Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

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Acts 13:48 was rightly de-Calvinized. And what was the response? Willful obfuscation and irrational outright denials.

I would say that it has been aptly demonstrated that as far as the Reformed crew is concerned, there is little desire to actually learn. Rather, barking and tweeting passages and scripted dogma in mantra-like fashion is de rigeur.

Look at Islam. They are mentally hallucinating en masse.

Satan knows how to trap carnal Christians into a religious fervor that defies rational thinking.

Yes.... it happens to believers who walk in their religious-sensing flesh.

Here!

Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance
leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and
escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will."

2 Timothy 2:25-26

Verse 23 is also central to what has been taking place in this thread.

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.

TULIP causes and will lead to stupid arguments if they do not come to their senses..
It is not a new thing.
Just a new way to accomplish that goal...



.......
 
Christ died once for sin so how can the second death be the penalty for sin if Christ has already paid the price?

Romans 6:10
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

God's elect (Abraham's spiritual descendants), for whom Christ died, will never suffer the penalty of the second death.
 
If someone can adhere to a doctrine and personal belief where God is a mixture between Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, and other Dictators similar to the Communist System have an incredible Praise and Worship ethic others should be jealous about then I am wrong. Until then I am certain God isn't judging me about this issue that has you wrinkled up over.
I know for a fact that their doctrine is not like that because I have known them for quite some time and regardless if you agree with their point of view that doesn't give you the right to judge their relationship with God unless I am mistaken Jesus said this
Mathew 7: 1-3
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you.

So you can listen to him or not it is on you
 
God didn't know the Gentiles in the Old Testament and the Hebrew People needed the fulfillment spoken of in Romans 8:29-30.

You clearly are a doctrine clone.

What needed the fulfillment of Rom 8 was the Abrahamic Covenant, which is being fulfilled in this New Covenant economy. Read Galatians someday.

Now, show me from Rom 1 who Paul's primary audience was. Why are you so willfully ignorant of the scriptures?
 
I know for a fact that their doctrine is not like that because I have known them for quite some time and regardless if you agree with their point of view that doesn't give you the right to judge their relationship with God unless I am mistaken Jesus said this
Mathew 7: 1-3
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you.

So you can listen to him or not it is on you
Don't waste your time. This guy knows everything and never takes correction. He'll change is story though as it suits him :)
 
I know for a fact that their doctrine is not like that because I have known them for quite some time and regardless if you agree with their point of view that doesn't give you the right to judge their relationship with God unless I am mistaken Jesus said this
Mathew 7: 1-3
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you.

So you can listen to him or not it is on you
Listen to who?

If you believe God picks and chooses whom goes to Heaven and Hell and chooses the actions of humanity to fulfill His Will then you have described what the common definition of dictatorship is all about.

So if you believe after claiming election and predestination, which is choosing where all humans will spend eternity, is not dictatorship because of how someone explained it. Let me give you the greatest human offer known to mankind, ocean front property in the middle of Arizona. And it's on sale for a very special price just for you :)
 
What needed the fulfillment of Rom 8 was the Abrahamic Covenant, which is being fulfilled in this New Covenant economy. Read Galatians someday.

Now, show me from Rom 1 who Paul's primary audience was. Why are you so willfully ignorant of the scriptures?
Paul wrote about everyone and in chapter 8 he wrote about the ancient Hebrew Jews. Only the Reformed disagree because it hurts your doctrine.
 
Listen to who?

If you believe God picks and chooses whom goes to Heaven and Hell and chooses the actions of humanity to fulfill His Will then you have described what the common definition of dictatorship is all about.

So if you believe after claiming election and predestination, which is choosing where all humans will spend eternity, is not dictatorship because of how someone explained it. Let me give you the greatest human offer known to mankind, ocean front property in the middle of Arizona. And it's on sale for a very special price just for you :)
I am not saying I agree with their understanding but I also do not agree with yours because even if this was the case that still is not dictatorship you need to learn what real dictorship means before you go throwing that around

Even if God did have election and decided beforehand who goes to heaven or hell that still is not dictaorship this is dictatorship A dictatorship is a form of government where absolute, autocratic power is concentrated in a single ruler or a small group, often without the consent of the governed
 
That's funny Jesus told lots and lots of spiritually dead people to believe.

Must have been a case of offering false hope, that happens sometimes. NOT!

Yes, He did! And He even told some of the spiritual dead why they could NOT believe -- why they could not fulfill their moral duty before God!

And how could he be offering false hope to the walking dead when their vile, wicked, hate-filled hearts were already far removed from Him? It appears they lacked at least one virtue: HUMILITY.

Here's another "funny" thing you can giggle about: God also commanded Israel to keep all His Law all the time! And I kinda suspect that He was dead serious about that, considering that He punished Israel three times for its apostasy.
 
Paul wrote about everyone and in chapter 8 he wrote about the ancient Hebrew Jews. Only the Reformed disagree because it hurts your doctrine.

I didn't ask you what Rom 8 was "about"! Paul wrote a lot of things ABOUT different people.

What's the matter, you can't find chapter 1 of Romans in your bible? This chapter identifies the primary recipients of Paul's epistle.
 
I am not saying I agree with their understanding but I also do not agree with yours because even if this was the case that still is not dictatorship you need to learn what real dictorship means before you go throwing that around

Even if God did have election and decided beforehand who goes to heaven or hell that still is not dictaorship this is dictatorship A dictatorship is a form of government where absolute, autocratic power is concentrated in a single ruler or a small group, often without the consent of the governed
It's about how the Bible describes God.

The Reformed have described what can be defined as dictatorship.
The other group describes the ability to choose God's offer for Salvation is Grace.

You either believe in one of those 2.
 
I didn't ask you what Rom 8 was "about"! Paul wrote a lot of things ABOUT different people.

What's the matter, you can't find chapter 1 of Romans in your bible? This chapter identifies the primary recipients of Paul's epistle.
Actually every scholar and theologian knows the Letter to the Romans was directed to multiple groups because multiple groups lived in Rome. So I stand with Romans 8 to the Jews of Paul's day.
 
There were 3000 "spiritually dead" "natural men" who got saved on Pentecost. Then maybe another 5000 in Acts 4.

Broke out of the Reformed jailhouse did they? Good for them.

And all 3,000 were predestined in Christ in eternity to be Abraham's spiritual descendants.
 
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It's about how the Bible describes God.

The Reformed have described what can be defined as dictatorship.
The other group describes the ability to choose God's offer for Salvation is Grace.

You either believe in one of those 2.

You're like your wicked Hebrew ancestors who also could not stomach being under a divine monarchy. Instead, they preferred to be like the other nations around them.

Do you think God is going to set up a democracy in the Eternal New Order to placate your fears of an eternal dictatorship? :rolleyes:
 
It's about how the Bible describes God.

The Reformed have described what can be defined as dictatorship.
The other group describes the ability to choose God's offer for Salvation is Grace.

You either believe in one of those 2.
Personally I believe what scripture teaches and it teaches that the natural man cannot percieve the things of the spirit we must be drawn to him before we can believe

And yes while God does desire that all come to salvation we also cannot freely choose to believe because we are spiritually dead beforehand. I know that I wes not able to just choose salvation because I knew even before I was saved that I was dead inside and it took me coming to my breaking point to be able to surrender to him and that is the key surrender not choosing to believe because anyone can do this but it does not save you it requires surrender not choosing