Can We Really Exercise Free Will?
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Matthew 11 verse 27 ~ All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
They aren't always translated the same. And you didn't address my second point of their usage. One involves the activity of the individual and the other the activity of God.Did you look at the links?
Both are translated "having known". Both verbs are in the Aorist participle active - nominative masculaine plural
Go argue with Bible Hub because they disagree with you.
Was your knowledge a direct result of the activity of God?
Did God throw a switch in your brain to make you believe? No.
God actively suppressed your sin nature as the Gospel was presented to you.
You were made free to consider the Gospel that way.
In Romans 1, God needed to suppress their sin nature for them to accept as much as they did and gave them thoughts to consider about God existence. He had to introduce the concept of God to them in their minds.
Those in Romans 1 quit the drawing of God in phase One of God's drawing.
Right then they resolved not to know God.
So, they were never continued to be drawn far enough down the path to finally be given the Gospel.
Actually I was made alive and given a new heart. Direct activity of God. I simply responded from my new nature.
They are the exact same word in the exact same tense translated the exact same way.
Show me your Greek credentials and I might believe you otherwise I'm going with Bible Hub.
You have made a claim without evidence so I am not answering a question that is merely your opinion.
Your heart is the part of your soul where you hold your convictions, values and make conclusions.
Giving the Word of God to a new believer will push out his old way of thinking of the heart, and establish a new heart.
That is how He gives us a new heart.
Where did Satan conclude that He would replace the Most High?
In his "heart."
Likewise...
Those men in Romans One, God gave them the realization He is real while they viewed what He had created..
He actively did so in their minds.
How else could they conclude there is a God?
Did rocks speak to them?
Acts 17:28
“For in him we live and move and have our being.” As some of your own poets have said, “We are his offspring.”
People experience God 24/7. Some acknowledge that, others don't.
Epignosis is understanding and acknowledging that understanding as truth to live by, it is not simply experiencing God. Here's another experience people had of God but did not have epignosis. They knew exactly what they were experiencing.
Revelation 6:16
They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
The verse does not say God gave them anything, unlike Galatians 4:9 where both are present.
While I appreciate the discussion, I disagree with your understanding for the reasons given.
Grace and peace.
I notice people like to overlook this part. They seem to think they worked out God existed all on their Pat Malone.
Romans 1:19
because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
The Biblical View of Favoritism
Perhaps the favorite rebuttal to the Doctrines of Grace is that Arminians, Pelagians or FWers use is the charge against God of playing favorites if God predestines, elects and empowers belief in the elect by His own Sovereign irresistible grace.
But the FWers are divided on how to interpret Irresistible Grace. Some say that such activity would be tantamount to God's will being capricious and arbitrary in nature, while others charge what I just stated above that would make God unfair and unjust, making the two views themselves contradictory, which comes as no surprise to me. But these two different views are not the focus of this post -- just the charge of "favoritism", since this particular subject is discussed in scripture. This post, then, will be restricted to looking at the biblical view of favoritism. And here's the text which I'll use as the springboard:
Acts 10:34-35
34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
NIV
The larger context to this passage, of course, is the vision Peter had and the gentile Cornelius' encounter with an angel sent by God, and how the vision and angelic encounter resulted in Peter being sent to Cornelius to preach the gospel.
So...in one breath Peter proclaims that God does not discriminate. He does not play favorites. But in the very next breath Peter went on to say "but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right". Verse 35 very clearly qualifies v. 34! For God accepts/approves/receives/welcomes only a particular kind of men -- men who Fear Him and do what is right (in this logical order). God clearly does not accept/approve/receive/welcome all men w/o exception. God's benevolence/favor/affection/compassion/LOVE is propitious to God-Fearers! No surprises here since God loves and has compasion on those who Fear Him (Ps 103:11, 13, 17) Therefore, in Peter's mind, God's impartiality is qualitative in nature, and not quantitative as FWers would have us believe. Rather, any elect sinner in any nation on any continent anywhere on this green earth, no matter what race or ethnicity (Rom 2:9; 9:8), what social standing, what economic status, who has had the precious gift of God's New Covenant promised grace (Jer 32:36-41) that instills this godly, life-transforming disposition into his heart is loved by God, sought by Him, approved by Him, accepted by Him and are welcomed to Him. Such elect sinners invariably possess this attribute, quality or virtue that scripture calls the Fear of the Lord.
