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lacknothing said:
...say I am an inventor and I have invented two wonderful machines that do similar things, lets just say one cleans my house and the other grooms my yard. Now do you think in your right mind that I would actually create one to fail?

I believe the analogy in Romans 9 of the Potter is more applicable than an "inventor." One creation (or device, if you will) serves a noble purpose - a wine goblet, or a device to groom the yard. Another serves a common purpose - a toilet, a garbage can. Both serve the inventor.

Fallen men deserve only God's justice. Those who receive His justice do so to the glory of His justice and holiness. Those who receive mercy receive it to the glory of His love and kindness. But both groups glorify God, serving His intended purpose for them.

Murder, we know, is against God's moral will. Ant we are told that from before time began God predetermineded the murder of His only begotten Son!

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this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death (Acts 2:23 NASB, emphasis mine).

Why would a God who opposes murder decree such a thing? Is it based entirely on "foreknowledge?"

Not exactly. It must be a choice, since God could have prevented it. Question:

If Almighty God foreknows that something terrible is about to happen, is there any chance that it won't?

If the answer is Yes, then either His foreknowledge is wrong or He is powerless to prevent the foreseen tragedy. Either way, that doesn't describe Almighty God! If the answer is No, then the tragedy must be His predetermined choice.

And if God chooses to show mercy to some and justice to the rest of fallen mankind, who are we to say to the Potter, "why have you made me this way?" The answer is, "for My glory." The choice of whether the clay is molded to the glory of His justice or to the glory of His mercy is up to the Potter, not the clay. Both uses serve the Potter's desire.

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lacknothing said: If the Predestination Theology is correct then that would me that if a friend and I both come to Biblical repentance and give our lives to God. And follow Christ's example and live for the glory of almighty God as the Bible tells us to. So far we have done EVERYTHING required of us to be "born again", so by the teachings of the Holy word of God we are destined for Glory (emphasis mine).

If a lump of clay has been fashioned into an ash tray, is there any way for it to become a wine goblet? Nope. It is what it's creator has made it to be.

Now I bolded something in the quote above which particularly strikes me. You suggested above that people can do something in order to be born again. What did you do in order to be born from your mother's womb? Did you have to qualify somehow? Was there some work you had to do or words you had to say or some faith on your part in order to qualify you for birth into this world? Of course not! Being born again is no different! The new birth is from Above, not from within. What helps me to see this alot more clearly is this little piece of news:

Regeneration (new birth) precedes conversion. It does not follow conversion. Why? Because "a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (1st Corinthians 2:14)." Because we were dead in trespasses and sins - not sick, not weakened, but dead. The unregenerate can no more "do something to be born again" than the dead can do something to raise themselves to life. Another must act UPON the dead to revive them.

Here is the picture of predestination that I want you to have:

When I was a lad, I ran away from home. I was gone for a couple of days. My father sought me all over the city, driving down every street and calling my name.

He wasn't searching for just any boy who might want to come live in his home. He was looking for me. No one else would do. I was his beloved son.

We are "lost" until our Father calls us from death and regenerates our soul (the new birth), enabling us to come to Him. That is clearly a choice - not merely a "foreknown" happenstance.

-Robin