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.
John8-36plus-Romans8-2s.png

John 8 v 36 plus Romans 8 v 2 If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.
:)
 
  • Like
Reactions: rogerg
Perhaps you should turn your attention to those in here who do not believe the Bible. Thank you, and you are welcome...

Ecclesiastes1-17-18s.png

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.
God does that, I only see tom listen and hear God tell me and am not perfect at that either, thank you
 
Sons and brothers are individual people.

Romans8-29-30-Ephesians1-5.png

Romans 8 verse 29-30; Ephesians 1 verse 5 ~ Those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rogerg
For some perverse reason free willers and Pelagian heretics derive great pleasure trying
to outdo each other with claims of not being chosen or called out of the world. The heresy
goes some distance explaining it, since they give themselves credit for what God did.


Jesuswords-John15-19-John14-17r2.png

Jesus' words in John 15 verse 19 and John 14 verse 17 ~ If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rogerg
God's countless calls for repentance/returning/obedience are intentionally fraudulent according to the Calvinist dogma.

Indeed, and when 2 Thessalonians 2:10 contradicts their belief system outright, it suddenly becomes a dark verse or a mystery verse in their minds.

Also, when their Calvinist proof texts are shown in context, they simply refuse to see what is plainly there. This happens when they read Romans 9 and yet refuse to address the context at the end of the chapter. It happens again when they refuse to consider verse 10 when reading 1 Corinthians 2:14.




.....
 
For some perverse reason free willers derive great pleasure trying to outdo
each other with claims of not being chosen or called out of the world.


Jesuswords-John15-19-John14-17r2.png

Jesus' words in John 15 verse 19 and John 14 verse 17 ~ If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.
Only because they do not believe John 15:5, which says "without Me you can do nothing".
 
For some perverse reason free willers derive great pleasure trying to outdo
each other with claims of not being chosen or called out of the world.


Jesuswords-John15-19-John14-17r2.png

Jesus' words in John 15 verse 19 and John 14 verse 17 ~ If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.
Understood, as Matthew 10:16-20 teaches me, and has taught me to be wise as a serpent. yet remain harmless as a dove. That part to remain harmless, only Father can do that through me and I struggled with that for years. now see it fully, yet can and have and can again still get messed up in it. I see to be tankful to God being forgiven by God only. Not like that pharisee (Not fair you see) in Luke 18:9-14
Or like that man in Matthew 18:24-35, who got taken back to court to pay for not appreciating and accusing another to pay him, after God forgave him. To see also Romans 2:1-4 to see since I am forgiven by God, who am I to abuse, accuse or excuse. anyone
A hard lesson to learn to stand away from that is not easy and it is not I that do that now, it is God doing it when I do not abuse, accuse or excuse me any longer as if I am better than even Hitler
No respect of persons in Father's view, Christ has leveled the playing field all are reconciled through Son as if never sinned Col 1:21-22
 
when their Calvinist proof texts are shown in context, they simply refuse to see what is plainly there.
When are you going to admit that an unregenerated person without the indwelling Holy Spirit of God is a natural man who can neither receive nor comprehend the Spiritual things of God as Scripture plainly states? Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. When will you stop denying that the gospel is a spiritual matter containing some of the deep things of God? Free willers love to deny that. When are you going to deal with the fact that men have been taken captive to do the will of the devil, which tosses your fantasy of free will out of existence? That the whole world is blinded, that not all are called? I ask you about these things and you REFUSE to deal with them while pretending you want to discuss Scripture. And your contradiction that salvation is available to all, oh, then you say, but not these people because they never had their names written in the Book of Life.
 
have you ever noticed the folks the Lord Jesus Christ was angry with? ... it was the sadducees, pharisees, chief priests, etc., etc.

the publicans and sinners? Jesus went in unto them ... taught them.

the sadducees and pharisees separated themselves from the common folks ... thought they were better than them.

Luke 18:9-14

9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

.

So some of us here are having the spirits of Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees, Nicolaitans, etc. ? Quite possibly I think 🤔
 
  • Like
Reactions: OLDBUTNEW
John15-5c-Philippians2-13s.png

John 15 verse 5c; Philippians 2 verse 13 ~ Apart from Me you can do nothing. For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.
Thank you!
Just as I said, just the right panel at just the right time. . . . ;)
 
So some of us here are having the spirits of Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees, Nicolaitans, etc. ? Quite possibly I think 🤔
Who is pushing law keeping? Eh, yes, there may be one or two.

And those who say that without water baptism you cannot be saved...
 
Indeed, and when 2 Thessalonians 2:10 contradicts their belief system outright, it suddenly becomes a dark verse or a mystery verse in their minds.

Also, when their Calvinist proof texts are shown in context, they simply refuse to see what is plainly there. This happens when they read Romans 9 and yet refuse to address the context at the end of the chapter. It happens again when they refuse to consider verse 10 when reading 1 Corinthians 2:14.




.....


