Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

[Jordon]

that is the difference between the flesh and blood first birth nature after Adam the first. Which needs to be born new. Which only God Father can do fro each person in sincere belief between God and them.
Eph 6 does. a great job explaining this truth, and Gal 6 does as well, and is about you see another in sin and want to help them.
Ask Father first, to hear from Daddy, when to speak and when to not speak. Learn truth Matthew 10:16-20. Learn Luke 21:14-15
Understand even though born new (again, second birth) by God for you. Does not mean one or anyone can stop sin, why????????/
Flesh is not redeemed, no other flesh but Son's could do it perfectly ever, Today that remains, since our first birth flesh natures are not redeemed only our Souls are by God for us all to rest in, and forsake our first birth of thought(s) I know more than you attitudes
See Luke 18:9-14, whom is justified? See Matthew 18:24-35 will you not forgive everyone, being forgiven by God first through Son?
Or will you go back to court under Law and see your crimes and have to pay for them not being thankful and see to not accuse , abuse or excuse self or anyone else?
Romans 2:1-4 too, and trust God to teach you not me or anyone else you see physically, what? Yes Romans 1-4, Phil 1:6 Col 1:21-23 time to respond and not create as man continues to do and interpret the Bible out of context, in order to lead others.
God reveals, I respond, I do not know, only God the Father does as even Son said that in Matthew 19
When read the Bible, take out the verses that are numbered and do not number them. Read the entire Epistle written. One, anyone will then see the real walk of Jesus all in context, not taking verses out to promote a different gospel, in flesh opinions
G-ospel
God's
Only
Son's
PurposeEternal
Life

Life or death, we all get to choose and I tis not by any works of flesh and blood, but Son's alone for us , at least I see this and am at rest in thankfulness to God over everything else here on earth, we all go through here first

will speak to you when You have a spoke to me properly

And until you have apologised to me publicly for calling me immature and calling my faith a worthless religion

Untill then I will not speak to you

Thanks bye

 

[homwardbound]

This is simply not true of you. The person without the Spirit of God has no Spiritual understanding of the Spiritual things of God. They are opposed to them. This is explicitly articulated in Scripture but you oppose it and make up your version of temporary enablement. You also claim salvation is open to all but then contradict yourself and say some have no chance since their names were not written in the Book of Life from before the foundation of the world. You say it is because God knew they would not believe but Scripture says He saves us not based on anything we have done. You also promote the idea that the gospel is not a spiritual matter counted among the deep things of God. Free willers love to distort Scripture truth like you do. They have to in order to uphold their un-Biblical beliefs and they resist correction just like you do. These truths include God's plan for redemption, righteousness, forgiveness, and the believer's union with Christ. They are considered "deep things" because they were hidden from the world's wisdom and were only revealed to believers through the Spirit of God, not by human effort or worldly knowledge. These things (redemption, righteousness, forgiveness, etc) are all part of the gospel message.

Sister Love you. God's love and mercy overrides everything as you know and get caught up in things as I know I have too, time to see Ecclesiastes please
Thank you

 

[cv5]

glad it helped!!

Truly, a refreshing departure from the nauseating Calvinist recitations and regurgitations.
And a bullseye in terms of representing Biblical TRUTH with the utmost respect for the intent and meaning of Romans 9.

 

[BillyBob]

Thank you for your courage and spiritual strength.



....

You both seem to envy Magenta's ability to use her artwork as a way to bring God's word into the discussion.
Well, so do I! It is a rare talent that she has been given, something that I must confess that I covet.
With God's help, maybe I can overcome this issue.

 

[Genez]

If I understand you correctly, I am glad we agree that is what the verse says in James.
.....

To clarify...

