Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

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Genez said:
You are confusing fairness and justice for grace.

Paul tells us what grace is.
Many ignore its meaning and interject their own image of which grace is not to make themselves feel good about God.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” ​
Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may ​
rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)​


Grace is imparted POWER from God!
Paul tells us that God's grace is power.
Enabling power!

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Power that enables us to do what we are helpless to do in our own energy of the flesh.

God's grace is a powerful force that transforms weaknesses into strengths, allowing believers
to navigate life's challenges with divine support.

What is grace and often confused for?
It's not mercy. Mercy is mercy.
It is not even kindness. Kindness is kindness.

Grace is power from God to enable us to do and think what God sees as righteousness in action.

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—​
And righteousness and sanctification and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30)​

Our righteousness is from Christ!
For the Grace to be righteous comes from Jesus Christ!

Grace in operation is when you find yourself able to do and think what you know you normally could not achieve!

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 Corinthians 15:10​
​
Since many do not know what Grace is?
The word is used to produce answers that are incorrect!

Grace is not mercy.
Mercy is mercy.
Grace is not even love.
Love (agape) is love and a fruit of the Spirit.

Grace, on the other hand, is God giving power to make Spirit filled Christians able to be what God approves of.

But by the grace of God I am what I am." 1 Corinthians 15:10a​
​
At least know what Grace means!

Grace is power from God that will enable a Spirit filled believer to achieve MATURITY IN CHRIST!
Too many are leaning upon their feelings and own understanding and are not walking in grace.
They are walking in dogma and rigidity. Which is not power from God.

Dogma and rigidity gives one a sense of power over weak believers who are not walking in grace and truth.
It gives them a bully personality when it comes to getting their way in how they demand you should think.
Bully personalities can be smiley and nice in approach.... "Pleasant gaslighters."

Well... Grace is Grace!
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as I've said already Grace is and always will be Something that belongs to God 🤩
 
Jordon said:
as I've said already Grace is and always will be Something that belongs to God 🤩
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Something?
The universe belongs to God!

Stop making excuses.

And, you are making excuses.

Spiritual laziness destroys potential.
 
posthuman said:
to parry is foremost; we do not win any exchange that we do not survive :)
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1843200696-1-The-Princess-Bride-quotes.gif
 
rogerg said:
I believe it is as Paul stated in the verse I included - that God saved him when/by he being taken from under the law of sin and death and placed under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Notice that Paul had no part in the process but to be taken from
the one and placed under the other - the law of Christ is what made him MADE him free.

[Rom 8:2 KJV] 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
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So at some indeterminate point in a person's life God saves a person without him being aware of it. Is that correct?

And then at some later point in time a person hears the gospel and realizes that they have already been saved. Correct?
 
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
So at some indeterminate point in a person's life God saves a person without him being aware of it. Is that correct?

And then at some later point in time a person hears the gospel and realizes that they have already been saved. Correct?
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Yes, I believe that is correct.
 
Jordon said:
God can look at your whole life and sanctify you halfway though it, or even one 3rd of the way through it.

With God all things are possible.


Its like this you wouldn't expect God to sanctify someone's life half the way through it, without looking at there whole first would you.
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Are you using the word sanctification in the same sense that Roger uses the word saved?
 
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
So at some indeterminate point in a person's life God saves a person without him being aware of it. Is that correct?

And then at some later point in time a person hears the gospel and realizes that they have already been saved. Correct?
Click to expand...

This verse supports that. Notice they believed but did so through grace. To have grace one must have become saved.

[Act 18:27 KJV] 27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
 
Genez said:
Something?
The universe belongs to God!

Stop making excuses.

And, you are making excuses.

Spiritual laziness destroys potential.
Click to expand...
Well you see you can never have the universes just like you can never have Gods grace, he can give you grace and he can give you the keys to his kingdom.

But he would have too look at your whole life first.

I mean could you just imagine what could go wrong if he gave his key to his kingdom, if he never knew his grace was sufficient for you, by knowing how you respect his grace, by looking at your whole life first.

Could you just imagine what could happen if he never looked at your whole life first, and you decided to use his grace wrongly, with his key to his kingdom.
 
rogerg said:
This verse supports that. Notice they believed but did so through grace. To have grace one must have become saved.

[Act 18:27 KJV] 27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
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So salvation, then grace, then faith?
 
sawdust said:
No it doesn't. How do you think anyone sees the light? Everything God does is by means of grace. Grace is God's power to see His will done based on the integrity and fidelity of His nature.

We have a will by God's grace, we are breathing to use it by God's grace, it is by grace the truth is made known to us.

Nothing and no-one would exist if not for God's grace.



No! That is what you are saying.

God is the one who decided to save believers, not me, not you and He gives us all we need to do just that (ie.believe) even from a fallen state. It was by means of grace Christ came, it is by means of grace the Spirit is in the world convicting it of right, wrong and judgement, it is by means of grace that a person can see the light and truth of Christ and it is by means of grace they can respond either positively or negatively.

If you think the only thing God's grace is good for is saving people, you don't know grace!
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God is the one who decided to save believers, not me
No, God decided to save [sinners] a people of His choosing

and He gives us all we need to do just that (ie.believe) even from a fallen state
No, we are renewed from a fallen state, made alive in Christ so that we will believe. [belief is a fruit not a cause].

It was by means of grace Christ came
Absolutely true!

It is by means of grace that a person can see the light and truth of Christ
Absolutely true!

and it is by means of grace they can respond either positively or negatively.
You must be kidding.
 
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The Bible tells us that every created human being has been given a measure of Faith.

This is why Romans 1 says when God manifested Himself to them [(THEY {{CHOSE NOT TO CLAIM HE IS GOD}})].

God gave those who reject Him a measure of Faith just like God gives those who believes in Him a measure of Faith. But in Romans 1 Paul writes they KNOW GOD, and you can only know who God is because God gave them a measure of Faith, but they REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE that God is God.

So just saying believers get a measure of Faith is calling God a liar because to know God is God but to refuse acknowledging that God is God can only happen because they can believe in God, but instead they reject God.

So Paul proves Free Will multiple times.

You literally have to call God a liar to claim Free Will doesn't exist in all natural man when God gives all natural man a measure of Faith!
 
lrs68 said:
The Bible tells us that every created human being has been given a measure of Faith.
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No, not "a measure of faith" as in a quantity but an ability TO measure faith.

Eph 4:7 KJV] 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

[Rom 12:3 KJV]

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

[Eph 4:13 KJV] 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
 
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
I don't play this game
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ok. I suppose you don't run the race either.

As you cant answer a simple question.

I know a game actually, its called the Game of putting you on the spot, do you know this Game ?

Let me guess noo, you don't know that either do you.

I know how about drinking some wine before you answer, 🍷 loosen you up a bit
 
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