Therefore, in the above biblical sense, this is what is meant when scripture teaches the impartiality of God! All other sinners -- sinners who do not belong to God are not accepted, approved, received or welcomed by God are a priori rejected by Him (Rom 9:7-13, 16-18)! God, after all, is not the God of the dead but of the living (Mat 22:32), and He, through Christ, sovereignly chooses to whom He gives life (Jn 5:21) and to whom he will not (Rom 9:15-18).
For this writer, these truths are exceedingly precious because my God is not just a potential savior or a possible savior but is an ACTUAL Savior, and I take great comfort in the fact that I did not contribute a scintilla of desire or effort to my salvation; therefore, I know my salvation is perfect and guaranteed because it depends solely on the Rock on which I stand, and that my being in Christ is NOT of my own doing (1Cor 1:30). All I did when God rescued me was respond favorably to a Good, Holy and Righteous God's effectual call -- both the inner and outward. Therefore, all I can do is boast in the Lord (1Cor 1:31).
Perhaps the favorite rebuttal to the Doctrines of Grace is that Arminians, Pelagians or FWers use is the charge against God of playing favorites if God predestines, elects and empowers belief in the elect by His own Sovereign irresistible grace.
But the FWers are divided on how to interpret Irresistible Grace. Some say that such activity would be tantamount to God's will being capricious and arbitrary in nature, while others charge what I just stated above that would make God unfair and unjust, making the two views themselves contradictory, which comes as no surprise to me. But these two different views are not the focus of this post -- just the charge of "favoritism", since this particular subject is discussed in scripture. This post, then, will be restricted to looking at the biblical view of favoritism. And here's the text which I'll use as the springboard:
Acts 10:34-35
34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
NIV
The larger context to this passage, of course, is the vision Peter had and the gentile Cornelius' encounter with an angel sent by God, and how the vision and angelic encounter resulted in Peter being sent to Cornelius to preach the gospel.
So...in one breath Peter proclaims that God does not discriminate. He does not play favorites. But in the very next breath Peter went on to say "but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right". Verse 35 very clearly qualifies v. 34! For God accepts/approves/receives/welcomes only a particular kind of men -- men who Fear Him and do what is right (in this logical order). God clearly does not accept/approve/receive/welcome all men w/o exception. God's benevolence/favor/affection/compassion/LOVE is propitious to God-Fearers! No surprises here since God loves and has compasion on those who Fear Him (Ps 103:11, 13, 17) Therefore, in Peter's mind, God's impartiality is qualitative in nature, and not quantitative as FWers would have us believe. Rather, any elect sinner in any nation on any continent anywhere on this green earth, no matter what race or ethnicity (Rom 2:9; 9:8), what social standing, what economic status, who has had the precious gift of God's New Covenant promised grace (Jer 32:36-41) that instills this godly, life-transforming disposition into his heart is loved by God, sought by Him, approved by Him, accepted by Him and are welcomed to Him. Such elect sinners invariably possess this attribute, quality or virtue that scripture calls the Fear of the Lord.
Therefore, in the above biblical sense, this is what is meant when scripture teaches the impartiality of God! All other sinners -- sinners who do not belong to God are not accepted, approved, received or welcomed by God are a priori rejected by Him (Rom 9:7-13, 16-18)! God, after all, is not the God of the dead but of the living (Mat 22:32), and He, through Christ, sovereignly chooses to whom He gives life (Jn 5:21) and to whom he will not (Rom 9:15-18).
For this writer, these truths are exceedingly precious because my God is not just a potential savior or a possible savior but is an ACTUAL Savior, and I take great comfort in the fact that I did not contribute a scintilla of desire or effort to my salvation; therefore, I know my salvation is perfect and guaranteed because it depends solely on the Rock on which I stand, and that my being in Christ is NOT of my own doing (1Cor 1:30). All I did when God rescued me was respond favorably to a Good, Holy and Righteous God's effectual call -- both the inner and outward. Therefore, all I can do is boast in the Lord (1Cor 1:31).
While it is true that mankind is continually experiencing God at a certain level, all experience isn't the same. God gives providential care to His entire creation. He provides food, clothing, housing, and other graces common to mankind. This is very different than the particular and generally spiritual care to those He has made His own. An unsaved person does not know joy unspeakable and full of glory or peace that passes understanding, though they may recognize it in others.
Or...you might improve your reading comprehension.Then I suggest you learn to read Greek.