I guess I don’t agree with Theological Determinist. My belief in God is that he gave us minds to have the free will to make choices. God IS omniscient, He has the ability to see all paths available to us no matter what path we choose. He knows the outcome of whatever decision we choose to make of our own free will. I do not believe he is the “master” that “pulls the reins”. He has left the choices up to us. Because he is omni benevolent, he forgives our transgressions when we acknowledge them and ask for forgiveness. But he also expects us to learn from our mistakes and make concerted efforts to not repeat them. If one holds the view that God punishes or rewards us depending on our actions, look to the book of Job. The message, as I understand it, is that as humans, we are not capable of understanding why God does the things He does.