Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

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GWH said:
Witnessing is a waste of time with those not seeking truth.
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Tons of people are like that. That’s why it’s typically fruitless talking to people who aren’t willing to consider the evidence. When deciding who to evangelize with, it’s best to find someone who isn’t going to walk into the jury box already refusing to believe unless every question is answered, every rebuttal addressed, and every emotional pain soothed. Those people are not fit to sit in jury for the evidence. Not because they’re unintelligent, but because they’re biased and partial. Truth requires a willing heart, not just a sharp mind.
 
Blue155 said:
Tons of people are like that. That’s why it’s typically fruitless talking to people who aren’t willing to consider the evidence.
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This is another one of your jokes which only leads to people feeling inadequate, as in case you've not noticed, theres been over 15000 posts from people providing evidence, that ultimately points towards your free will being nothing but the covenant of the jaw 🙂.
 
rogerg said:
No, you couldn't be more wrong - you are viewing those verses only from a physical not a spiritual perspective. It was Christ that Zechariah was prophesizing about to John when he said, "his people", not "your people". John could not give the knowledge of salvation to even one of Christ's people; neither could John's baptism forgive sins; those were not within his power to do - further, he didn't baptize all of Christ's " people" so John could not be the one in view. Everything that John did was purely symbolic and ceremonial to commemorate and memorialize that was occurring spiritually to those being baptized or who would be baptized - even if they didn't completely realize or understand it at the moment. Were it not that, then water baptism, of itself, would have had no significance. John symbolically "prepared his ways" through that baptizing but only Jesus has the power to actually accomplish spiritually what was declared in 1:77, John did not. John was but a messenger, imbued with no spiritual power of himself- it is Christ who is the only true power and the true giver, otherwise, the verse on its face would be wrong (which would be impossible), because John simply could not satisfy what was stated therein - Christ, not John, is the Savior who gives salvation, the knowledge of salvation, and everything else that accompanies or is related to salvation unto to His people, and that is the point of all of those verses.
You also need to consider the following verses - 1:77 isn't independent of those.
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C'mon, I'm sure you cant be that stupid.

Let us look together shall we?

Luke 1:76-77
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.

Who is the child Zechariah is speaking of that will go before the Lord and prepare the way and give knowledge of salvation? Hint, it is not Jesus Christ.

Of course John could give knowledge of salvation. What do you think we are doing every time we preach the Gospel? I explained to you the knowledge here is gnosis, it is factual information regarding the way of salvation. It is not epignosis which, is what one has in salvation.

It is not saying John will forgive sin, it is saying John will speak of the One to come who can forgive sin and hence be able to save and we see him doing exactly this in Luke 3.

Luke 3:15-17
15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

John was letting them know what was coming and Who was bringing it.

Try reading without your preconceived lens and see that it is John the Baptist vs.76&77 are speaking of and not the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
brightfame52 said:
The Christ of the scripture is not the false Christ who merely made salvation possible. If that is the Christ you believe in, that is a false christ
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Just because I don't believe what you believe doesn't mean I worship a false Christ. Christ secures the salvation of all who believe. It is not if, but or maybe but a certainty beyond mortal understanding. He removed the penalty of sin for all. You want to know what that means for you? Then believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Look up and see your salvation!
 
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Rufus said:
Just as I figured. Jesus sets people free to be able to be something. Freedom in your mind is all about freedom TO! That's what it means when it says that Christ sets the PRISONERS free?

Luke 4:18-19
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
NIV

Jesus in the above passage is quoting part of Isa 61.

Why are fallen human beings prisoners? To what are they imprisoned? Does fallen humanity need to be set free FROM anything...or just "free to be able..."?

Last question: Does Jesus set all fallen humanity w/o exception free? Does He set free every man, woman and child on the planet?
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Just because you want to be comatosed after Christ has freed you and do nothing and be nothing that's your business. As for me, I refuse to waste the freedom Christ so painfully won for me.

Have a nice day Rufus. :)
 
sawdust said:
Just because you want to be comatosed after Christ has freed you and do nothing and be nothing that's your business. As for me, I refuse to waste the freedom Christ so painfully won for me.

Have a nice day Rufus. :)
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Philippians 2:13 🙂
 
Jordon said:
This is another one of your jokes which only leads to people feeling inadequate, as in case you've not noticed, theres been over 15000 posts from people providing evidence, that ultimately points towards your free will being nothing but the covenant of the jaw 🙂.
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And there has been just as many posts providing evidence of the opposite, that grace frees our will from the confines of the flesh so we can decide for ourselves what we will believe.
 
sawdust said:
And there has been just as many posts providing evidence of the opposite, that grace frees our will from the confines of the flesh so we can decide for ourselves what we will believe.
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Yep that's called God making you believe 🙂
 
sawdust said:
Just because I don't believe what you believe doesn't mean I worship a false Christ. Christ secures the salvation of all who believe. It is not if, but or maybe but a certainty beyond mortal understanding. He removed the penalty of sin for all. You want to know what that means for you? Then believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Look up and see your salvation!
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The Christ who is a potential savior is not the Savior Jesus Christ of scripture.
 
sawdust said:
And there has been just as many posts providing evidence of the opposite, that grace frees our will from the confines of the flesh so we can decide for ourselves what we will believe.
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This little monkey says if you had the same will of God you could do this 🙂

 
Jordon said:
This is another one of your jokes which only leads to people feeling inadequate, as in case you've not noticed, theres been over 15000 posts from people providing evidence, that ultimately points towards your free will being nothing but the covenant of the jaw 🙂.
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No, but rather evidence of their woeful biblical illiteracy and devastating ignorance. Basically they are at the level of "flashcard" bible scholarship.

They see a single solitary word like "appointed" or "predestined" and instantly enter into a drooling Reformed zombified state of mental rigor mortis. And then comes the rapid-fire regurgitating of Reformed verses that they absolutely do not comprehend.

The fact is, nobody in the Reformed camp will dare speak to the Passover pattern (and circumcision requirement), Jewish wedding protocol pattern, the Day of Atonement pattern, the pattern of Jacobs wrestling, the pattern of the parable of the prodigal son, parable of the two sons, the parable of the treasure and pearl and endless other examples that indicate full awareness, willful initiative, willful conscious repentance, willful commitment and so on and so forth.

They are in rebellion against the intentional core message of the Bible and replace it with vain, doomer philosophical garbage meant to enslave the weak minded and dominate the weak willed.

But Jesus Himself, Who knows the thoughts and intents of the heart, will render just judgement and settle the score inevitably.

Mat 23:13
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Mat 23:15
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
 
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