Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
I think I see what you are saying.

Suffice to say "Inability" as a doctrine puts the Good News in reverse and Christ Jesus becomes untrustworthy and for this reason they will not preach the full Gospel.

John 10:37-30, Jesus asks people who do not want to believe his words to believe in his works so they can believe in Him!
They promote/postulate/demand man's inability. But what they REALLY mean is GODS inability!
 
We are saved when we believe.
That's clearly not what you believe.
Nor @Rufus and @Magenta.

You all believe that salvation actually occurs at that pre-birth lottery draw. Being born of water and the gospel message is merely window dressing to pretty up an altogether awful doctrine.
 
They promote/postulate/demand man's inability. But what they REALLY mean is GODS inability!

Wow, so true, a post I will keep on file!

Explains why this "doctrine" saddens me and is also repulsive to those who know the truth.
 
Because as you rightly pointed out it is not God's will to save everyone. It is His desire to save all but it is His will that each should choose to love Him from our own free will. This is what His grace does in that it controls the desires of the flesh when the truth is presented so one can freely choose for themself without compulsion or manipulation just as Adam and Christ chose to accept/reject of their own will. Adam condemned us, not God. God set us free by removing the barrier that prevented us being able to come and worship with the Cross. He then supplies the grace needed for us to see the truth and respond freely from our own soul.



But it did have the positive effect God willed by freeing the person who is presented with the Gospel. The problem is you think it is meant to save the person in order for them to believe so the Gospel can save them. You're theology is illogical. How many times do you want God to save you from death?



I dare say your misunderstanding of what I think would lead you to think I think God's grace is not a miraculous power but I know it is. It raises men from death. You simply want it to do what you want it to do and not what God want's His grace to do.



His grace to raise a person to life comes after the Gospel is accepted, that is the difference between you and me. You think a man has to be saved from death and transformed before he can believe and be saved. I think a man can be made free enough to accept or reject the Gospel of his own volition. God does the rest and He always initiates.



You do that. Hopefully the Lord will be gracious to you so you can fully comprehend what the Cross did and didn't achieve. :)
 
Wow, so true, a post I will keep on file!

Explains why this "doctrine" saddens me and is also repulsive to those who know the truth.
Their gospel message of the pre-birth lottery is a false gospel.

I really do not understand why all the debate quite honestly.

And consider: what if a person SAYS that they believe in the true gospel of belief in Christ but ACTUALLY does NOT believe it?

Would that be bad?
 
  • Like
Reactions: HeIsHere
Man is dead to God naturally, reaching out for a dead man is worthless.
Nonsense.

[Luk 10:30, 33-34 KJV] 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded [him], and departed, leaving [him] half dead. ...

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him],

34 And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
 
Romans7-14-John8-34-Jeremiah13-23-Romans3-10.png

Romans 7 v 14, John 8 v 34, Jeremiah 13 v 23, Romans 3 v 10 ~ We know that the law is spiritual; but
I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Neither are you able to do good - you who are accustomed to doing evil. There is no one righteous, not even one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cameron143
[QUOTE="sawdust, post: 5550140, member: 329358"]Because as you rightly pointed out it is not God's will to save everyone. It is His desire to save all but it is His will that each should choose to love Him from our own free will. This is what His grace does in that it controls the desires of the flesh when the truth is presented so one can freely choose for themself without compulsion or manipulation just as Adam and Christ chose to accept/reject of their own will. Adam condemned us, not God. God set us free by removing the barrier that prevented us being able to come and worship with the Cross. He then supplies the grace needed for us to see the truth and respond freely from our own soul. [/quote]

So, according to what you wrote above, it's God's will to become a possible savior of men -- sort of like how He made the ancient Israelites' freedom from bondage to Pharaoh possible for them, right?

And since you now admit that it's not God's [decretive] will to save everyone on the planet, then how could it have been His will to send his Son into the world to die for everyone on the planet that He never intended in eternity to save?
 
Heavenly birth is not the same as natural birth and when one is born again it does not function like fleshly birth where we are born into sin vs born into life.
You missed my point. Jesus used parables to teach. They were earthly stories about spiritual truth. He used the things people experienced in their daily lives to teach them about God. This is so because God created the physical world to reflect spiritual reality...to point men towards Him. In Acts 17:26-27 tells us God has even worked out the circumstances of our lives to lead us to Him.
God is filling the earth with the knowledge of His glory...Habakkuk 2:14. The more God is known, the more He is glorified. Before sin, this was fully evident to man. After sin, man needs to be restored in his spirit or soul to again experience this in its fulness.
 
That's clearly not what you believe.
Nor @Rufus and @Magenta.

You all believe that salvation actually occurs at that pre-birth lottery draw. Being born of water and the gospel message is merely window dressing to pretty up an altogether awful doctrine.
That's simply not true. It's exactly what I believe.
 
Because as you rightly pointed out it is not God's will to save everyone. It is His desire to save all but it is His will that each should choose to love Him from our own free will. This is what His grace does in that it controls the desires of the flesh when the truth is presented so one can freely choose for themself without compulsion or manipulation just as Adam and Christ chose to accept/reject of their own will. Adam condemned us, not God. God set us free by removing the barrier that prevented us being able to come and worship with the Cross. He then supplies the grace needed for us to see the truth and respond freely from our own soul.

