"The question could honestly be asked, regardless of your stance on free will. I could simply rephrase it: "Why did God give us rules if He already knows whether we'll obey them or not?" That is, of course, unless you are contesting God's omniscience. Isn't saying that he didn't know that we were going to break them rules make His not omniscience. " Giving "free will" to a certain type of his many many creations gives them *power* over themselves... so as to say God has power over you (and everything ), but gives you power over you.... to decide to whom you will trust the power over you.... so if you see it from that perspective.... the answer to your question to the best of my knowledge would be akin to say asking why does a teacher send a student home with a workbook or reading assignment.... so you will be prepared for the test of course.... if you chose not to study and failed the test then you can't blame the teacher who sent you home with the workbook just like everyone else..... God could've made it a lot more difficult than he did. The scriptures are practically everywhere.... but as it is written (paraphrasing) keep seeking and you will find, keep knocking and the door will be opened to you. So even had the scriptures been banned long ago (or should they be in the future ) you are nonetheless compelled to find and study them, if indeed God is what you seek. "The bible says that God planned our lives in advance (I Cor. 2:7) (planned is the same word as predestined in the greek) Why would he plan everything but salvation. " 1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: It doesn't say he planned our lives in advance there. This is saying God "ordained" before the world the hidden wisdom. This isn't contradicting free will. "Again you are missing out bits that I am saying to help your argument, I am just talking about salvation, we have a free will but it is filthy and can't choose good, and that is why we can't choose God. Your whole argument is as good as nothing because I didn't say that we do everything that God tells us to do, we don't, so that is why he saves us" I would challenge you to back up from scripture the phrase you said "we can't choose God." I disagree with that statement and again assert the evidence of there being scripture in existence to *encourage* us to choose God as evidence that not only is there a choice but that God wants us to choose to seek after him and his ways... though we obviously don't have to. If we *couldn't* choose good or *couldn't* choose God then all of us posters here on MyPraize who each individually have free will (whether or not they each wish to believe in it ) would necessarily by *compulsion* steer clear of any and all places like say... MyPraize... where people come and discuss God.... because you say we *can't* choose good or God with our God given free will.... we not only can choose good and choose God, but we can choose what good we *will* do specifically, and we can choose in what manner we will choose to serve God.... in the exact same sense that we can choose bad or the adversary. Whether you believe it or not there are those who not only choose bad but choose the adversary.... that being the case it is essential to recognize that you have the free will to choose good and God. In reference to the comments about election.... Just because God has the power to choose, doesn't mean that his choices are arbitrary. God is wise, so obviously his choices would be made with careful consideration to all the relevant information.... which is where his omniscience is useful.... as rather than at creating you having to decide "heaven or hell" and on the next one... he can see into his creation completely and see what actions it will take (of it's own free will) in life and through such knowledge determine "heaven or hell" based upon the free will decisions of his creations. Among the decisions one is to make freely in life is whether or not you will serve God freely... "I think if we go to hell, then it is our fault, we put ourselves there but if we make it to heaven then that is working of God" So we can choose to go to Hell, but we can't choose to go to heaven? If we have a choice (which I assure you we do), and we can't choose to go to heaven, then that means we can choose only hell. This is equivalent to saying we have no choice but hell.... which wouldn't really be choosing. Salvation is offered for those who make poor choices... but one must *choose* to be saved. I wonder the predicament it would be if God chose someone for salvation and that person thought they didn't have a choice to turn back and receive salvation, because someone can't choose heaven.... yet without choosing to receive salvation no one can be saved. Hell is certainly *a* choice.... but the choice you should be seeking is salvation. Some choices matter more than others.... Salvation is the choice that matters most. One can't choose salvation without choosing both good and God, as salvation is an expression of both. Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. Yes he works all things according to his will. But it is his will that man would have free will, this is proven by the fact that man does have free will and that many times we are urged to make this choice or that choice, some are even commanded. For instance trust, which you see mentioned in the following verse. Trust is a choice. Trust is not an automatic. When you were a baby you cried and cried unaware that you would be fed, changed, or whatever else you needed. You didn't trust, but over time you developed trust (hopefully) that what you need would be provided so as not to complain. When you took your first steps you were timid and uncertain whether you would be able to stand up... it took time to learn to trust yourself... and took more trust to be able to run or jump. Also for instance, if a complete stranger asks you to borrow your car to go down the street... however nice you may be, it's unlikely you *trust* him enough to do that... however if you meet this person and get more familiar with him it's possible that over time you will gain trust in him enough to allow him to borrow your car. However, trust is a choice that one makes. It is not inconceivable that one could *choose* not to trust someone with their car even if they've known them for a long time. The same can be said on the choice to "trust in Christ". If you did not make the choice to trust, you would not trust.... somewhere along the line you choose to trust, and all along the line you are allowed to choose *not* to trust or rather choose what to trust instead. It's true God makes the big choices, not us.... but we choose ourselves. We choose what we believe. We choose what actions we take in our lives... which includes the choice to serve God or not and the choice to follow his teachings. We choose to do good, or else by default we *do* no good... I guess you could incidentally do good without choosing to do good, for instance if you left some fries in the bottom of your fry box and from the dumpster they managed to make it to the hands of someone hungry enough to eat them. But that's not the same as actively choosing to do good, like say giving someone hungry food directly. If you don't actively choose to do good, then it's unlikely you would go out of your way to provide food for someone else. If you choose to seek God and his ways then such a choice would seem second nature... but it is still a choice. Bottom line... everything is choices.... choose God or don't... but don't pretend you have no choice, I think that could be perceived as being lukewarm.... having neither chose nor rejected him but rather undecided, depending on him not only to choose you first, but to be the only one choosing....