Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

[studier]

Blind people can see (understand) NOTHING. This is why fallen human beings are called Darkness. All mankind comes into this world as spiritually blind as the physically blind man from birth. But your guilt remains because you say, "*I* CAN see!!!" *I* understand spiritual truth. *I* am not helpless. *I* don't need any feakin' rescuing. Who needs to rescued from a little darkness? *I* am good to go because God's grace has given me the freedom to believe or not believe.

1. Many blind people understood and understand many things.
2. I thought we mutually concluded that Darkness was personifying disobedience to God.
3. See first statement.
4-7 All true for me at least - Thank you God! - How about you?
7. Unbelievers - those who remain disobedient.
8. I am good to go - and still working with Him on it - because God's grace has given me the freedom to believe or not to believe and by His grace, His Son, His Spirit, His mercy, His compassion..., the power of His Word accomplishing His will.... I became convinced by Him and about Him and His work on behalf of all men, and I did choose to believe Him. Again, Thank You God, I look forward to eternity and all you have planned for us. Amen.

Turn around and catch-up Rufus. You and your friends have had your hats handed to you on this thread.

 

[GWH]

It could only be God's fault is he is morally obligated to dispense with HIS GRACE and he fails to do so.

So how do you decide what God's moral obligations are?

 

[Magenta]

1. Many blind people understood and understand many things.
2. I thought we mutually concluded that Darkness was personifying disobedience to God.
3. See first statement.
4-7 All true for me at least - Thank you God! - How about you?
7. Unbelievers - those who remain disobedient.
8. I am good to go - and still working with Him on it - because God's grace has given me the freedom to believe or not to believe and by His grace, His Son, His Spirit, His mercy, His compassion..., the power of His Word accomplishing His will.... I became convinced by Him and about Him and His work on behalf of all men, and I did choose to believe Him. Again, Thank You God, I look forward to eternity and all you have planned for us. Amen.

Turn around and catch-up Rufus. You and your friends have had your hats handed to you on this thread.

So His Word accomplishing His will gives you permission to refuse Him once He has convinced you?

Wow. That is some word salad. It may go well with the egg on your face...

When I was convinced I did not need to choose anything except what to do next.

Baptism seemed the first order of the day...

 

[GWH]

Yes, and he keeps ignoring that the world cannot receive the spirit of truth, and nobody can believe without that, because without it the gospel is hid and heard as foolishness... the unregenerated man is opposed to the spiritual things of God toward Whom he is hostile.

The free willing folks don't believe any of that, though. They need to minimize what the Bible says of man.
He is not such a bad guy after all even though Jesus said none are good, and a bad tree cannot bring forth
good fruit. Certainly that incurably wicked heart cannot bring forth good fruit. It needs to be changed first.

Well, some folks believe we must cooperate with the HS to produce good fruit,
while others believe we must wait for God to make people loving and forgiving.

 

[Magenta]

I wonder what the percentage of Pelagian heretics coming to accept what Scripture actually teaches is?

 

[fredoheaven]

Yes. And who receives Christ? Not any who still belong to the world. The unregenerated/natural man cannot receive or comprehend the spiritiual things of God. He is actually opposed to them. Scripture says so. Do you understand what it is to be called out of the world?

Since one does not believe or reject, he will not be given life(regeneration) if one does believe in Christ then he is given life (regeneration). Now what I am seeing from you is to divert ones attention to calling and does not refute in in anyway that regeneration is the result of one's faith. I failed to see that in your post. Btw, if ever ypu make a quote of scripture or cite verses , i would suggest to put in a clear and simple font for us to follow if you will. Well, the bible says " he magnify his word above..." that is when God's word is magnified is sure it is vivid or clear. Your presebtation of your memes is not clear type and often distract attention because what is magnified is the picture of a woman,, with respect, idk, if it is your cartoon photo. If you may do it in a simpler way. Thanks

 

[cv5]

Magenta's "vitrolic rant" is entirely biblical. Thanks for the honesty, though, in admitting what you really think of God's truth, i.e. that it's "some kind of vitriolic rant".

