Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

[Magenta]

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Galatians 5 verse 1 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Romans 6 verse 18 Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 1 Corinthians 8 verse 9 Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 1 Peter 2 verse 16 Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 1 Corinthians 9 verse 19

 

[Magenta]

1 Corinthians 4 verse 7b; John 3 verse 27; Romans 9 verses 15-16 ~ What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did also receive it, why do you boast as not having received it? John replied, "A man can receive only that which is given him from heaven." "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then, it does not depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

 

[OLDBUTNEW]

On what condition are we told to stop preaching the Word?
Is it on your say so?
Surely, I believe there is a time and a place for everything.
We should make time to pray, love our neighbor, the brethren, and more.
But is this the reason? Or is it because you don't want to deal with the verses I presented?
Remember, we have to accept the whole Bible and not just parts that we think we like to hear or to see from our own slanted view.



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No, we should know that it's time to stop when we're annoying people!

 

[Magenta]

Remember, we have to accept the whole Bible and not just parts that we think we like to hear or to see from our own slanted view.

Proverbs 19 verse 21 Jeremiah 10 verse 23b ~ Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail. No one who walks directs his own steps.

 

[Magenta]

No, we should know that it's time to stop when we're annoying people!

Peace, be still; Lay all your worries down. Be still, oh my soul, For our God, is in control. And if God is for us, Then whom shall I fear? And our God is for us; So lay down, be still. He is God. Hallelujah, our God has overcome. Hallelujah, our Lord, Jesus Christ, has won.

 

[Magenta]

Remember, we have to accept the whole Bible and not just parts that we think we like to hear or to see from our own slanted view.

Flesh serves the law of sin. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other. Nothing good lives in my flesh. Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”? Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one! The flesh brings forth fruit unto death. Romans 7 v 25, Galatians 5 v 17, Romans 7 v 18, Proverbs 20 v 9, Job 14 v 4, Romans 7 v 5 (Romans 8 v 13 and James 1 v 15)

 

[OLDBUTNEW]

Peace, be still; Lay all your worries down. Be still, oh my soul, For our God, is in control. And if God is for us, Then whom shall I fear? And our God is for us; So lay down, be still. He is God. Hallelujah, our God has overcome. Hallelujah, our Lord, Jesus Christ, has won.

@Magenta: Thanks for this, sis; Yes, good advice.

 

[Bible_Highlighter]

To all:

Refuting the Calvinist Misinterpretation of Jeremiah 13:23

Calvinists often misuse Jeremiah 13:23—“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil”—to argue for total inability, claiming this verse teaches that mankind is utterly incapable of doing good or responding to God apart from an irresistible act of regeneration. However, this interpretation distorts the plain context of the passage. In Jeremiah, God is rebuking Judah for their long-standing rebellion and idolatry, not teaching an inherited inability from birth. The verse speaks of the power of habit and moral corruption, not a predestined spiritual paralysis. God’s comparison to the leopard and the Ethiopian highlights that Judah had become so accustomed to sin that repentance was humanly hopeless without divine intervention, yet this was due to willful stubbornness, not divine coercion. The consistent message of Jeremiah is that repentance is still possible—God continually calls His people to “return” (Jeremiah 3:12–14; 18:8). Thus, Jeremiah 13:23 does not teach that man cannot turn to God, but that he will not unless he yields to God’s gracious call. The Calvinist reading wrongly turns a warning against hardened sin into a proof-text for unconditional election, when the real lesson is that sin enslaves by continual practice, and only God’s offered grace, when freely received, can cleanse the sinner and make him new.


Refuting the Calvinist Misuse of Romans 7:14–24

Calvinists often misuse Romans 7:14–24 to claim that Paul is describing the normal experience of a Christian who remains in constant bondage to sin. This interpretation completely ignores the context of Romans 7 and forces Paul to contradict what he clearly says in Romans 8. In reality, Romans 7:14–24 is Paul recounting his past experience as a Pharisee before he became a Christian. Paul is describing what it was like to struggle to keep the Old Covenant Law that did not include Jesus Christ. The context from Romans 7:1–6 shows that the Old Law is dead and that believers are to serve in newness of Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. The law Paul speaks of throughout this passage is the Old Covenant Law and not the New Testament commands of Christ. Therefore, the entire section is about the futility of trying to obey the Law apart from Jesus Christ.

Paul uses the word “I” in a rhetorical sense known as the historic present, which means he uses present tense verbs to describe his past experience for vivid effect. This literary technique makes the past struggle sound immediate and personal, but it is clearly referring to his former life under the Law. He does this same thing in other passages such as 1 Corinthians 13:2–3, 11 and Galatians 2:18, where he uses the present tense to describe something that belongs to his past. In Romans 7:14–24, Paul is vividly recalling his inner battle as a Pharisee who tried to fulfill the Law’s demands by his own strength but continually failed. His cry, “O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death,” shows the hopelessness of that struggle before coming to Christ.

