Where God's sovereignty ends and Man's Free Will begins?
I've been reading as much as I can on understanding God's sovereign and where He is in control. Basically I have a mixed up view on this having learned much of my doctrine from Calvinism but I have some pretty major barriers from being anywhere near clarity and any help or ideas of these viewpoints would be greatly appreciated.:confused-new:
I guess recently I've been really burdened for the famine in Africa primarily in Somalia. Following the news and seeing the horror unravel there has really shaken some of my beliefs of "Jehovah Provides". Why would God allow thousands of children, adolescents and young adults to die each day in terrible camps through malnutrition and disease? I'm not questioning suffering and the conditions rather there chance and accountability at receiving the Gospel. One thing that gave me reassurance as a Calvinist was that God elected you and you would be saved via His providence and Grace (even though you yourself would have to turn and repent by your own choice, God just provides the means/knowledge to do that). Assuming the burden of responsibility for repenting relies solely on us the sinner, how is being in circumstances like those in Somalia fair if thousands of people die each day and are being held responsible for their sin regardless of living in muslim dominated society (by society I mean in a stinking desert where they walk huge distances on barren dirt roads scraping by each day, each hour) where they worship allah and assuming most have never been presented the Gospel or had the opportunity to turn to Christianity. If God provides and wants all His creation to hear of salvation how would the many young adults and others in this area who would be in God's eyes at the age of accountability for their sins(assuming there is some defined age) have been provided a fair life if they were first never given any circumstance to hear the Gospel, fighting each day from first attrocious militias they are running from, secondly famine and disease, and thirdly any witness of Christ in there secluded muslim existence.
I'm not saying there will be no evangelical outreach these people, or that they have never once witness a Christian proclaiming the Gospel while giving out food. But, honestly, most of these younger adults and children especially have not ever heard the Gospel and if you are dying of starvation you are going to be mentally and phsyically impeded to due so.
It kind of erks me when each week hundreds of followers praise the Lord in church or daily lives for providing so many needs, mostly little needs in comparison to the events many face in say Somalia. For example, how many times in church have we prayed and thanked Jesus for "this food and blessings", praised God for providing for our family, whether that be a Job or income, medical help/cure, or little things like gas or other help. Did God soverignly grant us those blessings? If He can so easily bless us with the food for midday brunch, giving us the income and resources we need to make it possible, why not help those in foreign crises whose have literally hours before they die? Why was I so privileged to be born in such a wonderful place and be so immersed with resources, preaching, repeated chances and loving believers and those across the world not? It took me quite some time before I embraced God's diagnosis of my sinfulness and the fact that I actually needed a Saviour (being so deceitful and denying the responsibility of my own sin) how is it fair others do not get the same amount of time or chances to due so? It really scares me if (please correct me where I am wrong I'm still trying to learn) we bear the sole responsilbity for proclaiming God's Word and supporting others in the world what about the thousands have never heard of God's salvation, never have had the chance after chance to turn and work through their error in theology let alone have physical blessings to do so.
I guess in terms of OSAS Arminian doctrine where do we praise God for the direct work of His Hand and when do we take responsibility for ourselves? If every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father (James) does that mean I can praise God for the month of food I have in my pantry, schooling and health but someone in Africa can't praise God that the one ration of waterdowned soup yesterday didn;t provide for his sons and himself and most likely they might die tomorrow? Or in terms of salvation, do I get to praise God for granting me the gift of being in a certain location where I could be able to hear the Word preached so many times, have a large amount of time to really wrestle with it and work through sins and flaws, while most others don't get this opportunity, let alone a stinking bed and water to drink? If God has no sovereign hand in determining who receives even a chance at faith and who doesn't, where do others get their fair treatment from a God who doesnt discriminate and sent His Jesus for us? I don't doubt His unconditional love to each individual but why doesn't Jesus see to it that everyone sovereignly get provided at least the proper nutrition to at least have the opportunity to be witness to? If just breaks my heart to think I was able to be saved because I stumbled upon the right person who connected me with the opportunity to hear the Gospel and be saved while other less unfortunate people will not have the same opportunities I've had. I know thats way oversimplistic but I'm more just trying to work through the years of Calvinism and "coddling" under the view where God was responsible and in charge of the opportunities, blessings, decisions in my life, good and bad, keeping my safe from accidents, and bad circumstances.
We know in the Psalms David praises God for doing such things: Delivering Him from His enemies, providing and strengthening Him, but does God just do this sporadically and is He always intervening into our lives, blessings us, providing and protecting us? I have been shielded from the outcomes of so many decisions and events in my life, was this all of God? Even before I was saved? Or was is just "luck"? Thanks for any thoughts, I'm really trying to replace all these beliefs of God being responsible for everything but want to know where He still does assert some diving intervention into opportunities and circumstances (or in other words what things are just "luck" that they happened or that were never divinely influenced by God and what things does He act and still daily influence or control)
