Why free will?

I have explained my understanding of the scriptures pertaining to this subject in my post #120, if you care to view them.

We all should research the scriptures a little more, even yourself.

Evidence of the Holy Ghost coming ON them is also used in the new testament once (Acts 19:6)

Old testament saints were born again in the same manner as the new testament saints are born again, and that being the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:11).





The animal sacrifices did not save the old testament saints from their sins, not even for one year (Heb 10:1-4)

You don't get it. God gave man free will in Eden. He never rescinded that freedom to choose. If man has no free will then how can God judge man's actions? Obviously we differ on what free will means, so any further discussion is pointless.

In answer to your question, "Where did Old Testament believers go when they die?

All believers were born again by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and died to the penalty of sin. That was the first death, for God's sheep. When they pass from this life and are buried, Jesus says that they are asleep, and they will not taste of the second death, at the last day, as the wicked will (Matt 25:32-46).

The natural man, as described in 1 Cor 2:14, has the free will to choose, but he will never choose the things of the Spirit, because he doesn't understand them, thinking them to be foolishness.

His will/desire was free. But his flesh was weakened by instinct to act often, but not always, on fight and flight reflexes.

God did not ensure that man would choose only evil. Adam made that choice for all mankind. As I've said, the will follows desire. People are free to choose and do so continually. Even not choosing is a decision of the will. In some cases, people's wills are entirely bound. That is possession. Man's problem is not so much with his will as with his desires. This is clear from God's proclamation to Israel in Deuteronomy 30

"For this commandment I give you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’ And it is not beyond the sea, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’ But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may obey it."

Israel's problem was not ignorance. God gave them His commandments. They could have chosen to obey. They did not. Why? Very simple. They had no desire. God used the "carrot and stick", blessing and cursing. It was in vain. Now God knew this to be the case, but sinners do not. God gave the law to prove to men that they were sinful by nature and so stubbornly refuse to obey God. (1 Timothy 1:8-11).

Does it matter? I believe so. If we know the problem we can seek the answer. If the problem is in the realm of desire, we can ask God to grant us His desire in our hearts so that we follow that desire instead of desires contrary to God's will.

Christians need to know that the Christian life is not automatic. God Gave us the ability to choose, something that no other creature has. We are the sum total of the choices we've made through life. No one can justify themselves before God.

No. Adam did not choose that he and all his descendants would choose only evil. No one ever lives a life choosing only evil

Okay no need to discuss further but I'll first take this opportunity to correct your statement of the above.
Adam and Eve caused it to be rescinded when they chose to ignore God's warning and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When they did, they died spiritually. Since we were all in Adam's loins, we all then died spiritually too. A spiritually dead person does not have free spiritual will.

[Gen 2:17 KJV] 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

This is foolishness to the carnal mind.....


Heb 2:9~~But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

pas: all, every
Original Word: πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: pas
Phonetic Spelling: (pas)
Definition: all, every
Usage: all, the whole, every kind of.

Lev 16:2~~And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

Matt 27:51~~And behold, the veil of the temple was torn into two from top to bottom. And the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split.

Acts 16:31~~And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Equal privilege, equal opportunity for ALL mankind. God removed the barrier for mankind. ALL can freely come. The carnal mind, says that ALL cannot.

“God is no respecter of persons” Acts 10: 34

If God was going to choose a people, it would have been the Jews, but even they are not chosen unto salvation and have to come through the cross. You have a distorted picture of who God really is.

[1Pe 2:9-10 KJV]
9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

That doesn't change what I said.

Nope, only for those whom He had chosen for mercy.

[Rom 9:13-16, 18, 23-24 KJV]
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 What shall we say then? [Is there] unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. ...
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth. ...
23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Those whom God had aforetime specifically and individually chosen to that end He makes into His holy nation.

What then shall we say? Is there injustice with God? Never may it be!


Psalm 145:9
9 The Lord is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works.

This is foolishness to the carnal mind.....


Heb 2:9~~But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

pas: all, every
Original Word: πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: pas
Phonetic Spelling: (pas)
Definition: all, every
Usage: all, the whole, every kind of.

Lev 16:2~~And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

Matt 27:51~~And behold, the veil of the temple was torn into two from top to bottom. And the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split.

Acts 16:31~~And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Equal privilege, equal opportunity for ALL mankind. God removed the barrier for mankind. ALL can freely come. The carnal mind, says that ALL cannot.

Has nothing to do with salvation. If I have two children and one does wrong and I forgive them, but when the second child does the same I punish them, is that a good parent, a fair parent? No, that would be abusive. There is nothing worse than people who take a handful of Scripture out of context and make a doctrine out of it. What you're saying is against the character of God.

He will have mercy on ME, He will have compassion on ME......You mere humans cannot even understand this spiritual truth......Why am I even here telling you this, you have no way of hearing or seeing my superior position?

It does. In fact, that is exactly what it is speaking of:

[Rom 9:22 KJV] 22 [What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: