The Bible teaches that us, human being was created with the ability to make moral choices and that we are responsible for those choices. The Fall of Man was not a predetermined event in which Adam and Eve were hapless victims of a Puppet-Master God. On the contrary, Adam and his wife had the ability to choose obedience with its attendant blessing or disobedience with its consequent curse. They knew what the result of their decision would be, and they were held accountable in Genesis 3.

Interestingly, many people who choose to sin are annoyed by the negative consequences of their sin. "A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD", Proverbs 19:3. This is a very insightful verse. When a man foolishly wrecks his life, he may yet insist on blaming God, or perhaps "Fate." In this way, he persists in his folly.

The Bible teaches that God is in charge. At the same time, He has given us the freedom to obey or disobey Him, and there are some things that God does only in answer to prayer, James 4:2.

God knows the outcome of everyone life, our destiny is not already written when you are born. OUR ACTIONS as we grow determines our destiny.

God blesses the obedient, and He is patient with those who disobey, even to the point of seeming laxity. He has a plan for our lives, which includes our joy and His glory both in this world and in the world to come. Those who accept Christ as Savior have accepted God’s plan, John 14:6. From then on, it’s a step-by-step following of God’s best for us, praying for His will to be done, and avoiding the sidetrack of sin.

So are you destined to the way you were born and to the way you die? The rest in between is what you make of it? 

What you mean by, "destined to the way you were born"? As I said before, we create our own destiny, whether that destiny is eternity with Christ or separation from Him forever is base upon our ACTIONS.

I mean if you were born a prince, is that not your destiny/fate to be born into royalty.  And if you were to die in an explosion then that I will think is also your destiny. 

How you lived your life between birth and death is your own doing/free will.  As you pointed out.

Am I correct? 

I believe God has a destiny for us. But, the Bible’s definition of destiny is a bit different than Webster’s.

Webster: The predetermined or inevitable course of events considered beyond the power or control of people.

The Webster definition voids us of responsibility, Fatalism.

Fate is usually thought of as a predetermined course of events beyond human control. A typical response to a belief in fate is resignation if we can’t change destiny, then why even try? Whatever happens, happens, and we can’t do anything about it. This is called "fatalism," and it is not biblical.

Fatalism is a major premise of Islam as you might know, which demands total submission to the sovereignty of Allah. It is widely held in Hinduism, too; in fact, it is a fatalistic view of life that helps keep India’s caste system in place. Greek mythology told of the Moirai, or the Fates, three goddesses pictured as weavers of men’s lives. Their decisions could not be canceled or annulled, even by other gods. Again, fatalism is not a biblical concept.

This theme of being held accountable for our choices continues throughout Scripture. "He who sows wickedness reaps trouble" (Proverbs 22:8a). "All hard work brings a profit,  but mere talk leads only to poverty" (Proverbs 14:23). "Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you" (Romans 13:3).

Often, when the Bible speaks of destiny, it’s in reference to a destiny people have brought upon themselves: "Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction" (Philippians 3:18-19). "This is the fate of those who trust in themselves" (Psalm 49:13). "A man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself" (Proverbs 6:32). "Each person was judged according to what he had done" (Revelation 20:13).

We sin because we choose to. We can’t blame "Fate," kismet, predestination, or God. James 1:13-14 says, "When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed."

Scripture also teaches that we choose to have faith. The oft-repeated command in Scripture to believe implies that we do have a choice in the matter. "Be not faithless, but believing" (John 20:27; see also Acts 16:31; 19:4).

Lest we get the wrong idea, we are not the sovereign masters of our fate. Only God is sovereign. His sovereign control is called "providence." He has chosen to give us a free will, and He has created a moral universe in which the law of cause-and-effect is a reality. But God is God alone, and there are no "accidents" in the universe.

An all-wise, all-powerful God must have a plan, so it should be no surprise that the Bible speaks of a divine plan. God’s plan, since it belongs to God, is holy, wise, and benevolent. The providence of God is working to bring about His original plan for creation.

God speaks in Isaiah 48:3, "I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass." What God announces, He does, and He may announce it centuries ahead of time!.

Fighting against the plan of God is pointless. "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD" (Proverbs 21:30). This is why the Tower of Babel was never completed (Genesis 11:1-9), why Daniel’s detractors were thrown to the lions (Daniel 6:24), why Jonah spent time inside a fish (Jonah 1:17), and why I get in trouble when I sin.