Many fail to differentiate between religion and spiritual Christianity.
Especially when the religion is manifested in a way that God approves.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans ​

and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27​

​

​

.​

 

[homwardbound]

will speak to you when You have a spoke to me properly

And until you have apologised to me publicly for calling me immature and calling my faith a worthless religion

Untill then I will not speak to you

Thanks bye

okay, never said you are immature or that you are not saved or being saved by God. god is the judge not me. I am sorry you have wrongly interpreted what I have said.
So be it, each has free choice, I am only sharing what I have learned and learning in grace to all the same grace given me to share. I see I have shared in care, maybe you re-read and see this truth too, thank you

 

[cv5]

You both seem to envy Magenta's ability to use her artwork as a way to bring God's word into the discussion.
Well, so do I! It is a rare talent that she has been given, something that I must confess that I covet.
With God's help, maybe I can overcome this issue.

Nobody wants or needs that kind of ego-tripping around here.
I find the whole thing disruptive and disturbing.

 

[homwardbound]

You both seem to envy Magenta's ability to use her artwork as a way to bring God's word into the discussion.
Well, so do I! It is a rare talent that she has been given, something that I must confess that I covet.
With God's help, maybe I can overcome this issue.

You will, confessing truth also, from me I hear Thank you from God for you. Oh and not that I know a thing, God does though and shares that with us each in his love and mercy that does not stop, entering daily into his courts with thanksgiving and praise over all sin taken away for ever through Son as psalm 103:12 states will be and now is done for us by Son to us all to choose to beleive God or not and confess our faults as well. I am thankful, I see no other way and see to not be a legalist ever, yet was and have been in past, that God keeps me forgiven in. All others also thank you BillyBob

 

[Jordon]

okay, never said you are immature or that you are not saved or being saved by God. god is the judge not me. I am sorry you have wrongly interpreted what I have said.
So be it, each has free choice, I am only sharing what I have learned and learning in grace to all the same grace given me to share. I see I have shared in care, maybe you re-read and see this truth too, thank you

wrong answer and not an apology

Bye

 

[cv5]

Apple pie is good. Especially when it is hot right out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But my all time favorite is hot peach pie and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Granted, I am on Keto, and so that will have to wait for a long while (At least until I get down to my target weight).
.

I'm on keto too. Rarely go off, maybe once every two weeks or so.
High protein (a lot of red meat and whey protein), veggies and nuts. And tons of the best organic coffee

A few days off and deleterious effects become quite obvious.
Frankly, older people who are in good health can benefit from keto.

 

[BillyBob]

I am here to talk about the Bible, and not to gossip, or make things overly personal.

Over the last two days you have lost all credibility. This statement only adds to that truth!

 

[Magenta]

Sister Love you. God's love and mercy overrides everything as you know and get caught up in things as I know I have too, time to see Ecclesiastes please
Thank you

The book of Ecclesiastes contains 12 chapters with 222 verses. Could you be more specific please?

 

[BillyBob]

Nobody wants or needs that kind of ego-tripping around here.
I find the whole thing disruptive and disturbing.

I have no idea what you are trying to say. . . .
Not only doe she have a talent for art, but her ability to recall the exact panel at just the right time to support her belief is nothing short of amazing.

 

[HeIsHere]

Calvinism is morally bankrupt because it means God creates the majority of mankind to be tortured for all eternity as their one and only fate or destiny. That is evil.

And those who support this system are okay with it and even promote it.

 

[cv5]

Yes. The giants in Genesis 6, the Nephilim, were the offspring of the second group of angels that rebelled against God. These angels were not the same as the first group who fell with Lucifer in Isaiah 14. Rather, they rebelled in a different way. Scripture says that the sons of God saw the daughters of men and took them as wives, producing giants in the earth (Genesis 6:1 through 4). Jude shows that these angels “kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation” and are now “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness” (Jude 1:6). Peter adds that God “cast them down to hell,” translated from the Greek verb tartaróō, referring to the place known as Tartarus (2 Peter 2:4). This identifies them as a unique second group of rebels punished immediately, unlike the demons who still roam freely.

Although the Flood destroyed the original Nephilim, Scripture plainly states that giants appeared again after the Flood. Genesis 6:4 says, “There were giants in the earth in those days and also after that.” After the Flood we find the Rephaim, Anakim, Emim, Zamzummim, and other giant clans dwelling in the land of Canaan. The spies sent by Moses encountered the sons of Anak and reported, “we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:33). The Anakim were known for their extraordinary height and strength.

