Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

[sawdust]

Confused, because she can not find a way to make it confusing, perhaps? Seems to be the case.

I think you are reading Mem wrong but I could be wrong so I'm just going to address what she says with scriptural rationale as best I understand it.

 

[sawdust]

He probably thinks God gives him what amounts to "grace-arrogance."
Humbly boldly arrogant.
Arrogant as onto the Lord.

It is weird to behold.

As far as correction?
It does not much good to simply make fun of him.
For I am sure he has had a long history of experiencing turning off people he has had contact with, and already knows.
He has become enured to the disapproval of others.
And probably thinks it is the Lord giving him strength to not let them affect him.

Where I come from, it is called having a self-centered insensitivity to others.

Sometimes those who appear most arrogant are really the most humble and are super confident in the Lord. Only the truth can spot the difference.

It will all get washed on the Day .... with fire.

Hebrews 12:29
For our God is a consuming fire.

 

[Cameron143]

You met Christ long before you could know it was doctrine that got you there!

Everything in Scripture - Genesis to Revelation - is the Word that was made flesh.

The Word of God is the mind (thinking) of Christ.
And, it says, we have been given the mind/thinking of Christ!

Obviously... false doctrine in not the mind/thinking of Christ.


Limited atonement is not His thinking.

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, ​

but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2​

Nor, the notion of Irresistible Grace!

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; ​

as your fathers did, so do you. " Acts 7:51​

I can understand young Christians getting hooked into wrong teachings for a season.
Almost all baby Christians do at some point.

For, a part of the process of maturing in Christ is facing the humbling experiences of finding oneself corrected in an area that you assumed you had to be right about.

The corrections will come in the form of Bible doctrine being expounded accurately.

It is why too many dislike the teaching of sound doctrine.
It will humiliate those who prefer and desire what some false doctrine tells them.
That is why Paul tells us the following:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.​

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

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

So when I recommended an exccellent teacher?
One that has a proven track record.
And he gets rejected?
And, excuses are given for not checking him out for themselves?

I do not get offended.
For the Holy Spirit must prick their interest.
Not me.

I'm only a messenger.

​

​

.....

Go find someone who thinks you have a clue what you are talking about. I've already witnessed enough of your doctrinal error, poor discernment, and childish antics.
Grace and peace.

 

[Genez]

yep still no apology for what you said to me.

Which is really twisted
This is exactly what you said to me.

In my twisted version of events God would be a rapist to against a Persons will.

Is this not what you said ?

You said it not me, and you need to correct what you've wrote.

You have God down as a rapist for going against a person will.

Not only that you determined i must view God that way.

Not only that I haven't twisted any events you have with your statement here.

But like always you can't admit your disgusting remarks

Here is some of what you are now refusing to accept for your own life.
You will continue to blame others for what God would rather transform you out of,
if you would accept His plan for your life.

Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them. Psalm 119:165​

Then Jesus said to his disciples...​

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Mat 16:24​

When you find yourself able to stop taking offense, God can then use you for His glorification.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ​

grace and peace .......

 

[Jordon]

Here is some of what you are now refusing to accept for your own life.
You will continue to blame others for what God would rather transform you out of,
if you would accept His plan for your life.

Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them. Psalm 119:165​

Then Jesus said to his disciples...​

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Mat 16:24​

When you find yourself able to stop taking offense, God can then use you for His glorification.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ​

grace and peace .......

Your absolutely incredible to preach the word of God after defending his behaviour calling God a rapist for going against a persons.will.

That what he did.

Gods grace to you means you can say anything you want in my book. Which you do and will untill the day your miserable life ends

 

[Rufus]

Virtue(agape) love. It is unconditional and impersonal. And it is CRITICAL that we come to know this love.

1JO 4:16, And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.

1CO 13:1-8, If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have (agape) love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have (agape )love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have (agape) love, it profits me nothing. (Agape) love is patient, (agape) love is kind, and is not jealous; (agape) love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (Agape) love never fails;

Human love has conditions, limits, emotions. Gods virtue(agape) love is unconditional......Because it is based upon His character and nature. Who and what He is. His virtue and integrity.....Righteousness.

For God so loved(agape) the world(mankind) that........

He agapes/loves mankind, we MUST agape/love mankind.

