Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Gv12 said:
I believe what the Bible says. I believe For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.


Matthew 18:3
And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

I know that I could read the Bible my whole life and still not know everything about God. How could I , I am just a man. God is infinite. It says in Ecclesiastes "I also saw all that God has done. Nobody can understand what God does here on earth. No matter how hard people try to understand it, they cannot. Even if wise people say they understand, they cannot; no one can really understand it."
The best we allcan do is have child like faith.
Jesus says in john 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

I believe God teaches us in ways we can understand. Because he knows us better then we know ourselves.
And when I study his word I will try to let it grow and transform me and try the best I can with the talents I been given (Matthew 25:14-30) and try and make an increase in this world

1 Corinthians 3:6-9
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.

And its one thing to know the Scriptures but its another thing to be transformed by the scriptures.

“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭39‬-‭40‬ ‭NIV‬‬
Its not in the Scriptures themselves that we are saved. Satan can qoute scripture. Its through jesus sacrifice that we are saved! If we love him keep his commands. Not just read them and be able to recite them.

1 Corinthians 13
13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.

What are the 2 commandments that Jesus gave us?
Matthew 22-37-40
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I find this very amazing as the 10 commandments were written on "2" tablets. With the duties towards God and the duties towards man.

Anways my point here is that there is always someone who knows more about God then someone else and everyone will have their own unique experiences with God. We should be here to help each other learn and grow and support each other.
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.


There is so much to learn about God !

John 21:25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Let's help our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ together so we help each other produce more fruit and help each other store up more rewards in heaven! We are all unable to know it all ! Or to be perfect! Thats why jesus died for us !
Click to expand...
err God has has a personal relationship with everyone in someway.

And thats because his will lives in the seed of man, but mans will lives in the flesh
 
Gv12 said:
Let's help our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ together so we help each other produce more fruit and help each other
store up more rewards in heaven! We are all unable to know it all ! Or to be perfect! Thats why jesus died for us !
Click to expand...
As lovely as all you say sounds, it seems you over look a number of things.

Let's start here: how do you interpret being taken captive to do the will of
the devil, and how do you see that as anyone having a will that is free?
 
Jordon said:
err God has has a personal relationship with everyone in someway.

And thats because his will lives in the seed of man, but mans will lives in the flesh
Click to expand...
Romans 8:13
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
 
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
Seriously delusional. Evil is on the ascendancy. The only way it gets stopped is for it to be completely destroyed. Then the lord will set up his kingdom on earth.
Click to expand...
Calling Christians delusional...not the best look. People in Noah's day did only evil continually. Are you claiming this is the estate of the world today?
 
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
Its quickly getting there and Noah's day will probably pale in comparison with what's coming.
Click to expand...
That's a claim without evidence. And one you will never have evidence for. There are millions upon millions of Christians who do not do evil continually. Don't let truth get in the way of falsehood! Wow.
 
Magenta said:
As lovely as all you say sounds, it seems you over look a number of things.

Let's start here: how do you interpret being taken captive to do the will of
the devil, and how do you see that as anyone having a will that is free?
Click to expand...
I believe every choice we should stop and ask ourselves. Is this from God or Satan?
Am I living in the spirit or sinful desires.
Just like the garden of eden we had a choice . To follow God's instruction or listen to the Devil. We will never be able to follow everything perfectly.
Thats why Jesus died for our sins.
There were sin offerings in the old testament. People mad bad choices which required sacrifice.
Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Its all Jesus! We need him and we are all sinners.
John 8:7 So when they continued asking Him, He lifted Himself up and said unto them, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
I couldn't cast the stone, could you ???

And at the end of the day what's more valuable debating on interpretation of scripture? Or helping each other produce fruit and grow towards God.
The apostles wrote the apostlioc decree so that it wasnt to difficult for the new gentile believers.

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
 
Cameron143 said:
That's a claim without evidence. And one you will never have evidence for. There are millions upon millions of Christians who do not do evil continually. Don't let truth get in the way of falsehood! Wow.
Click to expand...

All the evidence you would need is to be found on "X" ...the renamed Twitter.
No censorship of speech for the most part...

Have you ever been there to see what is happening in the dark side of the world?
 
Gv12 said:
I believe every choice we should stop and ask ourselves. Is this from God or Satan?
Am I living in the spirit or sinful desires.
Click to expand...

The more sound doctrine we secure, the more simplified the choice should become.
But, it takes years of study.....

If you can find a pastor who is able to teach in-depth soundly.
Only a few find it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gv12
Genez said:
All the evidence you would need is to be found on "X" ...the renamed Twitter.
No censorship of speech for the most part...

Have you ever been there to see what is happening in the dark side of the world?
Click to expand...
Is every person in the world today doing evil continually? If not, it's not as bad as Noah's day.
 
Gv12 said:
The apostles wrote the apostlioc decree so that it wasnt to difficult for the new gentile believers.

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
Click to expand...

Those 4 rules have nothing to do with Christianity. They were synagogue rules that proselytes of the gate (gentile God fearers) had to follow in order to attend synagogues to learn the gospel. James was just telling them to keep doing what they were aready doing and not worry about the pharisees who were telling them that they had to get circumcised and keep the law in order to be saved, ie, become a proselyte of righteousness.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Genez
Gv12 said:
I believe every choice we should stop and ask ourselves. Is this from God or Satan?
Am I living in the spirit or sinful desires.
Just like the garden of eden we had a choice . To follow God's instruction or listen to the Devil. We will never be able to follow everything perfectly.
Thats why Jesus died for our sins.
There were sin offerings in the old testament. People mad bad choices which required sacrifice.
Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Its all Jesus! We need him and we are all sinners.
John 8:7 So when they continued asking Him, He lifted Himself up and said unto them, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
I couldn't cast the stone, could you ???

And at the end of the day what's more valuable debating on interpretation of scripture? Or helping each other produce fruit and grow towards God.
The apostles wrote the apostlioc decree so that it wasnt to difficult for the new gentile believers.

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
Click to expand...
You are talking about believers. Free will has to do with what the unbeliever is capable of. You miss the point entirely.

The free will position is that the flesh can do what Scripture says it cannot. That is why they are wrong.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back