Does God alter His own will at times??

I agree Tom. But God says one thing and then decides not to do that thing. The whole doesn't change is not about and has nothing to do with God changing His mind but the Nature of Charactor of God.

Just because God WILL do something if sin continues among a people, and then does not do it because the people repent and change; does not mean that God changed His mind and more than I do when I tell someone to stop pushing me or else. If they stop, my intended purpose if fulfilled. They questions comes now is what is Gods intended purpose, for there are times in scripture where people listen and times when they don't.

I hold that Gods knows all things and that through He declarations to a sinful people (like in Jonah and others) His will is carried out to their repenting to the glory of God or to their willful disobedience and their punishment to the Glory of God.

We do not know the mind of God, but God knows the mind of all men.

 

Greetings to you as well brother.

I contend much the same but am used to using permissable in place of acceptable yet in 'MY' estimation I believe them to be of the same construct so I have not problem. I also hold to the same context of 2 Peter 3:9 meaning to God is not willing that none should perish (those whom He knows are His) but that all should come unto repentence. (that God will not cut short the time to bring forth His righteous judgment till all have come to Him through repentence.)

I might agree with you 'IF' the context supported that argument. But God sent His prophet Isaiah To him to tell him that "...he WILL die and to get his affairs in order..." This was a word from the Lord and it was explict towards a time table as God sent Isaiah to tell him to get his affairs in order. If God was not actaully about to take his life through the sickness of which he was unto death then why send the prophet to tell him to get his affairs in order.

It is for this reason I wanted to look at these these types of scriptures. God does know the life of every man but in these types of verses can we not say that the life span of a man is under the permissive or acceptable will of God and that man will be and do certain things according to His eternal Will. Because If mans life span was under Gods permissive/acceptable will then He can enact anything upon that life's time (extention or reduction) as long as it allows for the eternal wills decreed aspects to be fulfilled.

This is what I was curious about.

 

I disagree that the people of Ninevah recognized its contigent nature as their own words expressed desperation that God "MIGHT" not continue with his plan.

So it was not that they saw any contingencies but set out to beg for mercy. And the scriptures state :

God saw they had turned and therefore withheld His judgment in mercy towards them. Yet we also know that many years later God did destroy Nivevah since they went back to their old ways.

But we know that God KNEW what they would do and that if He had not done it in this manner Ninevah would not have repented.

Agreed. Yet what I am trying to discuss in not that God brings into existence His desired will (we all believe this) but does God modify His will concerning the life spans of men.

or not change their minds that Gods Righteous judgment before all men might be witnessed and established.

 

Not His plan but His people. He knows what His plan entails but that does not remove the fact that God is a jeleous God over His people. He knows what they will do and is sadend/angered/displeased by their choice but not suprised. He disires them to fear the Lord, worship and obey the Lord yet, He knows where they will stumble, and where they will fall, and where/when they will be the jewels He will make up...(Mal 4:17)

That 'suprised' you are refering in to is more acturately translated 'stunned or amazed' and not 'suprised'. Just as an example (though it is pitiful at best when trying to describe anything concerning God)
I can know that God will do something - Such as provide
and yet is still stuns or amazes me when I behold it, in spite of that knowledge.
- I think this is typified herein with God to some degree or sense -

Before the foundation of the World. He created nothing with His knowledge of it first and nothing that was created was known fully to God regarding His purposes and intents.

 

Granted.

Your reasoning hold no water and is without any biblical support. Just because He knows everything from eternity (where no time is) does not nessesitate He that which He foreknew was not known to Him within the construct of Time He will create. For though Time was not yet, in the heart of God it was to be and therefore existed in the mind of God concerning His creation and plan and purpose for His pleasure. I agree that God can learn nothing new, and that nothing ever 'occurs' to God, or has to figure out. Yet this does not substantiate anything concerning your point that God does not think sequentially.

We know this but your model is much like a painting of the mountains. Though it looks pretty and represents your point of view it is still iat best maginary.

 

Your logic is faulty here, Humble. 'Before time' simply means at a point in which time is not manifested yet but it does exist in the knowledge of God who WILL create that time and all that will come to pass (sequence) IN Time.
How is there no room for process in Gods thinking?
How do you KNOW that God didn't have room for a process? The fact is you don't, but your view is set to help maintain you view of how you understand God. IF it was different you would have to change some of your views.

Yes God can do the same act 'before time' (foreknowedge, determining, decreeing) and also 'In Time' (bringing into being His plan and purpose).

What God does IN time is due to His knowledge outside of time that corrisponds to order OF Time He created, that IN Time His will is to be fulfilled regarding its timing.

Yes God is bound by Time for Time is part of His plan and purpose therefore it necessitates that God abide by His determined will. God is not bound by time though but by His purpose and plan with regard to time. Otherwise Why is God longsuffering to usward (the elect)...not willing that any (elect) should perish but that all come to repentence? The problem you seem to over look is that Time is set in Gods will and therefore binds God to the aspect of His will conerning time and that which He purposed for it and the very reason He works both IN Time and outside of Time.

 

I agree with both Rippon AND Webdog. (Now THAT is a contradiction!!) LOL.
Let us get back (if we will) to the OP at hand.

Though it does have some aspects involved in the time issue, that was not the reason for the OP.

Does God change His will at times?