If the Calvinist interpretation were true, Paul would be contradicting himself by saying in Romans 7:14 that he is “sold under sin” while saying in Romans 8:2 that he is “free from the law of sin and death.” The truth is that Romans 7 describes bondage under the Law and Romans 8 describes freedom in Christ. The entire point of the passage is to show that man cannot find deliverance through the Law but only through Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the Law and made a new and living way by His Spirit. The Calvinist view twists Paul’s account of his pre-conversion life into a portrayal of the Christian walk, which completely misses the message of the passage. The real meaning is that before Christ, Paul and all who try to keep the Law without the Spirit are trapped in sin. But through Jesus Christ, the believer is set free to walk in the newness of life and to fulfill the righteousness of the Law by walking after the Spirit.


Refuting the Calvinist Misuse of John 8:34–35

Calvinists often misuse John 8:34, which says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin,” to promote their doctrine of total depravity, teaching that all men are born incapable of doing good until they are regenerated by irresistible grace. This interpretation is false because it takes Jesus’ words out of their intended context. Jesus was not describing an inherited inability but warning that those who continue in sin become a servant of sin through continual disobedience. The phrase “whosoever committeth sin” refers to a lifestyle of sinning, not a condition of birth. Jesus was teaching that when a person habitually yields to sin, they become a servant of sin, living in bondage rather than freedom.

The next verse, John 8:35, gives the necessary context: “And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.” Here Jesus explains the eternal consequence of remaining a servant of sin. The servant of sin does not abide in the house forever because his position is temporary and based on rebellion, not by abiding in the Son who gives eternal life. The Son, however, abides forever because He is the heir and Lord of the house. Jesus was warning that those who live as servants of sin will not remain in His household. Their place will be taken away because they refuse to be made free by abiding in the Son.

The truth of John 8:35 is further clarified in Matthew 13:41–42, where Jesus says, “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” In other words, this passage is saying that the Son of Man (JESUS) will send forth His angels and gather out of His kingdom all who do iniquity (sin), and they will be cast into the furnace of fire (that is, the Lake of Fire). This clearly shows that the servant of sin will not abide in the house of Christ forever as John 8:35 teaches.

1 Corinthians 15:24 (KJV), says, “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.” Meaning, taking into account Matthew 13:41-42, and John 8:35, before Jesus delivers HIS kingdom back to God the Father, He will purge His kingdom of all that offends. Those who remain servants of sin and continue in iniquity will be removed before that final handover.

Therefore, the message of John 8:34–35 KJV is not about total depravity but about the danger of continuing as a servant of sin as a believer in Jesus Christ. It is a warning that those believers who justify sin and remain in bondage to it will not abide in Christ’s house forever. When the Son of Man returns, He will send forth His angels to remove from His kingdom all who do iniquity. The Son abides forever, but the servant of sin will be cast out and will not inherit the kingdom of God.




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[Magenta]

@Magenta: Thanks for this, sis; Yes, good advice.

Here is another one for you....

Psalm 34 verse 7 Hebrews 1 verse 14 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them. Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

 

[Magenta]

claiming this verse teaches that mankind is utterly incapable of doing good

Another misrepresentation. Try to have some integrity. Oh, wait. You are incapable.

You must also deny that no one is good but God alone. I know. You do not believe the Bible.

 

[Magenta]

“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone. Mark ch. 10 verse 18 and Luke ch. 18 verse 19 “There is only One who is good.” Matthew ch. 19 verse 17b. There is no one who does good. fr Psalm ch. 14. There is no one righteous, not even one. Romans ch. 3 verse 10. They are corrupt; their ways are vile. There is no one who does good. All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. fr Psalm ch. 53 verses 1-3. Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. Ecclesiastes ch. 7 verse 20. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

 

[OLDBUTNEW]

Here is another one for you....

Psalm 34 verse 7 Hebrews 1 verse 14 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them. Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Great stuff! Thank you!

 

[Magenta]

Great stuff! Thank you!

You are welcome! There is quite a story connected to that song... and Celine has such a wonderful voice.

 

[Bible_Highlighter]

Another misrepresentation. Try to have some integrity. Oh, wait. You are incapable.

This is not untrue. When a person is an unbeliever and they do not abide in Christ, any human good deeds they do is a false imitation of good in God's eyes. Jesus says there is none good but one, that is, God. (Mark 10:18).

Who ultimately does the “good work” in a believer’s life?

Is it God?
Or is it the believer?

Well, Scripture tells us that God (Christ) is the One who ultimately does the work within a believer.

