well within his power to "make" **everyone**
repent, he **chooses** not to.  Think about it this way, Love is always
more powerful when it comes by choice, not by coersion.  Think of how empty
our salvation experience would be if we had not chosen it ourselves, but
were forced into it.  Sure, we may believe within ourselves that we had
made the choice ourselves, but that wouldn't be the case.  No, I think that
would be sad indeed.  God does not want a race of drones.  If we were all
made to repent (i.e. no unforgiven sinners anywhere), there would be no
reason for pastors, no reason for witnessing, no reason indeed for God's
Word because he would have eliminated the need for it.  There would be no
reason to love Jesus and the sacrifice of the cross because the forgiven
state would be taken for granted.

It is tough love.  It's like a mother who chooses to let her teenage son
walk out of the house because of rebellion, because she knows it would be
empty for both of them if she forced him to stay, or left him no option but
to stay.  The reunion would be so much more powerful if he'd had time to
realize the truth of things and return on his own.

I do not think it is impossible for God to "make us" repent.  But he
chooses not to because he loves us.  

He loves us enough to not back down on the standards He has set for us,
because He knows that when someone comes looking for Him, He will be
*exactly* where He said.


Anneliese