Open Theism

Examination of Open Theism and Its Proponents

Introduction

The idea of one God dominates the church's perspective. The traditional perspective of oneness of God stresses the majesty and glory of God. According to this perspective, God is supreme in his power and control. According to the proponents of the traditional view of God, there are diverse biblical statements that support the argument that there is one God.

Open theists argue that if God foresee every action of the future then it means that human beings do not have the freedom to make choices. Therefore, they deny that God is aware of every detail of the future. Open theists also base their arguments on the passages of scriptures. However, the interpretations of open theists and traditional theists are different.

In the book, God, Time, and Knowledge' William Hasker has presented a philosophical perspective of open theism. Open theists have supported their arguments with both philosophical reasoning and scriptures' evidences. There are a number of scholars who have argued the case of free will theism from philosophical perspectives. One of these authors is Basinger. Some theists maintain that God knows everything in advance but human beings can chose their destiny through prayers.

This paper aims to analyze the perspectives of open theists with the evidences from scriptures and logical reasoning.

Discussion

There are many theologists who question the perspective of free will in terms of soteriology. According to these theologists, in order for human beings to comprehend predestination, they must comprehend different truths. Some of the issues that must be highlighted before identifying the reliability of free will include the nature of man in relation to god, comprehension of sins and grace and others.

According to the Calvinist belief, the destiny of each individual is predestined. In other words, God has decided the fate of every human being in advance. Therefore, according to these beliefs human beings are unable to respond freely. They do not have freewill. This perspective also maintains that God has planned everything in advance. All actions that take place in this world are according to the will of God.

The Calvinist arguments are based on five points. These points include total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. According to the concept of Total Depravity, human beings cannot truly love God. It is because of the presence of Original Sin. According to this concept, human beings have free will.

However, they do not have the ability to select anything that is good for them. The scripture also supports this perspective. According to the scripture, “every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above” (Jas. 1:17). According to the idea of Unconditional Election, human beings are unable to learn regeneration but it is god gifted. According to this idea, we cannot talk about God in terms of time and space. Therefore, all things that are present to God are present.

According to the point of Limited Atonement, it is important to address the question 'For whom did Christ die'? ...