Philippians 1:6

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:​

Philippians 1:11

Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.​

Philippians 2:13

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.​

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.​

1 Corinthians 15:10

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.​

Hebrews 12:1–2

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,​

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.​

Hebrews 13:21

Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.​

Isaiah 26:12

LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.​

1 John 4:12

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.​

Galatians 5:22–24 (cf. Matthew 7:16–18; Matthew 19:17)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,​

Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.​

And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.​

Matthew 7:16–18

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?​

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.​

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.​

Matthew 19:17

And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.​

John 15:5

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.​

Ezekiel 36:26–27

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.​

And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.​

For that is why the 24 elders cast their crowns down before Jesus (Revelation 4:10). For the crowns they received for their good work were all the result of Christ working in them.

Yeah, but doesn’t a believer do the work, too? Now, yes, it is true; a believer is created unto Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10); and a believer is indeed held accountable by their “good works” here upon this earth at a judgment. But we must also realize that true believers are not ultimately doing these “good works” alone or by their own power alone, though. For in 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul said that he labored more than all of his brethren, yet he said it was not him that labored but it was the grace of God (Jesus) that was within him. So true believers are just choosing to allow God’s “good work” to flow within them or not.

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 1:6).


Side Note:

The Calvinist is saying that an unbeliever is incapable of doing good in God's eyes. I would agree with this to an extent, but the problem here is that the Calvinist is saying that the remedy is a regeneration that leads to faith, and then salvation. I believe the remedy is a Temporary Enablement by God, faith, and then salvation, which in turn is followed by fruits of God in one's life.





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[Magenta]

@OLDBUTNEW I found a teddy bear for you!

This was one of my very early efforts, designed for one of our younger members...

 

[OLDBUTNEW]

@OLDBUTNEW I found a teddy bear for you!

This was one of my very early efforts, designed for one of our younger members...

Excellent work, sister!

 

[OLDBUTNEW]

 

[Magenta]

This is not untrue.

Total depravity does not mean man is utterly incapable of doing any good.

Free will as people speak of it is simply not found in the Bible. What is taught of the natural man is rejected by so many here who wish to cling to their belief that man is not the creature he became in Adam, who spread sin to the entire human race and death to all humanity. A multitude of verses have been repeatedly given and exposited to show the truth of the natural man, and ignored regularly by those whose man-made traditions mean more to them than the actual Word of God. Total depravity does not mean that all humankind is as evil as it possibly could be; rather, it means that sin affects the whole person and is an accurate description of the spiritual state of fallen man before a just and holy God. The human will is corrupted and in bondage to sin, which some call free, whereas Scripture teaches that it is in Christ that we are set free. There are none righteous aside from Christ, but some will tell you they did not need His help at all. Some will say that for God to move unilaterally in order to enable a person to respond positively to God, that He has kidnapped you against your will, making Him an unjust tyrant and His offer of repentance fraudulent. Or if they do not say it, they agree with those who say such things! These assertions have been explicitly put forth, but when I have mentioned them, I was told I am mischaracterizing what was said. In other words, lies are told with impunity, and lack of integrity abounds to the point we are basically told it is Christians who are said in Scripture to be without the Holy Spirit of God! Suck lack of logic and twisting of what is put forth in our holy book is unconscionable but becoming commonplace if it was not already. We have even been told that a person of their own free will can choose to believe in God and then they, by means of making that choice, retroactively become one of God's elect. They elect themselves, in other words. It seems some believe they can circumcise their own hearts and ears and unblind themselves. Of the natural man:

the Bible teaches that we sin because we are sinners
all our righteous acts are like filthy rags
there are NONE righteous
a bad tree cannot produce good fruit
all are under the control of the evil one
we need to be rescued
man’s heart is deceitful and desperately wicked
man is born dead in transgression and sin
he is held captive by a love for sin
will not seek God
he loves the darkness
does not understand the things of God
suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness
continues to willfully live in sin
sinful lifestyle seems right to men
rejects the gospel of Christ as foolishness
hostile toward God in their mind
does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is unable to do so

 

[Bible_Highlighter]

Total depravity does not mean man is utterly incapable of doing any good.

You missed the point I made with the verses.
Nobody can do any good as an unbeliever. I actually agree with that to an extent.
Meaning, the good works a believer does is God working in them doing the good works.
An unbeliever can do outward acts of good,
but they are based on human motivations tainted by a life of sin without God working in them.
Jesus said God alone is good. This means we have to abide in God to do any true good.
This is what the list of verses I provide illustrate.
But it does not appear you read them due to your reply here.



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[Magenta]

But it does not appear you read them due to your reply here.

Looks like you willfully ignored this, you were so busy pontificating in your long-winded style.

“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone. Mark ch. 10 verse 18 and Luke ch. 18 verse 19 “There is only One who is good.” Matthew ch. 19 verse 17b. There is no one who does good. fr Psalm ch. 14. There is no one righteous, not even one. Romans ch. 3 verse 10. They are corrupt; their ways are vile. There is no one who does good. All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. fr Psalm ch. 53 verses 1-3. Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. Ecclesiastes ch. 7 verse 20. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.