Even what we would normally call "chance" or "fate" is under God’s control. "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD" (Proverbs 16:33). In other words, God does not take a "hands-off" approach to running the world.

Everything that happens in the world is made to work out according to God’s purpose. Evil exists, but it is not allowed to thwart God’s providence. God uses even sinful men for His purposes. "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases" (Proverbs 21:1). God worked in the hearts of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:36) and King Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:27) to bring about His purpose. Even when Man’s intent is purely evil, God can still bring about His will, as in the case of those who crucified Jesus (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).

God’s plan includes a reward for those who trust in Him, and He promises to glorify His children. "We speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’" (1 Corinthians 2:7-9). Note the use of the word destined in this passage and that it’s a destiny based on our love for the Lord.

God’s sovereignty reaches even to a plan for our individual lives. This is illustrated in God’s calling of Jeremiah before the prophet was even born. "The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations’" (Jeremiah 1:4-5).

David also recognized that the Lord had a plan for him. "Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16). Because of this knowledge, David sought the Lord’s specific guidance in many situations, such as in 1 Samuel 23:9-12.

In Acts 9, Jesus appears to Saul of Tarsus with an interesting statement: "It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (verse 5). Jesus obviously had a plan for Saul, and Saul had been (painfully) resisting it. Exercising our freedom against God’s plan can be painful.

Later, Jesus tells Saul that a man named Ananias would come to visit and then Jesus tells Ananias (verses 11-12)! Obviously, Jesus had a pre-arranged plan for Ananias as well. Now, Ananias didn’t want to visit Saul (verse 13-14). He could have been like Jonah and run the other way. If that had been his choice, God would have had a "fish" prepared to bring him back. Fortunately, Ananias obeyed (verse 17). Exercising our freedom to follow God’s plan brings a blessing.

The Bible teaches that God is in charge. At the same time, He has given us the freedom to obey or disobey Him, and there are some things that God does only in answer to prayer (James 4:2).

Being human is fatal. In due time, we’re all going to die as it says in Hebrews 9:27; "it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment." That is the ultimate destiny of everyone who has ever been or ever will be born.

Daniel wrote thousands of years ago about something that is yet to take place and is found in Daniel 12:2 which says "many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" but "those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever" (Dan 12:3). The final destiny of all who have refused to repent and trust in Christ is also mentioned in the Book of Revelation where it says "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire" (Rev 20:12-15). That is a destiny I wish for no one (Rev 21:8).

Keith posted:

Fate is usually thought of as a predetermined course of events beyond human control. A typical response to a belief in fate is resignation if we can’t change destiny, then why even try? Whatever happens, happens, and we can’t do anything about it. This is called "fatalism," and it is not biblical.

Fatalism is a major premise of Islam as you might know, which demands total submission to the sovereignty of Allah.

I find this quite interesting especially since it is such an erroneous point of view. Coming from a Christian makes it amusing. First of all, submission to the "sovereignty of Allah" (actually it is submitting to the ways of Allah) has nothing to do with predestination. Islam teaches that everyone is responsible for their actions alone. How much they do will determine how much they reap. They don't believe in a flawed ideology that people are born with or in sin. Every child is born free of sin and full of opportunity to make whatever they will out of life. After death, they will reap the rewards only of what they sow and will not have to bear the burden of any other person or thing. It also teaches that no one can carry another person's sins to the idea of anyone dying for peoples' sins is unacceptable.

Coming to your question @Amral, Islam teaches that because Allah is all knowing, He already knows how we will turn out. He did not write our destiny or our actions beforehand. He just know already how you or I will live and die. Christians say things like "God wants to know". That is completely foreign to Muslims because God does not test us so He can know what we will do. Because He already knows everything, He already knows how we will react to those tests. We are not all knowing so we wouldn't know how we would react to those tests so we are given the tests so we can learn about ourselves. Plus tests are also a good way for us to strengthen ourselves.