One has to accept that they do not have the capacity to get it.

They have a echo chamber here, but as you know when it comes to formal debates and other places of dialogue, they pretty much lose over and over again.

They say the same things over and over again.

Their "system" does not stand up to scholarship, hermeneutics, context and scrutiny.
 
They say the same things over and over again.
It's called Scripture. Unlike your opinions and repeated errors and blasphemies.

Errors which you refuse to acknowledge and just keep repeating.

Same as your blasphemies.

The free will belief requires that you contradict and deny deny deny what the Bible explicitly states.

It is even more primitive than believing in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as taught by the disciples/apostles of Christ.

You also rewrite Scripture, have a habit of butchering it to make it say what you want it to rather than what it actually does, while refusing to acknowledge what it actually says, calling explicit articulations eisegisis, and claim corroborating parallel verses are taken out of context. You would rather blaspheme God than admit any error.

Well we know you do not care about truth, since you misrepresent it so very often, and not only Scripture, but the views of others, your own self, and also the record of history, because you love your logical fallacies as much as your falsehoods. And we have never seen you beg forgiveness for your repeated false depictions of what the Bile says, as you claim those you oppose should do, or even for blaspheming God, which you have done a number of times... no apologies there, no begging forgiveness, not even saying you should not have said the things you have, no acknowledgement that you are so glaringly obviously wrong one could be excused for thinking you had not even ever read the Bible to begin with before making your proclamations. No, instead you claim you are defending God's character, even as you support others who shamelessly blaspheme God. When you are corrected, when you contradict and deny what the Bible explicitly articulates, and it is pointed out to you again and again what it actually says, you simply repeat what you have been saying all along, and tell us relevant verses have been taken out of context. You and your Pelagian heretic buddies contradict and outright deny so much of what is explicitly stated.

Scripture says, the world cannot receive the spirit of truth. Your view is, it can. Scripture says the man of flesh (unregenerated) cannot submit to or obey God. Your view, and the view of free willers, is he can. Scripture says the natural man cannot receive the spiritual things of God. Your view, and the view of free willers, is, he can. Scripture says the natural man cannot understand the spiritual things of God. Your view, and the view of free willers, is, he can. Scripture says a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Your view, and the view of free willers, is, it can. Scripture says the natural man is opposed to the spiritual things of God. Your view, and the view of free willers, is, he is not. Scripture says the gospel is hid. Your view is, the gospel is not hid. Jesus said not everyone hears. Your view is, everyone hears. Scripture says flesh serves the law of sin and brings forth fruit unto death. Your view is, the flesh can choose to make a decision a plethora of Scriptures say it cannot, to please God and bring forth fruit unto life. Scripture says the devil has taken people captive to do his will. Your view, and the view of free willers, is, man has a will that is free. Scripture says no man can come to God unless God draws them. Your view is, divine intervention is not necessary. Your view is, man has everything he needs to come to believe. Scripture makes plain certain things are only known through the Spirit and revelation which you continually denigrate. Scripture shows over and over again from Genesis all the way through to Revelation that God reveals Himself differently from one person to the next. Your view is, God is unfair if He were to reveal Himself in any way differently from one person to the next. Your view is those you disagree with should preach in cemeteries, then you lie about conflating spiritual death with physical death. Your view is to not only blaspheme God yourself, but agree with those who blaspheme God in other ways. Along with other free willers, you come across as despising God's sovereignty, and call Him doing things for His own purposes doing them "for no good reason." No matter how you look at it, your theological stance on this issue directly contradicts and outright denies what the Bible explicitly articulates in a number of places, and you are not likely to change it any time soon because to bring your view into line with what Scripture actually teaches would bring your whole house of cards down, and demolish your vain self-exalting stance. You cannot have that, since you are far too attached to your ear-tickling doctrine. One could even say you were in love with it. You certainly love it more than the Truth of Scripture.
 
Somebody tell the Calvinists (as I already have countless times), that Jesus intentionall set His crucifixion upon Golgotha, the exact place where Goliaths skull was buried by King David. Thereby CONFIRMING that Goliaths was a literal "seed of the serpent", an inhuman Nephilim hybrid, fulfilling the prophecy of Gen 3:15.

Goliath's name is actually Gol of Gath. Golgotha, place of the skull.......Gol of Gath's skull.

While Goliath’s skull may have been buried at Golgotha, presently, this idea appears to be more of a tradition than a confirmed biblical or archaeological fact. While it may be true, at this time it seems to rest more on tradition than on solid evidence. Granted, anything is possible. Personally, I find the account of the Ark being hidden deep beneath the cross to be a more likely possibility, although I am not presenting that as absolute proof or fact, either. If the Ark was indeed below the cross, then when the earthquake occurred, the cracks in the ground would have allowed Jesus’ blood to flow downward and fall upon the mercy seat on the Ark in the hidden chamber beneath. You can learn more about this account in the video linked here if you have not seen it already.


.....