Does man have a freewill ?
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Good post. It would be nice if those who misuse this Scripture would learn what you've posted and be corrected.
I'd also add from context that:
As you essentially said, and I fully agree, this is not about the natural man being unable to hear, understand and believe the basic saving message of the Gospel. It's about things even baby Christians (who were natural men but then believed the saving Gospel) can't yet understand but will under continued discipleship.
Thanks for your post.
I'd also add from context that:
- Paul is speaking about things he can only teach to the more mature Christians 1Cor2:6 which alone takes this out of the realm of being about the basics of the Gospel.
- Paul elaborates and says it's about the things God has prepared for those who love Him 1Cor2:9 and says it's about the deep things of God 1Cor2:10 and the things freely given by God to Christians 1Cor2:12 that Paul speaks about in words taught by God's Spirit [which only believers have] 1Cor2:13 and that Christians have the mind/thinking of Christ 1Cor2:16. None of this is about the basics of the Gospel.
- To provide an inclusio to the above clarification that Paul is talking about things he can only teach to the more mature Christians, he then says he can only teach the milk to the infants [in Christ] the immature Christians he couldn't yet teach the deep things to, those he could not yet speak to as "spiritual" Christians - which is wording Paul uses to mean they were immature in Spirit, infants [in Christ] as he says. This too means what Paul is talking about is not the basics of the Gospel men are required to believe to become Christians, because he's talking about baby Christians here who have already believed Jesus is the Christ not yet being able to understand this teaching about deeper [spiritual] things.
As you essentially said, and I fully agree, this is not about the natural man being unable to hear, understand and believe the basic saving message of the Gospel. It's about things even baby Christians (who were natural men but then believed the saving Gospel) can't yet understand but will under continued discipleship.
Thanks for your post.
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Wow. Such denial of what is explicitly written!
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
And saying the gospel is not one of the spiritual things of God? You really stretch the truth beyond recognition.
A disturbing thing about free willers is how much that is explicitly stated is routinely contradicted and outright denied.
1 Timothy 3 verse 16
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
And saying the gospel is not one of the spiritual things of God? You really stretch the truth beyond recognition.
A disturbing thing about free willers is how much that is explicitly stated is routinely contradicted and outright denied.
1 Timothy 3 verse 16
Perhaps all your eye rolling has blinded you to Scriptural truth.
2 Corinthians 4 verses 3-4 ~ 2 Corinthians 4 verse 4 ~ Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God.
2 Corinthians 4 verses 3-4 ~ 2 Corinthians 4 verse 4 ~ Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God.
You love riding the gravy train that denies the explicitly revealed Word of God. Shame on you.
This is what years of study has gotten you? More to shame.
1 Corinthians 1 verses 18-19 ~ The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
This is what years of study has gotten you? More to shame.
1 Corinthians 1 verses 18-19 ~ The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
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2 cor 4: IF our gospel is hid, it is hid from them who are lost
1. It does nto say it is hid, it says if it is hid, it would be hid from them
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them
2. It is hid (if it is) to those who are spiritually blinded and have hardened their hearts in unbelief.
no to those who are seeking. and drawn, and have an open heart to possibly believe.
1. It does nto say it is hid, it says if it is hid, it would be hid from them
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them
2. It is hid (if it is) to those who are spiritually blinded and have hardened their hearts in unbelief.
no to those who are seeking. and drawn, and have an open heart to possibly believe.
Man comes into this world in opposition to the things of God. But, God always has a remnant which He calls His people, His Elect, His sheep, etc – which will be drawn to him by the Holy Spirit. All others will be lost to the pleasures of this world.
The non-elect people have the same opportunity to hear God's word, read the Bible – just as the Elect. However, they do not desire the things of God, their treasure is in the things of this world. They will be found without excuse! Why is this so?
The word of God always accomplishes what it is sent to do. It does not return to God void of the purpose for which it was sent!
The Elect receive it, believe it, trust it, and turn to God while to the non-elect – it goes in one ear and out the other. Either way it accomplishes the will of God.
God does not renew everyone! He only acts on behalf of His people! And, the truth is that all others will be lost because they will not turn to God without being renewed.
The non-elect people have the same opportunity to hear God's word, read the Bible – just as the Elect. However, they do not desire the things of God, their treasure is in the things of this world. They will be found without excuse! Why is this so?
The word of God always accomplishes what it is sent to do. It does not return to God void of the purpose for which it was sent!
The Elect receive it, believe it, trust it, and turn to God while to the non-elect – it goes in one ear and out the other. Either way it accomplishes the will of God.
God does not renew everyone! He only acts on behalf of His people! And, the truth is that all others will be lost because they will not turn to God without being renewed.
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I see you prefer to ask questions than answer them.
