Better For That Man If He Had Not Been Born, Part 2

Q: So let's say God with his foreknowledge new that a certain individual was not gonna grow up to accept him, but would be a mass murderer and end up going to hell someday. If God were to say within himself, " Since this person will not choose to be for me, I will not permit them to have life/existence" would he be denying them a freewill, to not be for him? -- sorry I just wanted to know if that would violate the freewill concept.

A: Thanks for your question. I would have to say "no" to your question. There is no evidence to suggest God disallows people from being born because they will reject Him and end up in hell. The evidence that does exist is that we have free will to choose. If God did such a thing as you suggest, what then would be the consequences of that to your faith? Would you begin to have doubts about who He is, His love for you and others? And, again, how would any of us even know that He did such a thing? There are and have been plenty of mass murderers in the history of the world from serial killers to ruthless dictators. Not allowing one more to come into the world would not seem to be making any difference, much less be evidence of His removing free will.  Besides, free will would still exist, otherwise, could we then say that God is responsible for the murders that have already taken place? Without free will to choose, God then becomes responsible for the sin in the world. The Bible states that God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV). Therefore, if He removes free will then He does become the author of confusion.

There are obviously plenty of people who have denied the Lord throughout history and have been sent to Hell. In Luke 16, Jesus gives the illustration of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Both the Rich Man and Lazarus died. It says this about the Rich Man, "In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side (Luke 16:23)." The Rich Man was in hell. He was not a mass murderer. In fact, he may have been someone held in high regard by the world, as opposed to a mass murder, because of his riches. Yet, we see nothing that mentions anything about the Rich Man not being given free will or it being mentioned that God should have prevented him from being born. In fact, we see the Rich Man ask for Lazarus to go back and warn his brothers about the place he is at, so they will not go there (Luke 16:27). But, Abraham replies, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead (Luke 16:31)." What Abraham is effectively saying is that people have enough evidence already to choose to accept the Lord, one more evidence is not going to change their minds. Abraham's response is affirming free will. 

"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:26-27)." What the Bible does say about God's foreknowledge is that He knows the times and places each one of us will occupy in history. He does this so we could seek Him out. This is evidence, if not proof, of free will. God wants everybody ever born to come to faith in Him. And He not only puts evidence of Himself in this world to reveal Himself, I believe that He is satisfied that each individual who has ever lived has enough evidence to turn to Him, if they choose (i.e. the Rich Man). In either situation, whether it be the one you suggest or what I believe the Bible promotes, it proves that God is a God of love. If He prevents someone from being born, so they will not go to Hell, it is a form of love. If He puts people in a time and place in history that maximizes their ability to seek Him and turn to Him, that is an act of love as well. I am not certain if I have given enough evidence that makes you accept the idea that God does not prevent people from living so they will avoid Hell. However, I hope you realize that God loves everybody so much that He has done everything in His power to give them the opportunity to go to Heaven, except removing their free will to deny all He has done for them in Christ Jesus. Grace and Peace.