Man now I am all confused. Rass lol

Amral posted:

Man now I am all confused. Rass lol

Bai, that is what religion will do to you. . I am not a theologian so I cannot handle this question adequately. Methinks Bro. Keith is a theologian but his theology is flawed. . I prefer to take from each teaching their good lessons and leave the question about later for those more adequately prepared to deal with them. It is better for me to assume that there is nothing after I die and everything I want I need to strive for myself. That is the best guarantee I can count on.

ksazma posted:

Keith posted:

Fate is usually thought of as a predetermined course of events beyond human control. A typical response to a belief in fate is resignation if we can’t change destiny, then why even try? Whatever happens, happens, and we can’t do anything about it. This is called "fatalism," and it is not biblical.

Fatalism is a major premise of Islam as you might know, which demands total submission to the sovereignty of Allah.

I find this quite interesting especially since it is such an erroneous point of view. Coming from a Christian makes it amusing. First of all, submission to the "sovereignty of Allah" (actually it is submitting to the ways of Allah) has nothing to do with predestination. Islam teaches that everyone is responsible for their actions alone. How much they do will determine how much they reap. They don't believe in a flawed ideology that people are born with or in sin. Every child is born free of sin and full of opportunity to make whatever they will out of life. After death, they will reap the rewards only of what they sow and will not have to bear the burden of any other person or thing. It also teaches that no one can carry another person's sins to the idea of anyone dying for peoples' sins is unacceptable.

Coming to your question @Amral, Islam teaches that because Allah is all knowing, He already knows how we will turn out. He did not write our destiny or our actions beforehand. He just know already how you or I will live and die. Christians say things like "God wants to know". That is completely foreign to Muslims because God does not test us so He can know what we will do. Because He already knows everything, He already knows how we will react to those tests. We are not all knowing so we wouldn't know how we would react to those tests so we are given the tests so we can learn about ourselves. Plus tests are also a good way for us to strengthen ourselves.

ksazam my brother, happy new year to you and the family. Fatalism within Islam is not something I made up, It's widely known, there was even an Oxford Islamic study on this particular issue and many other articles written on it. 

"Every child is born free of sin", this is wrong. We are all born sinners with sinful, selfish natures. Unless we are born again by the Spirit of God, we will never see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

No one has to teach a child to lie; rather, we must go to great lengths to impress upon children the value of telling the truth. Toddlers are naturally selfish, with their innate, although faulty, understanding that everything is "mine." Sinful behavior comes naturally for the little ones because they are born sinners.

We are born with a sinful nature, and we inherited it from Adam. "Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people" (Romans 5:12). Every one of us was affected by Adam's sin; there are no exceptions. "One trespass resulted in condemnation for all people" verse 18. We are all sinners, and we all share the same condemnation, because we are all children of Adam.

Adam and Eve were separated from God because of their sin in the garden of Eden. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24.

I have stated this many times before, during the times of Abraham, Isaac, etc. before the death of Christ on the cross sacrifices were made onto God by the killing of lambs to atone for man sin. Are we still sacrificing lamb today? No, Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for our sin to reconcile us back to God.   

The statement you made above, "Christians say things like "God wants to know"", Christian(s) who are making such statement is WRONG for we know God is "omniscient".

I have to watch the video seignet posted later tonight.

ksazma posted:

Amral posted:

Man now I am all confused. Rass lol

Methinks Bro. Keith is a theologian but his theology is flawed.

Come on I'm not a theologian brother, I don't preach in any congregation, I thought I've made this clear before but you failed to understand this. I'm a child of God, a believer that God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world but that the world might be saved through Him.

I'm still waiting for you to point out what flawed about the things I've posted here.

Armal I would also suggest you listen to Discipline Determines Destiny Let me know your thoughts after.

Keith posted:

Armal I would also suggest you listen to Discipline Determines Destiny Let me know your thoughts after.

OK thanks 

Amral posted:

Keith posted:

Armal I would also suggest you listen to Discipline Determines Destiny Let me know your thoughts after.

OK thanks 

Looks as though the Brother wants to convert you.

Charles Stanley. I have watched him a few times many years ago he is good. 

Convert me nah. But for the record. I did attend Sunday School. My aunt and uncle had Sunday school at their bottom house. I attended the Anglican Church at De Kendren where I was an Altar boy for awhile  

kp posted:

Amral posted:

Keith posted:

Armal I would also suggest you listen to Discipline Determines Destiny Let me know your thoughts after.

OK thanks 

Looks as though the Brother wants to convert you.

When God convicts your heart you stop whatever you are doing and live your life differently. You change because you love God and desire to follow His will for your life. It's the spirit within you that convicts the heart, nothing to do with me converting you.