Fatalism
Fatalism: 1. the doctrine that all things are subject to fate, or that take place by inevitable necessity. 2. events are fixed in advance so that human beings are powerless to change them.
The theological version of this is known as the doctrine of “predestination” or “foreordination,” which in brief claims that what transpires in one’s life has nothing to do with the choices one makes or fails to make, contrariwise, all happenstances of one’s life, including the date of one’s death, have been predestinated by God, thus any notion that one’s behavior had something to do with it is illusory.
What does Scripture have to say about this?
“There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.” Eccl 8:8
This is the go-to verse of the fatalist/pre-destinationist. However, there is a passage that precedes it, which is routinely ignored by them, that plainly says our behavior can, indeed, have an influence on when that day of death happens:
Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?
Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?” Eccl. 7:15-17
Did you see that my dear fatalist? That last verse plainly says that YOU can hasten the day of your death through foolish behavior.
This is sometimes countered with the belief that God has surrounded you with a “guardian angel and hedge of protection” that will circumvent any harm coming to you, so there is no need to exercise any caution or care in the way you behave.
In the present dispensation, there is no evidence that God surrounds any member of the body of Christ with a guardian angel, and even if He did, we are admonished by none other than the Son of God not to “tempt” God by acting foolishly:
“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. ….And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee, And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone ((Ps. 91:11,12)) And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Luke 4:1,2,9-12
The idea that we, as God’s children, can do as we please without fear of suffering any consequences is further nixed in the following warning by the Apostel Paul:
“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” Eph. 4:15-18
To “walk circumspectly” is to be aware of the world around us and take care not to act foolishly (“be ye not unwise”) because God is NOT going to prevent us from suffering the consequences of foolish/stupid behavior.
In conclusion, it is true that in life we are going to meet with trouble no matter how diligent we are, ((Jn 16:33)) but that doesn’t mean we should invite it into our lives by acting foolishly.
All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Bible.
Post Script:
Are you saved? Jesus Christ—“who knew no sin”—and his sacrificial death on the Cross, has made the way for “everyone that believeth…to be reconciled to God. History has shown that whatever peace man has achieved in the world can only be temporary. The Bible says that individual men and women can know, beyond a doubt, that they are saved and bound for heaven, and therefore have absolute and permanent peace, regardless of what is going on in the world, by trusting Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for their eternal salvation. “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures….for our justification….believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” ((1 Cor. 15:3,4; Rom. 4:25; Acts 16:31)) Have you done this? If not, why not now?
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