Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

[Magenta]

The free will camp assumes, with no supporting text and contrary to many verses that evidence the opposite, that the man of flesh is free to choose, and will believe, that which he can neither receive nor comprehend, and to which he is inherently opposed with his heart of stone. There is simply no getting around the fact that this is the core of their belief, and it flies in the face of what Scripture actually teaches about the natural man who is a slave to sin and lover of darkness refusing to come into the light, blinded to truth and under the power and influence of Satan: he serves the law of sin which brings forth fruit unto death, not life. Without the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, his incurably wicked heart hates God, and hears the gospel message as foolishness. Praise the Lord if He has set you free!

 

[Magenta]

The gospel is foolishness to the natural man, since he can neither accept nor comprehend the spiritual things of God. It is impossible for his incurably wicked heart to grow the seed of God’s Word into the good fruit of faith while he is captive to the will of the devil. Along with the rest of the world who does not know God, he is blinded to the truth and under the power and influence of Satan, rendered incapable of submitting to or obeying God, with Whom he is inherently hostile toward in his mind, for he craves what is contrary to the Spirit. He suppresses the truth in unrighteousness, refusing to come into the light because he is a slave to sin, a lover of darkness, defined as darkness itself, and his deeds are evil.

 

[BillyBob]

There you go little buddy. Plenty more where that came from.....

rogerg said:
Yes, they are saved BEFORE they believe. Belief, in my understanding, comes AFTER and from salvation. Otherwise, salvation would be man's work not Christ's work as the Savior.

‘You can choose God’ is the lie loved by lost men".
**MDB**

 

[Magenta]

I thought you were going to get a sound-byte to go with this!

As they continually twist away from what Scripture explicitly articulates and twist it into something that more
closely aligns with their heretical man-exalting views, perhaps this music would be suitable as their soundtrack?

 

[Genez]

Wanting to be saved?
Is doing something to save yourself when He saves you?

Welcome to the insane asylum.

 

[Magenta]

‘You can choose God’ is the lie loved by lost men".
**MDB**

Good morning BillyBob! Please excuse me for asking but, what does MDB mean?

 

[ChristRoseFromTheDead]

those verses speak for themselves.

The Valentinian gnostics used the bible, too, to justify their heresy

 

[rogerg]

The Valentinian gnostics used the bible too

So? Those verses speak for themselves. Can't make it any plainer than that. Do you think by continually repeating something
that makes it true? Weird!

 

[HigherGospel]

That is totally gnostic.

God said what you sow is what you reap... ignore that truth at your own peril.

But, their sins are forgiven. That means [past, present, future].

No, that's a teaching that came from the devil that all the free gracers espouse.

If one does not confess and forsake their sin.... they will reap corruption and if they die in that condition they sadly won't be spending eternity with the Lord.

Only sins past have been forgiven

Romans 3:25
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Hebrews 10:26
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

This means if we sin after getting born again that are NOT automatically forgiven. We must confess to the Lord and forsake our sin in order to be forgiven of any new sins committed after getting born again.

Proverbs 28:13
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

What is NOT in God's Word is all future sins were automatically forgiven.

1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Those walking in sinful behavior are NOT walking in the light so their sins are not cleansed because they are sinners!

1 Corinthians 15:34
Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

Once saved, we are ordained by God to walk in good works which is not "earning" salvation but is being obdient to what the Lord wants which is for us to live and walk in agreement with Him and not the devil.

We're taking about unsaved people.

God's Word is speaking these warnings to saved people.

Lol. Now that you have been trapped/cornered, of course you must issue blanket denials. This is always the Calvinist end-game.

Yes, and with great swelling words of man's darkened "wisdom" they will deceive the naive and those not knowledgeable of God's Word.

 

[BillyBob]

Good morning BillyBob! Please excuse me for asking but, what does MDB mean?

Quote by Moreno Dal Bello! Can't remember if @rogerg pointed me to his website, but he often has good thoughts worthy of being quoted.

 

[cv5]

those verses speak for themselves.

They do. If you actually understand them. The proper interpretation in accord with the intent of the original language and grammar structure is what matters.

Calvinistic misapprehensions do not count.

 

[cv5]

And? Yes, I said they are saved first faith a result- what are you taking about?

I am talking about integrity, intrepidity and honorable deportment vs cowardice, deceit and treachery.

 

[rogerg]

They do. If you actually understand them. The proper interpretation in accord with the intent of the original language and grammar structure is what matters.

Calvinistic misapprehensions do not count.

Oh, okay, mister weekend Greek expert - yeah just because you say so we'll discard the interpretations of the true experts - NOT!
Look, don't bother me again with these kinds of absurd statements - post them to someone else from now on.

 

[rogerg]

I am talking about integrity, intrepidity and honorable deportment vs cowardice, deceit and treachery.

Really? Do you actually know what you're talking about? Doesn't seem so. You are non-sensical

 

[Genez]

It begins with wanting to know Jesus is real if Jesus is what the Gospels tell us He is.
Evil does not want to believe He is real.

We do not believe before we are saved.
Before we are saved, we will want to believe.

Evil will not want to believe.

When God saves us, He grants us the power to actually believe what we wanted to believe is real.
That is why many cry when they recognize this happening to them.

 

[Magenta]

Quote by Moreno Dal Bello! Can't remember if @rogerg pointed me to his website, but he often has good thoughts worthy of being quoted.

Oh, okay, and thank you for explaining, as I have seen you especially using that abbreviation, and I had wondered! LOL

 

[rogerg]

Quote by Moreno Dal Bello! Can't remember if @rogerg pointed me to his website, but he often has good thoughts worthy of being quoted.

No, wasn't me, BillyBob but I wish I had. Skimmed it briefly and liked what I saw - thanks for posting. I'll go back to it later.

 

[BillyBob]

No, wasn't me, BillyBob but I wish I had. Skimmed it briefly and liked what I saw - thanks for posting. I go back to it later.

It is worth looking through. Hope he has a good editor for the books that he has written because his website seem to be more like random thoughts, often repeated. But, it's free. https://www.godsonlygospel.com

 

[Magenta]

The Valentinian gnostics used the bible, too, to justify their heresy

Do you call yourself a gnostic when the Holy Spirit testifies with your spirit?

Some of these heretics here will tell you that if God reveals Himself in any way that varies from how He revealed Himself to another then He is unfair, and yet the Bible front to back is full of examples of God revealing Himself differently from one person to the next.

People go around saying, Christianity is a relationship not a religion, then they start throwing words like gnostic around.

Really, it makes no sense. Either the holy Spirit communicates with us or He does not.

Scripture says He does, and that is not the definition of gnosticism.

Nor is regeneration gnosticism.

 

[reneweddaybyday]

And you don't believe that the new heart promised in the unilateral New Covenant is required in order to believe?

I have told you numerous times what I believe. Have you forgotten?

Romans 1:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

vs 16-17 – hear the gospel, believe the gospel results in the power of God being unleashed to bring salvation to the believer.

vs 18-19 – hear the gospel, suppress the truth in unrighteousness, no unleashing of the power of God.

In vs 18, the words "who hold" are translated from the Greek word katechō which means to suppress, restrain. In vs 16, those who believe the gospel are the ones who do not katechō ... suppress, restrain the truth.

Or for that matter that the Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in applying the Word to human hearts?

1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

Just as shown above in Romans 1:16, when someone hears God's Word preached or reads the Word of God and believes, God gives increase to the believer.

Half truths never = the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

or possibly the whole truth to the half witted?
.