Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

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4urenlightment said:
Yea, all the prophets had a sleeping problem in those times including John the revelator saw dreamed of the third heaven.
But the only one who didn't sleep on the job was Moses. Even I had a sleeping problem when I used to attend church as a child.
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It was the Apostle Paul who saw the third heaven. Well, he says he knew a man...
 
cv5 said:
You have zero comprehension of the purposes and dynamics occurring in those passages.
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And it appears you once again have zero understanding of yet another one my questions. I asked earlier: Do you believe that God proactively restrains evil in this dark, depraved, fallen world? A simple "yes" or "no" would suffice.
 
cv5 said:
God has annihilated entire regions and the entire planet at various times.
You see, willfully evil men were doing volition-driven evil deeds and the righteous were suffering because of them.

Satan, who is willfully (his own will none other) deceiving the entire world, is getting the same treatment eventually.
As will the anti-christ.

Evil has a will of its own and the Bible is starkly objective in saying so.
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You still haven't answered my question. I take that as a tacit admission that your parents didn't give two flips about you when they raised you and allowed you to always choose to say and do whatever your little heart desired. And I suppose that when a cop pulls you over for a traffic violation, you tell him where to stick the ticket after he writes it, right? I mean you do protest vigorously to the officer that you do have a sovereign, autonomous freewill, right, and that he has not right to force you or compel you to do anything?

But I would like chapter and verse on Evil having a mind of its own, especially since evil is not a thing!
 
Jordon said:
nope decree means to make an authoritive order

Predestination means to determine the outcome 🙂
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The second definition in my M-W Collegiate for the verb "decree" is: to determine or order judicially. And this definition explains nicely why there are so many verses that talk about God's grace, love, mercy, etc. that are IN or THROUGH Christ. For He is the judicial grounds for all of God's gracious acts and gifts to his chosen people.

P.S. God predestines PEOPLE for outcomes -- not just outcomes. "For WHOM (2person pronoun) he foreknew, he predestined..."
 
Rufus said:
And it appears you once again have zero understanding of yet another one my questions. I asked earlier: Do you believe that God proactively restrains evil in this dark, depraved, fallen world? A simple "yes" or "no" would suffice.
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Why do you even need an answer to such a question?
 
Rufus said:
The second definition in my M-W Collegiate for the verb "decree" is: to determine or order judicially. And this definition explains nicely why there are so many verses that talk about God's grace, love, mercy, etc. that are IN or THROUGH Christ. For He is the judicial grounds for all of God's gracious acts and gifts to his chosen people.

P.S. God predestines PEOPLE for outcomes -- not just outcomes. "For WHOM (2person pronoun) he foreknew, he predestined..."
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It is because of God's Justice that he formed his decrees.
But, the decrees are not dealing directly with a specific legal matter.

God is doing justice to our use of time in a manner that does not have to continue on forever as to determine how people will ultimately choose.
 
Genez said:
Why do you even need an answer to such a question?
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Why can't you answer a legitimate, biblically-based question? Above your pay grade, is it? Maybe you can dig up one of you elite Piled High and Dry bible "scholars" from out from under his pet rock to help you out?
 
Genez said:
It is because of God's Justice that he formed his decrees.
But, the decrees are not dealing directly with a specific legal matter.

God is doing justice to our use of time in a manner that does not have to continue on forever as to determine how people will ultimately choose.
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So sin is not a "specific legal matter" or judicial matter? Sin in the universe of your own heart is a big nothingburger? :rolleyes:
 
Bible_Highlighter said:
I agree that the Corinthians were carnal because they were following men instead of following the Lord Jesus Christ.
However, Paul does not leave this carnality undefined.
He actually names the specific sins that produced the “I am of Paul” and “I am of Apollos” mentality.

Paul ties their behavior to three sins in the very same context.

1 Corinthians 3:3 KJV
“For ye are yet carnal, for whereas there is among you
envying,
and strife,
and divisions,
are ye not carnal, and walk as men”
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1 Cor 1:10-13 clearly indicates that the divisions/contentions arose because the Corinthian believers were following men.

1 Corinthians 1:10-13 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?


Even 1 Cor 3:4 ties the behavior in vs 3 to following men.

1 Corinthians 3:3-4 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?




Bible_Highlighter said:
This shows that their man centered slogans were not simply about personality preference. They were rooted in the sins Paul identifies here. Their faction minded behavior came from envying, strife, and divisions, all of which Paul directly conects to their carnality.
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It appears to me you're saying the envy, strife, division resulted in faction mindedness. If that is not the case, please let me know ... however, if that is the case, I see it a little differently than you.

I believe the faction mindedness came from following men rather than the Lord Jesus Christ ... the carnal mindedness resulted in the outward evidence of envying, strife, division ... works of the flesh ... carnality.

just the way I see it.

And, to be honest, I believe Peter, Paul, and Apollos were preaching the Lord Jesus Christ but the folks in the church at Corinth were looking to the preacher ... not to the One about Whom Peter, Paul and Apollos preached.




Bible_Highlighter said:
It is also important to see that two of the very sins Paul rebukes in Corinth, strife and envyings, are listed in Galatians 5 as works of the flesh that will keep a man from inheriting the Kingdom of God.

Galatians 5.19 to 21 KJV
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like, of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
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right ... I'm a firm believer in doing a check up from the neck up on a regular basis during the course of my day. If what is evidenced in my life is fruit of the Spirit, keep on keeping on. However, if what is evidenced is works of the flesh, then I have been drawn away from God and need to turn my heart back to the Lord. God is so gracious. He's always there, never leaves us ... we leave Him.




Bible_Highlighter said:
This shows that Paul was not merely calling the Corinthians immature. The sins behind their statements were spiritually dangerous, because strife and envyings are specifically named by Paul as sins that exclude a person from the Kingdom, unless of course they were to repent.
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Paul addressed many issues which went on in the church at Corinth. I get that no one is perfect in this life, but some of the stuff Paul had to deal with in Corinth ... holy moly.

.
 
Jordon said:
so what your saying is anyone who hold to Calvin's teachings holds value to child rape.
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That's a false assertion on your part brother. I would never say what your claimed. You obviously didn't read my post. I merely posted one of Calvin's actually quotes along with another famous modern Calvinist. And yes, Calvin stated often that all things that occur are the determinate counsel of God. You may not like it or even agree with it (hopefully) but that's the reality of Calvinism.
 
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Rufus said:
So your parents gave you total free reign when you were growing up? They never imposed their will on you? They never compelled you do something against your own "sovereign" will? They just allowed you to run wild, foot-loose-free, unrestrained?

Or how about the other forms of government God has instituted other than family: No civil authority has ever imposed its will upon you?
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I'm not sure where and why you asked this question. It doesn't really have much to do with what I stated.
 
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