Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

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Why? You want Him to be a dictator? "We have ways of making you believe. mwhahahaha" ;):ROFL:

Why would or should He save anyone who has no love for Him when given the opportunity (by grace) to reveal their true desires?
Reciprocal love is neither possible nor necessary in the Calvinist soteriology.

Why in the world would God bother with calling, wooing and pleading? For the Calvinist, the brutal shillelagh of stone-cold sovereignty is the preferred medicine.

Then comes the forced impregnations, lobotomies, kidnappings and shotgun weddings....🥲
 
It appears those who resist were not given the grace of circumcised hearts, which was a promise given only to God's covenant people. God never promised to circumcise the hearts of each and every person in the world w/o exception.

Proverbs 23:7a....

Have you not read it before?

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

He gives us a new heart by giving us the Bible after we are saved.

When we begin to think with new thoughts that way?
The truth from the Bible cuts away our old dead way of thinking = circumcised heart.

grace and peace ............
 
If the elect fall away and were never the elect, then how would anyone know if God chose or elected them? And if He did and they fall away..then would they have to be “chosen again”? Which would mean His eternal decree has Him “starting the process over”.

So, they get chosen again. Well, what if they abandon the faith again? Does that mean they weren’t the elect once more? Does that mean God is gonna have to start over on choosing them once again? And around and around we go.

We can only fall away from the grace given to believers after salvation.
Salvation itself, we can not lose.
 
Well...I guess God didn't see anything special in his only Begotten Son, who faithfully
relied upon and trusted his Father -- even unto the obedience of the Cross?

And if the the adopted sons and daughters of God don't have anything over unbelievers and
God loves both groups equally, then how could Paul have written what he did in Rom 8:28-29.
God most definitely does not work all things for the good of those who hate Him.
Psalm100-3Isaiah43-6b-7.png

It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth - everyone called by My name and created for My glory, whom I have indeed formed and made. Psalm 100 v 3, Isaiah 43 v 6b-7
 
Again, you have to redefine what uncircumcised heart and ears means in light of the context. I see circumcision of the heart in the Old Testament as one being born again. In the NT, being born again happens AFTER one already has faith (which takes place under God's enlightenment, drawing, and conviction, etcetera). Calvinists see being born again as happening before one has faith. So naturally you must ignore the part about how these Jews resisting the Holy Spirit. Again, this scenario makes no sense in the Calvinistic worldview. This is just something you will have to deal with someday.
One day you will believe what Scripture says. Until then? Eh. Not so much. You make it up.
 
These heretics have the person choosing to believe with his incurably wicked heart what he cannot even understand.

And they think they are being logical, with this bad tree bringing forth the good fruit of faith, when Jesus said it was impossible.

Any interpretation that goes against the plain and clear teaching on the words of our Lord cannot be correct.

simplyprofound.gif

It is God Who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose. Apart from Me you can do nothing. No word from God will ever fail. “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
 
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We can only fall away from the grace given to believers after salvation.
Salvation itself, we can not lose.
I don’t believe in the impossibility of apostasy. But these threads demonstrate that it’s typically a waste of time having discussions or debates online, as this thread has 1,347 pages, and over 26,000 comments, the majority of them are probably not even on the topic of the thread, and if they are, it’s back and forth arguments where no one is going to change the other’s mind or view. Not saying a mind won’t be changed, but it’s very rare. Especially online.
 
Well...I guess God didn't see anything special in his only Begotten Son, who faithfully relied upon and trusted his Father -- even unto the obedience of the Cross?

And if the the adopted sons and daughters of God don't have anything over unbelievers and God loves both groups equally, then how could Paul have written what he did in Rom 8:28-29. God most definitely does not work all things for the good of those who hate Him.

So now you're saying there is something special about you which is why God chose you?

Very curious. I do wish you would make your mind up.
 
Oh...you're going to play the woulda, shoulda, coulda game? :rolleyes: God doesn't desire that any of his elect should perish (2Pet 3:9). There's no passage in scripture that says that God desires all sinful mankind to be saved.

There is but you don't interpret it that way. :)
 
So now you're saying there is something special about you which is why God chose you?

Very curious. I do wish you would make your mind up.
That’s a good question. Why would God choose someone who is just as “totally depraved” per Calvinism and not the other who is just as “totally depraved”?
 
