Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

[cv5]

Election and choice the way many present it do not operate side by side at all.

The free will claim is that the incurably wicked heart from which no good thing can come produces faith.

They may say they make no such claim but that is exactly what they teach.

They teach that the flesh, which serves the law of sin and brings forth the fruit of death,
can and does make a choice that is not possible to make from the flesh which opposes
the spiritual things of God and is incapable of submitting to God. But they will say
that is not what they teach either, but that is again exactly what they teach.
They ascribe to the unregenerated man what is only possible of the regenerated man.

Jesus sets us free.

The free will claim is that the incurably wicked heart from which no good thing can come produces faith.

"produces" ???
Hhmmmmm. How about "inherently possesses" by design at creation? By which a FREE WILL choice for Christ can be actualized.
Because that's the reading of it here.

Mat 15:28
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy G4675 faith G4102 : be it unto thee even as thou wilt G2309 . And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

The KJV translates Strong's G4675 in the following manner: thy (358x), thee (76x), thine (50x), thine own (7x), thou (6x), not translated (1x).

The KJV translates Strong's G4102 in the following manner: faith (239x), assurance (1x), believe (with G1537) (1x), belief (1x), them that believe (1x), fidelity (1x).

The KJV translates Strong's G2309 in the following manner: will/would (159x), will/would have (16x), desire (13x), desirous (3x), list (3x), to will (2x), miscellaneous (4x).

 

[Cameron143]

There goes that lens, lol.

The Jesus lens. I'm simply quoting Him. You don't believe His sheep hear His voice and follow Him?

 

[HeIsHere]

The free will claim is that the incurably wicked heart from which no good thing can come produces faith.

"produces" ???
Hhmmmmm. How about "inherently possesses" by design at creation? By which a FREE WILL choice for Christ can be actualized.
Because that's the reading of it here.

Mat 15:28
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy G4675 faith G4102 : be it unto thee even as thou wilt G2309 . And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

The KJV translates Strong's G4675 in the following manner: thy (358x), thee (76x), thine (50x), thine own (7x), thou (6x), not translated (1x).

The KJV translates Strong's G4102 in the following manner: faith (239x), assurance (1x), believe (with G1537) (1x), belief (1x), them that believe (1x), fidelity (1x).

The KJV translates Strong's G2309 in the following manner: will/would (159x), will/would have (16x), desire (13x), desirous (3x), list (3x), to will (2x), miscellaneous (4x).

They will just add to the text and say she was regenerated/enabled that is why she has faith.

 

[Magenta]

He is commending and exhorting the churches. He ends each time with...he who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Some hear and some don't. I wonder who hears what Jesus says. Oh yeah...my sheep hear my voice and follow me.

John 10 verses 27-28 My sheep hear My voice, I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.

 

[Magenta]

There goes that lens, lol.

Your lens obstructs what Scripture explicitly says so you can claim the opposite to suit yourself.

Such as everybody hears. <= your claim. Everybody does not hear.

Your claim = the gospel is not hid. The Bible says, the gospel is hid.

Your claim = faith is not a gift. The Bible teaches all good things come from God.

 

[reneweddaybyday]

Nephesh is the soul.

yes

The soul life (nephesh) in living creatures which God created on Day 5 is the same soul life (nephesh) God placed in Adam on Day 6. The difference between living creatures and Adam is that God breathed into Adam's (nephesh) ... which is something God did not do in living creatures on Day 5.

(nephesh) is breath life.
.

 

[reneweddaybyday]

Just an fyi, "gotquestions" has a "calvinistic bent" on some/many of its responses.

I know ... and I'm sure some of those who lean "calvinistic" believe "gotquestions" has a non "calvinistic bent" on some/many of its responses.

I do agree the article gotquestions has at its site concerning the parable of the samaritan is accurate.
.

 

[BillyBob]

Hhmmmmm. How about "inherently possesses" by design at creation?

And lost due to Adam's fall.....

 

[Genez]

..and I asked that it not be from haters...but rather the bible
So, you failed

I just gave you the facts.

Projection of your own hatred for the truth is your problem, perhaps?

This is what we are commanded as believers.

We are supposed to be haters about certain matters.
When you sense hatred, it's really a part of the package God designed for us to live by.

Psalm 97:10

Hate evil, you who love the Lord,
Who preserves the souls of His godly ones;
He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.​

You want to outlaw appropriate righteous hatred?

Romans 12:9

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.


In Christ...​

 

[HeIsHere]

I know ... and I'm sure some of those who lean "calvinistic" believe "gotquestions" has a non "calvinistic bent" on some/many of its responses.

Yes very true, lol.

I do agree the article gotquestions has at its site concerning the parable of the samaritan is accurate.

Sometimes they (gotquestions) are fine for sure, I would have to go back and read the dialogue to say more.

 

[Genez]

2chr 5
13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord;

14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.

.....but we know there were those there that mocked and ridiculed
we know that for sure.