So, according to what you wrote above, it's God's will to become a possible savior of men -- sort of like how He made the ancient Israelites' freedom from bondage to Pharaoh possible for them, right?

And since you now admit that it's not God's [decretive] will to save everyone on the planet, then how could it have been His will to send his Son into the world to die for everyone on the planet that He never intended in eternity to save?[/QUOTE]So @Rufus , you would like me to believe your gospel of pre-birth lottery and God's inability to save all those that call on His Name?

No, I don't believe that not for one split second. Sorry fake sorry.
 
"Look....a squirrel!".

He has very clearly stated several times he believes in regeneration before belief.

A person cannot respond positively to the good news due to the "Augustine" fallen nature, unless a special, direct, unique, divine intervention occurs.
 
Amen and Amen!

Your posts are always filled with hope, a desire for good for all people, desiring that they seek out the one true God.

People build doctrines out of singles lines in scripture and the writings were never meant to be treated that way,

This notion of "total inability" needs to be eradicated as extremely harmful to the body of Christ and for Christianity as a faith.
“People can and do seek truth and this is Biblical.”

Amen …

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Many people are searching for truth in this world it’s how people find religion

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:6-7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

many people know there’s something more to life than what they see and many are seeking for what that truth beyond them is .
 
That's simply not true. It's exactly what I believe.
Is that what you meant to say? Anyways, of course he contradicts himself speaking of God's sovereignty and foreknowledge as if it were a by-chance lottery. In his theological understanding, God is an unjust tyrannical monster kidnapping people against their free will if He acts unilaterally. How odd that the love God has for us should be denied in such a way as to consign His saving grace to be on a par with heinous criminal activity. But this is what I have come to expect from people who hold to such an idol. They have a penchant for blaspheming God.
 
“People can and do seek truth and this is Biblical.”

Amen …

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Many people are searching for truth in this world it’s how people find religion

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:6-7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

many people know there’s something more to life than what they see and many are seeking for what that truth beyond them is .

Exactly!!! there is more in the Bible on this topic than the book of Romans.

The Book of Romans has Jew and Gentiles as groups, not individuals, in view.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pilgrimshope
Is that what you meant to say? Anyways, of course he contradicts himself speaking of God's sovereignty and foreknowledge as if it were a by-chance lottery. In his theological understanding, God is an unjust tyrannical monster kidnapping people against their free will if He acts unilaterally. How odd that the love God has for us should be denied in such a way as to consign His saving grace to be on a par with heinous criminal activity. But this is what I have come to expect from people who hold to such an idol. They have a penchant for blaspheming God.
Not sure what you mean by is this what I meant to say?

It has become the norm for dissenting voices to misrepresent and lie about others here. That doesn't bother me. It's their misrepresentation of God that is really sas.
 
Exactly!!! there is more in the Bible on this topic than the book of Romans.

The Book of Romans has Jew and Gentiles as groups, not individuals, in view.
The book of Roman’s subject matter and structure is a bit different from most of Paul’s epistles if you look for instance a few things stand out . The first being that oauo had never been to rome since his conversion never had been to meet those he was writing to . He expresses his deep desire to meet them in person and to impart his revelations and preaching to them who already were established in the faith.

wheras many of oils epistles such as the Corinthians letters or Ephesians or galtians they are written back to churches Paul had planted with barnabus and Luke and Priscilla and Aquila ect during his missionary journeys

so the wholes structure of the letter is different paul in person for three years for instance at Ephesus preaching the whole counsel of god to then about repentance and obedience good works ect ect they wouldn’t have needed a lot of the things he was teaching in Roman’s letter . Each of the apostes had a different insight into the same matters paul was trying to get his influence and value to them in the Roman’s letter

if you look at Ephesians and Galatians the structure and subject matter is almost identical to the other but Roman’s almost seems like it’s written by another person . Of course we know it’s Paul but my point is , most of his epistles are structured a certain way but Roman’s is totally different structure and subject matter to some extent details wise

paul was really letting it rip in Roman’s it’s such an amazing letter but one of his points was this that refutes many times in Roman’s as in all his letters

“tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2:9-11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

seven throughout seems like he’s talking about them in two groups he’s actually explaining why they aren’t seperate anymore why they will be treated the exact same come judgement as all will

“Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:29‬ ‭KJV‬‬

All the stuff he’s talking about the law in Roman’s is because the law covenant is Judaism which makes a Jew a Jew
 
  • Like
Reactions: HeIsHere
Not sure what you mean by is this what I meant to say?

It has become the norm for dissenting voices to misrepresent and lie about others here. That doesn't bother me. It's their misrepresentation of God that is really sas.
God does hate liars but anyway I did misunderstand what you meant but I do understand now, thank you!
 
@Genez

Grace temporarily injects "spiritual perspicacity" into that spiritually dead one,
taking up the slack because of lacking a human spirit, which then allows that dead one
to see and grasp what is needed to be known to make him aware of why he needs salvation.

False, nothing temporary about saving grace, and it actually makes dead sinners alive, not that foolishness you talking about Eph 2:5

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)