Calvary and Free Will

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Id Judas’ and the jews betrayal of Christ was an act of free will, how could Christ have known throughout his life that he would die on the cross? If he was predestined to die the way he did, then it seems like Judas and the priests were predestined to act the way they did.
At the same time, isn’t Judas a hero for enabling that sacrifice?
 
Almighty God is so great His Predestination for each can be contained in our free will. It is indeed a mystery. Our little minds are so small. We are each free to chose but each predestined. All cannot be explained in this life. Take for instance the Holy Trinity. We can explain some of its attributes through analogy such as with a flame: it has color, light and heat and all three are one. But just like the mystery of predestination and free will. All cannot be explained in this life. 🙂
 
The act of free will is the most glorious of God’s gifts to bestow upon his creations. Angels and Man possess this. Fore knowledge does not mean fore gone. Just because God knows what will happen does not mean that man does not have free will. God’s omniscience does not interfere with our will. Christ’s hyperstatic union gave him the ability to know his end. He spoke of it many times in the gospels. Yet it was the free will of men (such as Judas) that chose his path. It was also the free will of Jesus to give his life for us. He just knew it would pass. Remember, Jesus told the apostles at the last supper that one was to betray him. He knew. Yet Judas still did what he chose to do. Remember, Christ said it would be better if he were not born.
May the Lord richly bless you.
Jim
 
At the same time, isn’t Judas a hero for enabling that sacrifice?
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In a sense, yes he is a hero of sorts. I personally don’t believe that Judas is hell as most of my Protestant brethren believe. Judas was chosen at the beginning of time to play his role in Salvation History. To damn him to hell for all eternity because he played his role so perfectly?.. The word Betrayal that used is a bit harsh… also John gives Judas the benefit of doubt by saying that the Devil took possession of Judas. I don’t think that the devil could take possession while Jesus was present without Jesus’ own full consent. Just MHO
 
mcliffor said:
Id Judas’ and the jews betrayal of Christ was an act of free will, how could Christ have known throughout his life that he would die on the cross? If he was predestined to die the way he did, then it seems like Judas and the priests were predestined to act the way they did.
At the same time, isn’t Judas a hero for enabling that sacrifice?
Click to expand...
Knowing what Judas would do is one thing, guiding him to do it is another. Judas was free to choose his own path; God didn’t guide his mind to ensure he would make a certain choice. But He already knew what choice would make be made.

(IMHO) We shouldn’t view Judas as a ‘hero’. In spite of the fact he ‘enabled’ that sacrifice of Christ on the cross, he also enabled himself and others to an eternity in hell.
 
Just because God knows what we will do, that does not mean that we are compelled to do it. We choose, but God already knows what we will choose.
 
mcliffor said:
Id Judas’ and the jews betrayal of Christ was an act of free will, how could Christ have known throughout his life that he would die on the cross? If he was predestined to die the way he did, then it seems like Judas and the priests were predestined to act the way they did.
At the same time, isn’t Judas a hero for enabling that sacrifice?
Click to expand...
God is sovereign. He not only predestines the ends but the means. Because He is God, He is able to use primary and secondary causes. But don’t let people confuse you, predestination is not foreknowledge. Both exist but they must not be confused. God did predestine the events exactly as the happened but, mysteriously, worked it out without interfering with the will of those involved. It is a mystery. But we must never deny God’s action in human events because we don’t understand how free will and predestination can exist at the same time. But they do.
 
Hi mc,

It is a simple case of distinguishing between predictability and lack of free will. Free will is the ability to choose between more than one alternative. Faced with the alternatives, the individual CAN choose; he is not DRIVEN to one choice. Predictability is the certainty, moral or absolute, that he will choose one alternative over the others. But he is always free to choose another alternative.

If predictability meant lack of free will, then all the public opinion polls would indicate that none of us have free will, which is absurd.

God KNOWS whether we shall be saved or not. He does not OBLIGE us to certain choices.

Verbum
 
jimbrun said:
The act of free will is the most glorious of God’s gifts to bestow upon his creations. Angels and Man possess this. Fore knowledge does not mean fore gone. Just because God knows what will happen does not mean that man does not have free will. God’s omniscience does not interfere with our will. Christ’s hyperstatic union gave him the ability to know his end. He spoke of it many times in the gospels. Yet it was the free will of men (such as Judas) that chose his path. It was also the free will of Jesus to give his life for us. He just knew it would pass. Remember, Jesus told the apostles at the last supper that one was to betray him. He knew. Yet Judas still did what he chose to do. Remember, Christ said it would be better if he were not born.
May the Lord richly bless you.
Jim
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Respectfully, Jim, I don’t think there is any Biblical or traditional support to say that free will is God’s greatest gift to man. It is a part of being made in His image and life is a gift, but free will is simply an aspect of being human. Being sinner by nature our free will is no virtue. This elevation of the human will is completely absent from scripture for a reason. It is far to anthrocentric to focus on our will which is limited and flawed. Rather God’s greatest gift is His Son and that He does not leave us in slavery to our sinful will. Grace is also His greatest gift. Without grace we have no free will to respond to God. God has to enable our will to respond to him, so in that sense it is actually not free, at least not free to believe in Him. Autonmous free will is Pelagianism. Our will is in bondage without God’s grace intervening first.
 
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