Acts 1:20 [speaking of Judas and how he betrayed the Lord]
“For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his homestead be made desolate, and let no one dwell in it’; and, ‘let another man take his office.’
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Someone asked, “If Adam’s sin was all part of God’s plan then his disobedience was actually fulfilling God’s will and therefore, not really sin.” Can it be sinful to do the will of God? In the same way here, it was prophesied that Judas would deny the Lord. This was part of God’s plan of salvation for mankind and yet Judas is condemned for carrying out God’s plan. Doesn’t that seem unjust?
The answer isn’t really that difficult to understand.
It should be obvious it is never God’s will that man sin. God doesn’t even tempt us to sin (James 1:13). But God understands our hearts. He knows and remembers what we are made of – dust. Through His foreknowledge of future events and His complete understanding of our hearts, it is not difficult for Him to foretell our actions. Just as a parent can often predict which child will obey and which will disobey, God, who knows the hearts of all men, was able to predict how Adam would respond and Judas’ behavior. The idea of God knowing the hearts of me is even referred to later in this same event when deciding who would take Judas’ place. “And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, … Acts 1:24.
They were praying, Lord, just as you knew the heart of Judas and were able to predict his failure, you know the heart of these candidates to take his place. In your foreknowledge, guide this selection process and help us choose one who will not fail.
Finally, does God’s foreknowledge mean he is responsible for the actions that He predicts.? Not anymore than the weatherman is responsible for the rain when he predicts it. Knowing what will happen, even if it is a certainty, is not causal. I know for certain the sun will rise tomorrow but certainly I cannot claim to have made it come up because I know that it will happen. No, man is still left to follow the nature of his own heart and reap the reward or consequences of following it.
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Job 40:8
“Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
Romans 9:19-21
One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?'” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