If you are asking what GW says is GRFS, my answer is this:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus.” (ACTS 16:31) This is GRFS in a nutshell. Jesus Himself expressed GRFS even more succinctly using three, four and five letter words: “Ask… seek… knock…” (MT 7:7). This indicates that God graces every sinful soul with the ability or opportunity to understand how to be saved (MT 7:7, cf. 1TM 2:3-4, EZK 33:11), which might be called “seeking grace” (TIT 2:11). As Hebrews 11:6 states: “he [God] rewards those who earnestly seek him” (cf. IS 45:19). Seeking God is the beginning of saving faith, and not seeking God or rejecting His salvation in Christ is the essence of evil atheism or faith in I-dolatry (RM 3:11, 1:18-23). All humans sin, but every sinner has the opportunity to repent/have saving faith (per RM 1:20, 2:7, 3:21-22, 4:16 & 5:8-19).
Thus, sinful humanity retains the image of God or moral free will, so every normal adult soul is able by faith to choose to seek salvation–or not (cf. DT 30:19). That is why Paul went “every Sabbath to the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks” (ACTS 18:4)! “He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.” (ACTS 28:23b) “Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. (ACTS 28:24) They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul made this final statement: The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving, for this people’s heart has become calloused.” (ACTS 28:25-27a, cf. 2TM 3:7)
GRFS may be denoted by the use of the Greek word kerygma, meaning proclamation or preaching, referring to the good news (Gospel) concerning salvation to heaven and from a just hell (the DOD, cf. RM 1:16, GL 1:6-12, CL 1:21-23). This Gospel was preached by Peter (in ACTS 2:22-24) and summarized by Paul (in 1CR 15:1-8). The salient points include: Jesus was a man, accredited by God (to be Messiah), who died on a cross, but who was raised or resurrected from the dead. Messiah is the Way to heaven.
An obvious question to ask at this point is, “What is GRFS for those who have never heard of Jesus?” (which includes everyone living B.C. and millions of people who have lived A.D.) If God loves the world (JN 3:16) and wants everyone to be saved (2TM 2:3-4, EZK 33:11), then He must provide an opportunity. God’s just judgment is illustrated by Jesus in the Parable of the Talents (MT 25:14-29), which indicates that God will judge souls on the basis of the truth (Word = Christ per JN 1:1f.) they have received.
There are two main ways God/Christ is encountered:
1. General revelation, which includes meditating on the natural world or God’s supernatural work and moral conscience. Paul said men are without excuse, both because God’s eternal power and divine nature (love) are manifested by creation (RM 1:20), and because a proto-gospel has been proclaimed to everyone under heaven implicitly or in pre-NT foreshadowings (CL 1:23, RM 10:13-18, GL 3:8). He also taught that all normal humans have an inner conscience or “common” sense (RM 2:14-16), which manifests morality or a moral Authority in every culture.
2. Special revelation (1PT 1:8-12), which refers mainly to divinely inspired NT teaching regarding God’s history of salvation. Again, the Parable of the Talents indicates that souls are saved via faith in God/ Christ as revealed (cf. 1CR 10:1-5). Truthseekers around the world in all times are pilgrims at various places along the road of life, and all true roads eventually lead to the Way to eternal life in heaven (JN 14:6, ACTS 24:14, PHP 2:10-11). All truth leads to One Way.
Regarding the third mode of revelation (NT), the kerygma or GRFS can be stated in various ways, which may cause confusion. Some statements (e.g. ACTS 16:31, quoted previously, & EPH 2:8-9) are in terms of believing right, and others (e.g. MT 7:21, “only he who does the will of my Father will enter heaven”, cf. GL 6:7-9 & EPH 2:10) are in terms of behaving right. This prompts the question: Is salvation obtained by believing God’s words or by doing God’s works? The answer is indicated by John 6:29: “The work of God is to believe in the one [Messiah/Christ] He has sent.” As Jesus stated (in JN 14:6): “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The mind of Jesus is truth incarnate (JN 1:14), and all truth manifests the Spirit of Christ or God (1JN 5:6). The work of God (GRFS) is to seek and believe the truth, and part of the truth is that no one comes to know God as Father except through faith in God’s truth embodied as God the Son.
Notice that the kerygma/Gospel fulfills and supersedes OT revelation, but does not contradict its correct interpretation (HB 8:6-13). However, the NT revelation of GRFS will never become obsolete (PHP 2:9-11, RV 22:12-13). Thus, new revelations from God’s Holy Spirit will not contradict the Gospel, although they may express its truth in a different way or form, or else God would be inconsistent or tricky. There may be new wine skins, but no new wine (MT 19:17). Post-NT inspiration must be didachaic information regarding contemporary moral or political issues.