Goliath was a direct descendant of these post-Flood giant tribes. He was “of Gath,” one of the Philistine cities where the Anakim survived (Joshua 11:22). Scripture records another giant from Gath with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot (2 Samuel 21:20 and 1 Chronicles 20:6), which reflects the same corrupted hybrid traits found earlier. Goliath had four giant brothers as well (2 Samuel 21:15 through 22), showing that a surviving giant bloodline continued into David’s day.

We also see the extreme size of these post-Flood giants from Og king of Bashan. He belonged to the same broad group of giant peoples linked with the Rephaim and Anakim. The Bible records the exact size of his bed: “nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it” (Deuteronomy 3:11). Using the standard cubit of eighteen inches, his bed measured about thirteen and a half feet long and six feet wide. Even if this provided more space than the man’s actual height, it still suggests Og himself stood around ten to twelve feet tall. Since the Anakim are grouped with these same giant clans (Deuteronomy 2:10 through 11 and Joshua 11:21 through 22), Og’s stature gives us a vivid sense of the kind of giants Israel faced.

The Bible contains many incredible and supernatural events, including a talking serpent (Genesis 3:1 through 5), a talking donkey (Numbers 22:28 through 30), and an axe head that floated on water (2 Kings 6:5 through 7). In the same way, the accounts of the Nephilim, the giant tribes, and their angelic origins fit naturally within the supernatural reality Scripture reveals.

Before I forget:
Rahab, the Matt 15 Canaanite woman, the woman of John 8, the Samaritan woman of John 4, Mary Magdeline
......ALL point back to Jude 6 and Genesis 6 and the will of the Father thereof.

Redemption of the type of "the harlots" who were seduced by Satanic forces in Genesis 6.
A soteriological doctrine far beyond the scope of the typical Calvinist recitation chorus.

 

[HeIsHere]

The Spirit guides a person into understanding the deep things of God. This is not the gospel.
Also, to not see a connection to 1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV and 1 Corinthians 3:3 KJV when Paul says that the Corinthian believers are "carnal" because of their justifying the sins of "strife" and "envy" (1 Corinthians 3:3 KJV) is to miss what is going on contextually.



.......

You are not the first and will not be the last, this has presented soooooo many times by so many people on many different threads about Calvinism beliefs.
It is not possible to have a rational conversation, follow context with people who are indoctrinated.

 

[homwardbound]

The book of Ecclesiastes contains 12 chapters with 222 verses. Could you be more specific please?

read the entire book specifically. If I choose a verse or two, people do not see the entire context.
Solomon said after going through seeking out everything. He found out without God everything else is nothing
Something to the effect of Paul stating 1 Cor 13:1-3 without God Love, even though one anyone can do all things, it is nothing without God
I see so much wrong interpreting going on by pointing out scriptures and thinking that verse means this and so go to another one to inform others this be the right way, is a deception to many today.
I see Ecclesiastes as a time to do and a time to not to do, that to me now depends on our Father leading us to do or not to do. To discern as in Matthew 10:16-20. To see it is love and mercy given us to give to all in spite of another person or not loving us back or not?
It is the Love of God through Son that went willingly to that cross without any flesh fight back that got revealed now as risen. that was meant that way for us to get reconciled first, before the new life of love could get manifested in us each that choose to believe God in his done work for us all. To then not respond in angst anymore to learn new, and be willingly seeing only Love has and does overcome evil. Evil always begets evil. So focus on Romans 8 towards the last part, yet much there.
John 16:33 and please read all verses given you, at least 25 verses before the verse and 25 after to keep in context
I re-read Ephesians the entire Epistle and I got this from Paul's writing, "Encourage" Do not tear down. Yet we can we do not have to not do, we get to now choose to not tear down. Which is not always easy ever. It takes lots of practice.
God sincerely loves us all. We all get others offended by us, that happens, and continues, the only thing that shuts evil down was when Jesus went to that cross willingly. Evil got shut down. Then defeated in his resurrection. therefore you can rejoice as inn 2 Cor 12:7-10 reconciled forgiven by God, wow, woe is me, anyone else Isaiah 6:1-7 amazing.

