Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

[sawdust]

Unbeliever = unregenerate.

Then you have your answer. We see the difference between the believer and the unbeliever as the former being born of God. We have stated this many times in various ways.

 

[Rufus]

I have asked for a definition ... only to be told "it's difficult to come up with a working definition since it is not a Biblical concept".

you throw the term around ... surely you have a definition ???

please enlighten us and "define "FWer" for us".





shrug ... don't know, since those who throw the term around have yet to define the term.




believer in the Lord Jesus Christ ... a member in particular placed by God in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ as it has pleased Him ... the one body over which the Lord Jesus Christ is the Head.

now ... how about you "Define yourself!" ...
.

You don't know who you are? Above your pay grade to figure out a label that you could comfortably apply to yourself?

I am a free moral agent, which is different than a "freewiller". I make all kinds of choices but I know that I'm not autonomous nor do I exist independently of God. Nor can I make moral/spiritual choices that are contrary to my sinful nature, any more than God can. God created me to love him, serve him, glorify him and to rely upon him for all things.

 

[Cameron143]

NO.... But when Jonah was told to preach to the degenerate, depraved, war-like Ninevites, it was a missionary journey.

Saul was commanded by God to have a preemptive attack on what God knew would be a problem for Israel.

Ninevah had been a problem for Israel as well. More likely God chose that time in the history of Ninevah to have a people out of every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue. And when God commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites, He was simply exercising divine judgment for their sinfulness.
It is interesting that in dealing with 2 sinful nations, both equally deserving of destruction, He deals mercifully with one and harshly with the other.

 

[Cameron143]

Saul was commanded to kill King Agag, and not necessarily all the Amalekites. Also, the commandment is to remember to forget Amalek who is associated as an enemy of Israel, and to not forget what he did. That is, ambushing and attacking Israel. Of course, God defends the legacy of those that love Him and so wouldn't support any of His enemies.

Better read 1 Samuel 15:3. Saul was certainly commanded to destroy the Amalekites.
The Ninevites were an equally wicked people. Why does God judge one but acts mercifully to the other?

 

[Genez]

I'm not sure you got the point exactly, however here it is, the point was God for-knew you, so he already knows if your going to believe or not.

The omniscience of God knows who will believe when God makes them free of the sin nature (by grace) to make their choice.

 

[Rufus]

It's means, he already knows your whole life before your born, even the time when he says to whoever I never knew you.

You could look at that scripture and think hang on a minute here is some one who the lord never knew at all. But you must remember even if that was so, it could have been put forward with different meanings, one being you don't get to know Jesus until the father is ready to hand you over.

Or it could be something else, I believe one of the interpretations is based upon those who will cry out for the lord but he won't listen,

Refering to those who think they know the lord, but they really don't because they haven't been handed over to the son from the father.

Also there's another interpretation that indicates when lord says gets away from me I never knew it's quite possibly leaning towards his return, as in those days refering to his return when many will say lord lord.

So it may even be refering to a future tense,

If you drop the prefix [fore) to knowing, that might help you sort out what the bible means when it says that God knows or doesn't know people. The "fore" is used to designate before time, since God inherently knows all things in eternity. The word translated "know" in scripture is very often used to denote a personal, intimate, covenant knowledge of the object being known. In fact, in the KJV the same word is used about Mary and Joseph and how Joseph did not "know" Mary until after the birth of Christ. In other words, Joseph had no personal, intimate conjugal contact with Mary prior to the Christ child being born.

 

[Rufus]

The omniscience of God knows who will believe when God makes them free of the sin nature (by grace) to make their choice.

Are you implying that you don't have a "sin nature"?

 

[Magenta]

You don't know who you are? Above your pay grade to figure out a label that you could comfortably apply to yourself?

I am a free moral agent, which is different than a "freewiller". I make all kinds of choices but I know
that I'm not autonomous nor do I exist independently of God. Nor can I make moral/spiritual choices
that are contrary to my sinful nature, any more than God can. God created me to love him, serve him,
glorify him and to rely upon him for all things.

It is God Who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose. Apart from Me you can do nothing. No word from God will ever fail. “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

 

[Jordon]

The omniscience of God knows who will believe when God makes them free of the sin nature (by grace) to make their choice.

Yep and before the choice is given he will also know who will accept.

But also it won't just be a salvation choice you get, there will be many choices along the way, I take it you know the scriptures that all children have angels who stare back in the face of God,

Then not lets not forget many more including the choices God the father gave to children in the wilderness,

But not just children, as scripture also refers to God calling adults children.