The kerygma/GRFS should be every Christian’s creed, and only belief in this crucial truth should be viewed as a test for orthodoxy or heresy. As Paul wrote in Romans 10:9, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Conversely, judgments concerning a person’s spiritual orientation or ultimate destiny should not be made on the basis of didachaic or secondary doctrines. (If any judgment is made, it should begin with a self-examination per MT 7:1&5, 2CR 13:5-8).
A major reason many Christians throughout history have not manifested the love and unity of God’s Spirit (EPH 4:3) as well as they should is because of failure to realize this truth. If they did, it would free them to speak honestly and fellowship without becoming unduly upset about relatively minor issues. They would receive God’s blessing as peacemakers, who draw inclusive circles around people based on the kerygma rather than denominational lines between them due to didachaic differences. Jesus prayed for spiritual unity (cf. JN 17:20-23, “May they be one…”). Thus, unity regarding the Gospel is more important than accuracy regarding doctrinal details.
The normative way of stating the kerygma/GRFS in the NT is “Accept Christ Jesus as Lord” (as in 2CR 4:5 & CL 2:6). The main points of Christian orthodoxy implicit in this statement can be explained or elaborated as follows:
If you are asking what GW says is GRFS, my answer is this:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus.” (ACTS 16:31) This is GRFS in a nutshell. Jesus Himself expressed GRFS even more succinctly using three, four and five letter words: “Ask… seek… knock…” (MT 7:7). This indicates that God graces every sinful soul with the ability or opportunity to understand how to be saved (MT 7:7, cf. 1TM 2:3-4, EZK 33:11), which might be called “seeking grace” (TIT 2:11). As Hebrews 11:6 states: “he [God] rewards those who earnestly seek him” (cf. IS 45:19). Seeking God is the beginning of saving faith, and not seeking God or rejecting His salvation in Christ is the essence of evil atheism or faith in I-dolatry (RM 3:11, 1:18-23). All humans sin, but every sinner has the opportunity to repent/have saving faith (per RM 1:20, 2:7, 3:21-22, 4:16 & 5:8-19).
Thus, sinful humanity retains the image of God or moral free will, so every normal adult soul is able by faith to choose to seek salvation–or not (cf. DT 30:19). That is why Paul went “every Sabbath to the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks” (ACTS 18:4)! “He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.” (ACTS 28:23b) “Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. (ACTS 28:24) They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul made this final statement: The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving, for this people’s heart has become calloused.” (ACTS 28:25-27a, cf. 2TM 3:7)
GRFS may be denoted by the use of the Greek word kerygma, meaning proclamation or preaching, referring to the good news (Gospel) concerning salvation to heaven and from a just hell (the DOD, cf. RM 1:16, GL 1:6-12, CL 1:21-23). This Gospel was preached by Peter (in ACTS 2:22-24) and summarized by Paul (in 1CR 15:1-8). The salient points include: Jesus was a man, accredited by God (to be Messiah), who died on a cross, but who was raised or resurrected from the dead. Messiah is the Way to heaven.
An obvious question to ask at this point is, “What is GRFS for those who have never heard of Jesus?” (which includes everyone living B.C. and millions of people who have lived A.D.) If God loves the world (JN 3:16) and wants everyone to be saved (2TM 2:3-4, EZK 33:11), then He must provide an opportunity. God’s just judgment is illustrated by Jesus in the Parable of the Talents (MT 25:14-29), which indicates that God will judge souls on the basis of the truth (Word = Christ per JN 1:1f.) they have received.
There are two main ways God/Christ is encountered:
1. General revelation, which includes meditating on the natural world or God’s supernatural work and moral conscience. Paul said men are without excuse, both because God’s eternal power and divine nature (love) are manifested by creation (RM 1:20), and because a proto-gospel has been proclaimed to everyone under heaven implicitly or in pre-NT foreshadowings (CL 1:23, RM 10:13-18, GL 3:8). He also taught that all normal humans have an inner conscience or “common” sense (RM 2:14-16), which manifests morality or a moral Authority in every culture.
2. Special revelation (1PT 1:8-12), which refers mainly to divinely inspired NT teaching regarding God’s history of salvation. Again, the Parable of the Talents indicates that souls are saved via faith in God/ Christ as revealed (cf. 1CR 10:1-5). Truthseekers around the world in all times are pilgrims at various places along the road of life, and all true roads eventually lead to the Way to eternal life in heaven (JN 14:6, ACTS 24:14, PHP 2:10-11). All truth leads to One Way.