Here is some ranting for you. And some legit repenting.....

[Luk 18:11-14 KJV] 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

 

[Rufus]

If you compare the complete Reformed Doctrine it is 100% opposite of the Great Commission in Matthew 28 where Jesus [(COMMANDS)] to GO make Disciples and Baptize them.

The Reformed Doctrine is about people being saved (predestined by God before the foundation of the world) so no need to go and make Disciples. It's the very opposite of what Jesus said.

I will never willingly do something that goes against what Jesus commanded.

The naive in this thread can never think beyond the tip of their noses! God who has ordained all ends in eternity also ordained all the secondary causes (means) to those ends. Read the account of Joseph in Genesis some day. Maybe you'll catch on.

 

[Rufus]

Since one does not believe or reject, he will not be given life(regeneration) if one does believe in Christ then he is given life (regeneration). Now what I am seeing from you is to divert ones attention to calling and does not refute in in anyway that regeneration is the result of one's faith. I failed to see that in your post. Btw, if ever ypu make a quote of scripture or cite verses , i would suggest to put in a clear and simple font for us to follow if you will. Well, the bible says " he magnify his word above..." that is when God's word is magnified is sure it is vivid or clear. Your presebtation of your memes is not clear type and often distract attention because what is magnified is the picture of a woman,, with respect, idk, if it is your cartoon photo. If you may do it in a simpler way. Thanks

You have it backwards! Faith is the result of Life (regeneration) being imparted to DEAD souls. Very simple to understand -- to the LIVING!

 

[Rufus]

I take it that the super-determinists love their power trip superiority complex.

God chose me and didn't choose you nanny nanny foo foo.

Pretty disturbing if you ask me.

It is you FWers who are on this huge, vast, seemingly endless "power trip superiority complex". Everyone of you FWers believe in your hearts that you can do things that God himself cannot do, such as make moral/spiritual choices contrary to his nature. You don't believe for a moment that YOU were a vile, wicked, foolish, deceitful, helpless sinner in need of any rescue efforts by God. YOU are far above all that -- far too good to need any rescuing!

 

[Rufus]

And divisive, which is why I wonder why the administrators permit such argumentation any more than they did that of the Judaizers and Sabbatarians who were canceled. (My guess is because at this point it has been going on so long that they feel like a precedent for allowing it has been established—sort of like the Supreme Court thinks.)

Why don't you go find an admin and whine in your beer to him? Perhaps he'll take pity on you and rescue you from these "evil" believers in the Doctrines of Grace.

 

[HeIsHere]

Since one does not believe or reject, he will not be given life(regeneration) if one does believe in Christ then he is given life (regeneration).

But hold on there ..... are you sure (tongue in cheek ) according to the reformed doctrine, a person is able to believe in anybody or anything ...........

But NEVER can they believe IN /trust IN/ Christ Jesus and the work He accomplished on a person's behalf.

That is a hard NO!!!!!

When a person hears the Gospel message about Christ Jesus, a very strange thing happens, the person goes instantly deaf and blind.

Yup, suddenly it all becomes gibberish, foolishness in fact. Instead of the Good News about Christ Jesus they hear .....

@ 55 *&%% * &1?%?** ^%%. # @ %&6^ S$%#

Don't laugh, it is a real problem!!!!

The bible explains it over and over again, people will believe all manner of things but never the Gospel, that is reserved for the pre-selected.

But no worries they have a solution to the gibberish/foolishness problem.

Voila, Poof!! .....Faith/Belief (Gnosis) is birthed in the person, yup it might be you or it might not, but one thing for sure we cannot interfere with God's fragile ego and his sovereign selection.

Praise God ... WRONG!!

 

[Rufus]

Its weird to be told you dont understand the scripture when they don't know what "the world" means.