 

[Jordon]

Are you implying that you don't have a "sin nature"?

No comment

 

[Mem]

Better read 1 Samuel 15:3. Saul was certainly commanded to destroy the Amalekites.
The Ninevites were an equally wicked people. Why does God judge one but acts mercifully to the other?

It's something about God being merciful to the merciful.

 

[Cameron143]

It's something about God being merciful to the merciful.

Neither the Ninevites nor the Amalekites were merciful.

 

[Magenta]

Ninevah had been a problem for Israel as well. More likely God chose that time in the history of
Ninevah to have a people out of every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue. And when God commanded
Saul to destroy the Amalekites, He was simply exercising divine judgment for their sinfulness.
It is interesting that in dealing with 2 sinful nations, both equally deserving of destruction,
He deals mercifully with one and harshly with the other.

Nineveh repented after Jonah preached, but eventually returned to idolatry and wickedness,
leading to its destruction by the Medes and Babylonians in 612 B.C., as prophesied by Nahum.

 

[sawdust]

Without spiritual life, how else would the pursuit of God and the things of God be sought after.

Grace and truth. Jn1:14 God sent His own Son into the world. Don't need spiritual life to recognise one needs God. The Gospel is the power unto salvation Rom.1:16 ergo, God does not save you first then give you the Gospel to save you.

It is the flesh that draws man away from God, not the soul unless that soul, when given the option (by grace) between light and dark, chooses darkness.

 

[Jordon]

The omniscience of God knows who will believe when God makes them free of the sin nature (by grace) to make their choice.

my stance is my life has already unfolded in God's eyes.

Although it's only just unfolding for me now and i don't know the future. I'm just reliving out what has already unfolded in God's eyes.

To summarise I can't change my future,.its all ready happend.in God's eyes.

God won't change my future either as I believe he creates people as his children all unique in appearance all given the freedom to be what they want to be in life. You could say that God truly believes in free will.

However because he knows my life it doesn't mean he's predetermined it, it just means I'm outside of what ever time it is in heaven right now, probably because there is no time there, its more than likely a place where time stands still seeing as God is eternal, yep in the blink of eye God could transform this world.

But then you may ask well how can be in this time and a different time, well that's easy he's God.

Maybe all he has do is make a planet go round the sun the wrong way.

Imagination hey it's a wonderful thing, but I'm sure I first knew God when the pyramids where built, lol

 

[sawdust]

it looks like you've missed a lot or perhaps your blissfully lazy daisy

Would you prefer if I don't judge bad inappropriate behaviour and just turn a blind eye ?

Yes, I prefer you not set yourself up to be the judge of others, that way you won't have to be judged.

 

[sawdust]

I'm not sure I understand you. Anyone who is saved have been chosen

Who's the reformed mob btw.

Sounds like you've been watching to many mafia movies.

So you come in here without any understanding of the reformed position, not knowing who is holding such position within the debate and then proceed to judge the debate?

It seems you may not be in the best of positions to be the judge of what's going on.

 

[Jordon]

Yes, I prefer you not set yourself up to be the judge of others, that way you won't have to be judged.

ah the famous old Judge not or be Judged scripture quite often used when someone can't take rebuttal,

I could just put my ramhead on and billy goat him, but I would have to judge which place to ram him.

But don't blame me for that, it not my fault I'm a goat I was born that way.

 

[Jordon]

So you come in here without any understanding of the reformed position, not knowing who is holding such position within the debate and then proceed to judge the debate?

It seems you may not be in the best of positions to be the judge of what's going on.

hmm looks like you can't take a joke either,

You wouldn't be judging me would you lol.

Maybe you should answer the question, you stated there was a reformed mob here, obviously your refering to people quoting in this thread, so who where you refering to ?


I know about many reformed groups Which one are you refering to

 

[Genez]

Yep and before the choice is given he will also know who will accept.

But also it won't just be a salvation choice you get, there will be many choices along the way, I take it you know the scriptures that all children have angels who stare back in the face of God,

Then not lets not forget many more including the choices God the father gave to children in the wilderness,

But not just children, as scripture also refers to God calling adults children.

People are not choosing for a salvation that they have yet to realize is real.
They do not yet know that salvation is real.

All that is required?
They simply find themselves loving their thought concerning Jesus dying for their sins.

God takes care of the rest.

........