God's love is MORAL in nature. Therefore, God's holy, righteous, good CHARACTER cannot permit him to love what is evil. How we know this for certain is by what Jesus taught about His Father's love:

Matt 22:34-40
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
ESV

The whole OT is summed up in the two Love commandments. This is how we know beyond any question that God's love is moral in nature.

And as stated earlier, God's love for His only Begotten Son was conditioned on His obedience, as is God's love for His elect!

John 10:17
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life — only to take it up again.
NIV

John 14:21
21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
NIV

John 15:9-10
9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 IF you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.
NIV

John 16:27
27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
NIV

Unconditional love can never find its reason in the object of that love.

 

[Genez]

Go find someone who thinks you have a clue what you are talking about. I've already witnessed enough of your doctrinal error, poor discernment, and childish antics.
Grace and peace.

I have fellowship with some very relaxed people who understand, and I understand them.

You are being peevish because you sense something you can not touch.

Jesus Christ wants all his children to grow up to stop making themselves an issue.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.​

​

Who, being in very nature God,​

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;​

rather, he made himself nothing​

by taking the very nature of a servant,​

being made in human likeness.​

And being found in appearance as a man,​

he humbled himself​

by becoming obedient to death—​

Even death on a cross!​

Just gave you a nice gobbledygook doggy bag to snack on later on.

 

[Rufus]

Here is some of what you are now refusing to accept for your own life.
You will continue to blame others for what God would rather transform you out of,
if you would accept His plan for your life.

Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them. Psalm 119:165​

Then Jesus said to his disciples...​

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Mat 16:24​

When you find yourself able to stop taking offense, God can then use you for His glorification.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ​

grace and peace .......

Thanks for proving that Jesus taught the absolute necessity for the virtue of humility!

 

[Genez]

Your absolutely incredible to preach the word of God after defending his behaviour calling God a rapist for going against a persons.will.

That what he did.

Gods grace to you means you can say anything you want in my book. Which you do and will untill the day your miserable life ends

Where did I call God a rapist?

Better keep a note pad next to you.
You are losing track ...

 

[Genez]

I think you are reading Mem wrong but I could be wrong so I'm just going to address what she says with scriptural rationale as best I understand it.

I have nothing against her personally.

I am just examining the fruit in her crate.
Not only that, but I could be wrong.

But the appearance of it being so is there.

 

[Rufus]

How about you address me as Your Highness!

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

How 'bout a royal heretic instead? It's a nice 50-50 compromise.

 

[Genez]

Thanks for proving that Jesus taught the absolute necessity for the virtue of humility!

Virtue is something developed by free-will decisions.

 

[Jordon]

I have nothing against her personally.

I am just examining the fruit in her crate.
Not only that, but I could be wrong.

But the appearance of it being so is there.

Gey it through to your thick skull she doesn't want to know you or speak to you.

So why don't you quit pestering her and speaking about her.

 

[sawdust]

Unconditional love can never find its reason in the object of that love.

Which is what @Kroogz said. It is based on God's character, not on the object of His love.

Gods virtue(agape) love is unconditional......Because it is based upon His character and nature. Who and what He is. His virtue and integrity.....Righteousness.

I have still that ear wash if you're interested.

 

[sawdust]

How 'bout a royal heretic instead? It's a nice 50-50 compromise.

Typical. Always have to put the other party down. So sad.

 

[Genez]

How 'bout a royal heretic instead? It's a nice 50-50 compromise.

What is your point?

Tell me?

Did your family get real quiet when you entered the room?

......

 

[sawdust]

Go find someone who thinks you have a clue what you are talking about. I've already witnessed enough of your doctrinal error, poor discernment, and childish antics.
Grace and peace.

He's found a few in this thread so I guess he doesn't have to go far.

 

[Rufus]

Virtue is something developed by free-will decisions.

The Source of all virtue (love, goodness, righteousness, justice, holiness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, etc. is God, and has nothing to do with man's "freewill decisions" -- unless you think man chose to invent a god made in his own image. It appears you don't believe that God is love, do you?

 

[Rufus]

What is your point?

Tell me?

Did your family get real quiet when you entered the room?

......

Stick both your hands on top of your head, and you'll find out.

 

[sawdust]

The Source of all virtue (love, goodness, righteousness, justice, holiness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, etc. is God, and has nothing to do with man's "freewill decisions" -- unless you think man chose to invent a god made in his own image. It appears you don't believe that God is love, do you?

You must have one heck of a pogo stick to leap to the conclusions you do.