When you say only the chosen can understand the scripture then tell us we dont understand scripture they are telling us we are not saved. Whether they know they are doing it or not.

My only question is do they even know that's how they are comming across or are they oblivious to that fact.

What do you think the Gr. term "kosmos" (world) means? Are you aware of the fact that there are at least 8 different definitions for this term? (Rhetorical question! Of you aren't!)

 

[Rufus]

I will go with the analogy Jesus used, as "physical birth" likened to being "born from above" as a singular event in time.

But does life begin at physical birth? Do women walk around for 9 months with dead blobs in their wombs!? When Elizabeth and Mary got pregnant, were they really carrying a living child, or where John and Jesus just a bunch of dead meat in their respective mother's wombs, and then the dead meat miraculously became alive after it exited the womb?

 

[fredoheaven]

The text above does not say what you just read into it. All the passage is saying is that anyone who presently believes (Present Active Participle) can be assured they currently have everlasting life. You should pay better attention to verb tenses. And the verb "has" is in the Present Active Indicative mood, making it a simple statement of fact.

Of verity, Jonh 6:47 stated that every one who presently believes has everlasting life. It is indeed a presentation of fact that every person that does believe has eternal life. But why did Christ say it in this way? Because that Jews murmured to him when he said that he was the bread of life that comes down from heaven and he is the will of the Father that sent, that every one who sees him and believe on Christ may have everlating life as stated ckear in John 6:40-41. Now I want your attention, how the scripture or Christ used the subjunctive mood 'may have' as it condition to those who see Christ and their response. If you murmur like the Jews did, then, eventually, you dont have this life but every one who by condition believes will have this life. So fairh comes first before regeneration.

 

[Rufus]

1. Many blind people understood and understand many things.
2. I thought we mutually concluded that Darkness was personifying disobedience to God.
3. See first statement.
4-7 All true for me at least - Thank you God! - How about you?
7. Unbelievers - those who remain disobedient.
8. I am good to go - and still working with Him on it - because God's grace has given me the freedom to believe or not to believe and by His grace, His Son, His Spirit, His mercy, His compassion..., the power of His Word accomplishing His will.... I became convinced by Him and about Him and His work on behalf of all men, and I did choose to believe Him. Again, Thank You God, I look forward to eternity and all you have planned for us. Amen.

Turn around and catch-up Rufus. You and your friends have had your hats handed to you on this thread.

The physically blind have no understanding on how to physically get to point A to point B apart from getting HELP! Don't you know the Darkness does not comprehend the Light?

 

[fredoheaven]

You have it backwards! Faith is the result of Life (regeneration) being imparted to DEAD souls. Very simple to understand -- to the LIVING!

Umm, you non to offer no scripture backing to your claim so far.

 

[Jackson129]

What do you think the Gr. term "kosmos" (world) means? Are you aware of the fact that there are at least 8 different definitions for this term? (Rhetorical question! Of you aren't!)

And God only ment one of them what's your point?

 

[Rufus]

Of verity, Jonh 6:47 stated that every one who presently believes has everlasting life. It is indeed a presentation of fact that every person that does believe has eternal life. But why did Christ say it in this way? Because that Jews murmured to him when he said that he was the bread of life that comes down from heaven and he is the will of the Father that sent, that every one who sees him and believe on Christ may have everlating life as stated ckear in John 6:40-41. Now I want your attention, how the scripture or Christ used the subjunctive mood 'may have' as it condition to those who see Christ and their response. If you murmur like the Jews did, then, eventually, you dont have this life but every one who by condition believes will have this life. So fairh comes first before regeneration.

You should have continued on to v. 43 that starts with "NO ONE CAN...." Very strange language given the miraculous powers of man's "freewill"

 

[Rufus]

Umm, you non to offer no scripture backing to your claim so far.

Many of us have offered plenty. But you LOVE the DARKNESS -- so you cannot see.