OK... (with your way of thinking) you would have stoned to death a married couple, for fornication.

Not all things ridiculed are good.
But, in your eyes?

It seems, your own apparent wrongdoing, is to be vindicated by misapplication of passages.
Which evil in itself.

I have been around the kind you apparently choose to defend.
Many developed mental issues later in their lives.

Are you what they refer to as "Charismatic?"

 

[Genez]

beautiful man of God

In his book, "I believe in Miracles," he spoke of a saved person, failing to resist the temptations of the devil, and LOST HER SALVATION!
And, he said Jesus told him directly!

That was the Devil feigning Christ!
The Word would expose that factor, if not denied by the one reading it.

​

For I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me. ​

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, ​

but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son ​

and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:38-40​

Move on.
You are just another one of them.
That is, unless you repent.

Your thinking is telling us that Jesus can fail to do the Father's will!

Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Galatians 4:16


Don't be a loser!​

 

[Genez]

Matthew 7:21-23 - Right before our very eyes!

 

[cv5]

They will just add to the text and say she was regenerated/enabled that is why she has faith.

Turn your brain off and stick to chanting the Calvinist mantra is how it works. Pretty much.

However, a dedicated all-encompassing survey and analysis yields something entirely dichotomous to the standard Calvinist formula.

Oh well. Some choose the broad well-worn path, I guess. All of their friends are on it as well, so I suppose that this is a comfort to them.
The narrow difficult path? Well, few there be that find it, so I have heard.

 

[cv5]

In his book, "I believe in Miracles," he spoke of a saved person, failing to resist the temptations of the devil, and LOST HER SALVATION!
And, he said Jesus told him directly!

Never watch any Christian TV show were the women have hair that big. As a general rule of thumb.

 

[Magenta]

The Jesus lens. I'm simply quoting Him. You don't believe His sheep hear His voice and follow Him?

She does not believe that personal spiritual revelation is necessary despite Jesus claiming the opposite.

And if you think about it the free willer must adhere to such error in order to have the person
who cannot receive or comprehend the spiritual things of God believe the very things he can
neither accept nor understand. Their vain self-exalting theology demands it.

 

[Genez]

He said to MAKE DISCIPLES first before Baptizing them.

I don't understand someone like yourself who claims to be saved and a Christian but has no issue with distorting the very WORD OF THE GOD you proclaim to be serving.

I wonder how God Himself thinks about what people like you effortlessly do so easily just to ""win the discussion?""

And, God will have already immediately baptized them into the Body of Christ when they believe with the Holy Spirit, before they can run around and pick and choose what false concepts they may prefer to follow to make their own way of thinking feel comfortable with it.

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. ​

Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great ​

number of teachers to say what their itching ears prefer to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3​

​

​

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12​

Along the way, God provides rebukes and correction.
But... Only a few will find it.

Many instead will prefer the broad-minded way leading to destruction.

We're in it! Our choices count NOW!

 

[Genez]

I do enjoy your posts! I think that you have an excellent grasp of the written word, in fact I have learned numerous things by reading your comments.
The main thing that I object to are posts which speak of grace, then in some way accompany it with an action that we must perform which enables us to receive it. If action is required from us then regeneration must take place first. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.

Peace.....

We receive grace passively.
God works Himself in unobtrusively.

It's when we find ourselves doing things well. Things that we know we could not do by simply choosing to do them.
That we see the God's grace power is working in us. We do not feel overwhelmed by grace. It's gentle. It makes us to be "graceful."


But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.
No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

1 Cor 15:10

.......

 

[cv5]

They will just add to the text and say she was regenerated/enabled that is why she has faith.

I really do not see @Magenta 's theory of "produces faith" here. Quite the contrary in fact. I see "faith produces".

[Mat 13:23 NKJV]
"But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands [it], who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

[Rom 5:3 NKJV]
And not only [that], but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;

[Jas 1:3 NKJV]
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

 

[Rufus]

Grace enables you to believe in Christ.

Without God's enabling power of grace to free your soul from the oppressive depravity of the flesh?
You could never believe.

The reason for saving you is your choice to believe after grace freed to to choose.
Grace makes that possible.

A few things: First, would that be the same "grace" that freed the vast majority of the world to choose to reject the gospel?

Secondly, why would God bestow unmerited divine favor (grace) upon those whom he knew in eternity would never believe?

Thirdly, how is it that God's gift of unmerited divine favor (grace), which always results in positive results in other applications (e.g. miracles) suddenly changes to yield mostly negative results in spiritual salvation, giving God a very poor track record? In scripture, the only time God's grace yields negative results is when God withholds or withdraws grace from people's souls, e.g. Joseph's brothers, Pharaoh, Judas' betrayal of Christ, the cold-blooded murder of Christ or whenever God gives people over to their depraved desires, etc.

Lastly, you have God's will totally contingent on the will of his creatures, which contradicts scripture. For your info, mankind is not running the universe or even this little green planet.