God just loves us all, y'all. That is what I heard my eldest brother say to my sister, my eldest sister, one was dead before brother died.
He said to her on the phone about three days before he died on Campus Crusade for Christ. Quoted " God just loves me" It took me until 2012, and he died in 1978 to see God just loves us all y'all. Then growing new and eating meat began in me. I am to this day no better than anyone else ever. I need God's lead through me Luke 21:14-15 daily, love to you Sister as we each trust God to do Phil 1:6 in us each, seeing no one better that another whether a believer or not
So sorry, you got offended
Beat me hurt me, make me a believer and use "go ahead threaten me with a good time" God loves us all anyways, Thank you
I remember a day when a person was being kicked off a property, I was part of the people that were escorting him off
He turned towards me and flipped me off
I replied "Thank you" and he said what? I know by God I am number one with God, thank you for reminding me.
He knew not what to say, now I stand in trust to God for that incident for him to turn to belief to God too
The only thing that overcame and overcomes evil is Love of God working through us
It heaps coals of fire on the Heathen. Can you imagine, see once Christ was risen is risen and seen by those that got him killed in Col 2 and he still did not berate them. Amazing grace as John Newton saw and became new, born again new by God and wrote the song Amazing Grace
This is so deep, and I have not ever obeyed perfectly, have wanted to, and saw I can't so I turned to God and said I can't God
God said thank you. I said what?????????????????????? God said I have been waiting for you to let go to self and this world you are in
I then began to learn truth over error from God Father as all who are willing to die too, will see and probably still be here a little while longer to share too.
Believe as you already do and trust God to reveal all truth to you that sets you free if not yet already free thank you

 

[cv5]

And those who support this system are okay with it and even promote it.

Only because they choose to enjoy reveling in its nihilistic doomer dogma.
Kill them all and let God sort them out is......Satanic. Specifically so.

 

[Magenta]

Believe as you already do and trust God to reveal all truth to you that sets you free if not yet already free thank you

Perhaps you should turn your attention to those in here who do not believe the Bible. Thank you, and you are welcome...

Ecclesiastes 1 v 17-18 I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.

 

[HeIsHere]

Look carefully at how Paul opens Romans 9, and you’ll see that the subject is not individual predestination to heaven or hell. Romans 9:1–5 makes the context unmistakably national: Paul is heartbroken for Israel, his “kinsmen according to the flesh.” Romans 9–11 deals with the corporate destiny of Israel, not Calvinistic individual election.

Paul’s Repeated National References

9:3 — “my kinsmen according to the flesh”

9:4 — “the Israelites”

9:27 — “Though the number of the children of Israel…”

10:1 — “my heart’s desire…for Israel”

10:19 — “Israel”

10:21 — “to Israel he saith…”

11:1 — “I too am an Israelite”

11:2 — “his people which he foreknew”

11:7 — “Israel hath not obtained”

11:25 — “blindness in part happened to Israel”

Every example Paul uses is corporate.

Isaac vs. Ishmael – These represent descendants and nations, not individuals predestined to heaven or hell (Gen. 21–22).

Jacob vs. Esau – “Two NATIONS are in your womb” (Gen. 25:23). The passage is about national destiny and the Messianic lineage, not God eternally choosing one baby for heaven and the other for hell.

Pharaoh – A national representative. God “raised him up” to power (Rom. 9:17), not created him for damnation. Pharaoh represents Egypt, and striking Pharaoh meant striking Egypt (Ex. 3:19–20; 7–14; Ps. 105:26–28). “The king of Egypt will not let you go…so I will strike Egypt.” Notice the corporate pattern: king is representative of the nation. The people followed him, supported him, benefited from slavery, and shared in that national rebellion. Scripture itself says the Egyptians collectively oppressed Israel (not just Pharaoh): “the Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us.”(Deut. 26:6). Even after multiple plagues, the people still supported Pharaoh’s refusal to release Israel. There was no national repentance. They shared his pride, his defiance, and his oppression. Egypt enslaved God’s people, murdered Hebrew children (Ex. 1), refused God’s command through Moses (Ex. 5), exalted their gods above Yahweh (Ex. 12, 18). These were national sins, not just Pharaoh’s personal ones. Even after multiple plagues, the people still supported Pharaoh’s refusal to release Israel. When Israel did leave, the Egyptians even pursued them to force them back into slavery (Ex. 14).

