Can We Really Exercise Free Will?
- Thread starter LifelongLearner
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Despite what the un-Biblical free will doctrine promoters put forth, the natural man does not have everything he needs in order to grow the good fruit of faith from the stony ground of his incurably wicked heart which is opposed to the things of God, and he cannot change himself, being a lover of darkness who suppresses the truth in unrighteousness as a slave to sin, being inherently hostile in his mind toward God, and blinded to the truth while under the power of the evil one. Those who promote the free will of the natural man reject a plethora of Biblical truths. Praise God if Jesus has set you free!
Reading comprehension problem.
I didn't say I made the case either way. What I did do was show that your proof text for belief before regeneration didn't actually teach what you supposed. Then I asked for other verses you would use to make the case for belief before regeneration. Do you have any?
The whole counsel of God.
You cannot see it though because who have the wrong lens, sadly.
Paul clearly explains what he means by dead in sins in these verses you tried to obscure.
Absolutely. The super-determinists trash this aspect of His glorification too. As they do practically everything else having to do with God's glorious plan of salvation.
Its all a sinister glory stealing scheme if you ask me.
Laughable since you have many times proclaimed how unfair God is for doing the very thing He promised to do
and is actually shown doing in a multitude of ways throughout the Bible from the very beginning to the very end.
So there is a very big difference, yes, huge, between how you wish to portray yourself and how you really are.
The whole council of God was proclaimed by Paul who clearly taught man's inability.
Sadly you do not have the lens to see it, as you put it.
John 14 v 17a, Romans 8 v 6-9 ~ “Inability” in Bible. The world cannot receive the Spirit of truth. The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. Praise be to God for calling me out of the world.
1) to make payment for sin and, 2) to take those chosen by God for salvation out from the Law of sin and death.
This was satisfied by Christ when He completed His offering, once, for all - not "all" as in everyone
Right. God is FAITH-FUL, in terms of discharging His covenants and office.
But as far as salvation is concerned, He doesn't need any, although He is the object of ours.
My reticence to Calvinism isn't the truths that it entails. It's the pejorative use of it. But we've already been through this. This and the fact that I came to believe as I have independently of the influence of Calvin. So how is one a Calvinist who hasn't studied the works of Calvin?
You are correct. Faith does magnify God because it evidences God at work in the individual. But faith generated by individuals apart from the work of God magnifies man. When individuals leave God out of any part of the salvation process, they magnify themselves in that regard.
I'm speaking of specific verses and passages that stipulate definitively that belief precedes regeneration. Have any?
You don't understand the meaning of the verse. It's not about salvation, but about sealing, exactly as the verse says.
They pretend to extol the power and efficacy of God in salvation when they transfer to end result to man's choice.
In other words, they speak out of both sides of their mouth and misrepresent not only those they disagree with but themselves.
Sealed with the promise of what is to come as a result of what has already happened.
Language alert:
Faith is not generated it is "through" faith.
It is correct to make Calvinism a pejorative term, his character and much of his writings makes that clear.
As well, Calvinism is inside "reformed" doctrine and is taught by pastors, so one does not have to read his works to be influenced by his ideas, it happens via the leaders in the churches.