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The Open Theology explains that God does not have a meticulous view of every death that happens. It is not part of God’s eternal plan that they die. It is not necessarily His wish.
God set the world in motion perfectly and gave man a free will to choose him or not. Man, for the most part choose not to honor God. That destroyed both other men, and the world. Man’s rebellion against God required that God no longer supernaturally help get man out of every single jam that he finds himself into.
Now, after the fall, if a man - even a good man - tries to climb a mountain and decides to be careless with what he is holding onto, he will plummet to the earth and die. If a man doesn’t take cover in a tornado, then that man will die. If he tries to bring his ship into a hurricane, God cannot be coerced into saving him.
God could prevent people from doing what they wanted – but that would be restraining their will. God could try to keep people from the consequence of every action, but that would turn us all into careless brats. There is no obligation for God to keep man from hurting himself or hurting others around him – and there are unintended consequences that could occur for doing so that would be worse than the actual problem.
In order for God to receive love from man, that love must be freely given. IF man does not have the ability to choose to do evil, then he does not have the ability to choose to do good either. The most precious gift God has given us is a world without Fate, Providence, or a Settled Future. God has instead decided to give us love, which requires choice, which is far more precious to us and to Him.
Well said.
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