Regarding the third mode of revelation (NT), the kerygma or GRFS can be stated in various ways, which may cause confusion. Some statements (e.g. ACTS 16:31, quoted previously, & EPH 2:8-9) are in terms of believing right, and others (e.g. MT 7:21, “only he who does the will of my Father will enter heaven”, cf. GL 6:7-9 & EPH 2:10) are in terms of behaving right. This prompts the question: Is salvation obtained by believing God’s words or by doing God’s works? The answer is indicated by John 6:29: “The work of God is to believe in the one [Messiah/Christ] He has sent.” As Jesus stated (in JN 14:6): “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The mind of Jesus is truth incarnate (JN 1:14), and all truth manifests the Spirit of Christ or God (1JN 5:6). The work of God (GRFS) is to seek and believe the truth, and part of the truth is that no one comes to know God as Father except through faith in God’s truth embodied as God the Son.
Notice that the kerygma/Gospel fulfills and supersedes OT revelation, but does not contradict its correct interpretation (HB 8:6-13). However, the NT revelation of GRFS will never become obsolete (PHP 2:9-11, RV 22:12-13). Thus, new revelations from God’s Holy Spirit will not contradict the Gospel, although they may express its truth in a different way or form, or else God would be inconsistent or tricky. There may be new wine skins, but no new wine (MT 19:17). Post-NT inspiration must be didachaic information regarding contemporary moral or political issues.
The kerygma/GRFS should be every Christian’s creed, and only belief in this crucial truth should be viewed as a test for orthodoxy or heresy. As Paul wrote in Romans 10:9, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Conversely, judgments concerning a person’s spiritual orientation or ultimate destiny should not be made on the basis of didachaic or secondary doctrines. (If any judgment is made, it should begin with a self-examination per MT 7:1&5, 2CR 13:5-8).
A major reason many Christians throughout history have not manifested the love and unity of God’s Spirit (EPH 4:3) as well as they should is because of failure to realize this truth. If they did, it would free them to speak honestly and fellowship without becoming unduly upset about relatively minor issues. They would receive God’s blessing as peacemakers, who draw inclusive circles around people based on the kerygma rather than denominational lines between them due to didachaic differences. Jesus prayed for spiritual unity (cf. JN 17:20-23, “May they be one…”). Thus, unity regarding the Gospel is more important than accuracy regarding doctrinal details.
The normative way of stating the kerygma/GRFS in the NT is “Accept Christ Jesus as Lord” (as in 2CR 4:5 & CL 2:6). The main points of Christian orthodoxy implicit in this statement can be explained or elaborated as follows:
- There is a/one all-loving and just Lord or God (DT 6:4, JN 3:16, 2THS 1:6), who is both able (2TM 1:12) and willing (1TM 2:3-4, EZK 33:11) to provide all morally accountable human beings salvation or heaven—a wonderful life full of love, joy and peace forever.
- Human beings are selfish or sinful (RM 3:23, 2TM 3:2-4, CL 3:5), miserable (GL 5:19-21), and hopeless (EPH 2:12) or hell-bound at the judgment (MT 23:33 & 25:46) when they reject God’s salvation (JN 3:18, RM 2:5-11).
- Jesus is God’s Messiah/Christ and incarnate Son, the way that God has chosen (JN 3:16, ACTS 16:30-31, PHP 2:9-11) of providing salvation by means of his atoning death on the cross for the payment of the penalty for the sins of humanity (RM 3:22-25 & 5:9-11), followed by his resurrection to reign in heaven (1CR 15:14-28).
- Thus, every person who hears the NT Gospel needs to repent and accept God’s justification in Jesus as Christ/Messiah the Lord or Supreme Commander (LK 2:11, JN 14:6, ACTS 16:31), which means trying to obey His commandment to love one another (MT 22:37-40, JN 13:35, RM 13:9)—forever (MT 10:22, PS 113:2).
- Then God’s Holy Spirit will establish a saving relationship with those who freely accept Him (RV 3:20) that will eventually achieve heaven when by means of persevering in learning Truth/God’s Word/sanctification everyone cooperates fully with His will (JN 14:6, 17&26, RM 8:6-17, GL 6:7-9, EPH 1:13-14, HB 10:36, 12:1, JM 1:2-4).
@reneweddaybyday
Which is Christ. He made that clear earlier 1 Cor 1:24
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Which is Christ. He made that clear earlier 1 Cor 1:24
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Just more Scriptures for them to deny! There are so many!!!
1 Corinthians 4 verse 7b; John 3 verse 27; Romans 9 verses 15-16 ~ What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did also receive it, why do you boast as not having received it? John replied, "A man can receive only that which is given him from heaven." "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then, it does not depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.
1 Corinthians 4 verse 7b; John 3 verse 27; Romans 9 verses 15-16 ~ What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did also receive it, why do you boast as not having received it? John replied, "A man can receive only that which is given him from heaven." "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then, it does not depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.
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