Isaiah’s remnant prophecy – Paul quotes Isaiah to show that God’s judgment and mercy concern Israel as a nation, not individual predestination (Rom. 9:27–29; Isa. 10:22–23; 1:9). Isaiah says “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant will be saved.” Paul applies this corporately: the nation as a whole would face judgment, yet a remnant would survive. This is national preservation, not individual reprobation.

Hosea (“not My people / My people”) – Entire peoples and groups—Israel and the Gentiles—are in view (Hos. 1:10; 2:23; Rom. 9:24–26). Again, corporate categories, not individuals decreed to eternal destinations.

Paul shows that God’s choice of nations (Israel/Gentiles) in salvation history explains why believing Gentiles are included and unbelieving Jews excluded—while still fulfilling the promise to Abraham. That is the primary meaning of Romans 9–11.

Individual application exists, as Paul applies the same potter/clay principle individually in 2 Timothy 2:20–21:
but not the way Calvinism teaches.

Here’s an analogy:

Suppose a master potter owns a workshop.

He already has blueprints of what kinds of vessels he will honor and what kinds he will reject before he ever touches the clay. He had already concluded beforehand:

“If the clay stays soft and workable, I will make it a vessel for honor. If the clay hardens and refuses to be shaped, it will become a vessel of dishonor.” Those are his preordained criteria, not preordained individuals.

Now, consider two types of clay:

1. Clay #1 remains soft. It responds to the potter's touch. It yields. It can be molded. The potter says: "Even so, this vessel has become the very thing I resolved beforehand for all obedient clay—a vessel for honor."

2. Clay #2 sets. It resists. It refuses shaping. It becomes rigid. The potter says: "This vessel becomes exactly what I planned beforehand for all rebellious clay - a vessel for dishonor."

Notice: The potter had predetermined the result, not each piece of clay's identity or response. It is the response of the clay that determines its destiny.

That is Jeremiah 18 precisely that Paul is quoting in Romans 9.

Gentiles believed = vessels of mercy (Rom. 9:30)

Israel rejected faith = vessels of wrath (Rom. 9:31–33; 10:21; 11:7)

Gentiles = Clay that responded. Gentiles believed, and were formed into vessels of mercy (Rom. 9:24–26).

Israel = Clay that hardened. National Israel hardened itself. Cf. Rom. 9:31–33; 10:21; 11:7.

God shapes a nation based on its repentance or rebellion. Nothing in Jeremiah 18 or Romans 9 teaches unconditional predestination.

When we get to chapter 10, the mistake many Calvinists make is assuming the individual salvation language in Romans 10:9-13 means Paul changed subjects. Not so. He still speaks about corporate Israel:

“My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that THEY might be saved.” (10:1)

The application is individual (Rom. 10:9–13), but the subject remains national Israel.

Anyone in Israel—and anyone anywhere—can obey the gospel and be saved. Nothing about predestined individuals.

In conclusion: Paul's whole argument in Romans 9 is corporate. There's not one example in Romans 9 of God choosing an individual for personal salvation the way Calvinism teaches. Romans 9:1–5 is explicitly about Israel as a nation rejecting Christ. Romans 9:6–13 uses Jacob/Esau as nations, not isolated individual destinies. Romans 9:24–26 applies Hosea's prophecy about restoring Israel and calling the Gentiles. Romans 9:27-29 quotes Isaiah about the remnant of Israel and the destruction of a nation. Romans 10–11 continues discussing Israel and the Gentiles, not individual predestinations. Everything having to do with the main, primary meaning is corporate. Any individual application is secondary and flows from the corporate principle.

Thank you.

Just one thing, next time at the end makes sure to include ... #contextkillsCalvinism