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You just do not understand what is going on here. Why would God make any effort
to try and reach the Jews if, according to your view, the Jews would resist God
I understand that you lack understanding. Why not just ask why God would create man knowing he would disobey?

Because He did just that, but in your theology it makes no sense, while you put yourself forward as a teacher!

I will answer as Jesus did to Nicodemus: Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we
testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony. If I have told you
about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?


If you do not even know why the Jewish nation was chosen, you are far more clueless than I imagined.

Perhaps you need to restart at the beginning...
 
Yes, I know exactly what you mean, Bro; I'll be doing the same thing; and yes, it is disturbing: I agree!

Please take good care my dear mate, and talk with you again soon.

Douglas
You can't reason with a cup that is already full

You can only reason with one that's over flowing.

The one that doesn't shut the door is the one that's open 🤩

Jesus

Bye bye take care
 
thank you for the words of encouragement. What I know, God loves us all y'all. otherwise that cross would not have gotten completed in his one time only physical death, that he is risen from to never die again. To save us all. Only by making the choice God Father and Son as Won or not making that choice and being a selfish one. As many are selfish, as I was before seeing new and not quitting even in adversities. Even as Job would not deny God, neither have I. As deeper, especially as Jesus went willingly to that cross of us all, to save us in his resurrected life for us to get given to anyone in belief from Father.
That is the reconciliation for all 2 Cor 5:16-20 All that is left is:
To believe God consciously, between God and you personally. Learn the truth from Father and share to others to go to God personally also, and be taught truth over errors in this world here still. Oh and not fight flesh at all, thanks Matthew 10:16-20.
To learn Luke 21:14-15
selfishness still lives in the free will of the flesh even when your saved.

When a person is abundant in understanding this only then can they shine a light

God bless you friend

Bye bye

May your path be narrow
 
Why would a parent have children knowing they would disobey?
There are super hard-core Calvinists on this thread who have kids, some 7 or 8 kids......and yet they still do not "believe" in free will.
:ROFL::LOL::ROFL::LOL:

The denials are bloody hilarious. Tragic....but hilarious.
 
There are super hard-core Calvinists on this thread who have kids, some 7 or 8 kids......and yet they still do not "believe" in free will.
:ROFL::LOL::ROFL::LOL:

The denials are bloody hilarious. Tragic....but hilarious.
I wonder if they freely chose out of their own free will to have sex and have kids. If not, then that means they got raped. But if the individual who they had sex with also had no free will, then he cannot be charged for that crime, nor any other crime.
 
Might (modal verb)

You use might to indicate that something will possibly happen or be true in the future, but you cannot be certain.
You use might to indicate that something could happen or be true in particular circumstances.
Source:
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/might

Sometimes when you look at a definition for a word, they give examples of usage.
Here are some examples of how the word "might" would be used in a sentence.

1. Rick whispered to Bob that if they slipped past the guards before the next patrol, they might reach the extraction point unseen.
The chance was real, but only if they moved at the right moment.

2. Bob said that if Rick followed the map correctly, they might find the old campsite before dark.
Success depended on Rick’s actions, not a guaranteed outcome.

3. Rick explained that if Bob applied early, he might get the scholarship.
The chance was genuine, but not automatic.

4. Bob told Rick that if they patched the boat quickly, they might make it across the lake before the storm hit.
Their safety depended on their response, not fate.

5. Rick said that if Bob spoke kindly, the argument might settle peacefully.
It could happen, but only if Bob chose to respond well.

6. Bob warned Rick that if they kept hiking without checking their compass, they might get lost.
There was a real chance, but not a certainty.

7. Detective Rick told Bob that if they traced the signal quickly enough, they might locate the stolen device before it was activated.
It was a real possibility, but only if they interpreted the data correctly and acted without delay.

On the other hand, the top definition in my mighty fine MW-Collegiate states: archaic "have the ability to".




...
 
Again, Arminians believe in Prevenient Grace. This is the belief that God enables the will and enlightens the eyes to see the truth and make a free will choice concerning the gospel. Once their eyes are awakened to see the truth, they have a choice to either accept the gospel or reject it. But this is not a forced situation as I pointed out to you before. You keep ignoring Acts 7 where the Jews are said to resist the Holy Spirit. This kind of thing is not possible in the upside down world of Calvinism. Nobody can resist God in their universe.

.....

DOUBLESPEAK! God "enables and enlightens" with weak, impotent ineffectual grace. :rolleyes: