Can We Really Exercise Free Will?
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“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.”
John 12:32-33 KJV
been happening since the cross
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
Mark 16:15-16 KJV
John 12:32-33 KJV
been happening since the cross
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
Mark 16:15-16 KJV
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In the vain unBiblical doctrine of man-exalting free will theology, the person who Scripture says can neither receive nor accept nor comprehend the gospel, receives, accepts, and understands it. They have the bad tree of man's incurably wicked unregenerated heart bringing forth the good fruit of faith, and say many other things which contradict Scripture including the very words of Jesus Christ.
Please let me know how many of these questions you answer "Yes" to.
What Say You? ~ When Scripture says there are none good, does it mean some are good? When Scripture says we all fall short, does it mean there are some who meet God's standards? When Scripture says, "The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned..." Does it mean the natural man can understand the spiritual things of God? Does it mean he really can understand the gospel message even though it is heard as foolishness to him as Scriptures say? Is the natural man gifted with wisdom even though he has no fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom? Will the lover of darkness come into the light even though Scripture says he will not, because he suppresses the truth of God in unrighteousness and is actually defined as darkness itself, hates the light, and is a slave to sin, blinded to the truth and captive to the will of the devil, which many define as being free? Is the heart of the natural man, the stony ground which needs to be replaced, fit for receiving and growing the Seed of God's Word into faith? Will that incurably wicked heart choose of its own accord to believe? Will that bad tree bring forth the good fruit of faith even though Jesus said it was not possible?
Please let me know how many of these questions you answer "Yes" to.
What Say You? ~ When Scripture says there are none good, does it mean some are good? When Scripture says we all fall short, does it mean there are some who meet God's standards? When Scripture says, "The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned..." Does it mean the natural man can understand the spiritual things of God? Does it mean he really can understand the gospel message even though it is heard as foolishness to him as Scriptures say? Is the natural man gifted with wisdom even though he has no fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom? Will the lover of darkness come into the light even though Scripture says he will not, because he suppresses the truth of God in unrighteousness and is actually defined as darkness itself, hates the light, and is a slave to sin, blinded to the truth and captive to the will of the devil, which many define as being free? Is the heart of the natural man, the stony ground which needs to be replaced, fit for receiving and growing the Seed of God's Word into faith? Will that incurably wicked heart choose of its own accord to believe? Will that bad tree bring forth the good fruit of faith even though Jesus said it was not possible?
“The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.”
John 3:35 KJV
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.”
John 12:32-33 KJV
“All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Matthew 11:27-29 KJV
“as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.”
John 17:2 KJV
“I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.”
Psalm 2:7-8 KJV
“And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”
Isaiah 49:6
“and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”
Colossians 1:20 KJV
“and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1 John 2:2 KJV
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
Mark 16:15-16 KJV
“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life;
and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
John 5:26-28
All creation both heaven and earth were given to Jesus all flesh all
Mankind and all things within were given to the son by the father by inheritence he the son inherited creation. and he’s told us all his eternal and binding judgements in the gospel for all creation . After he shed his blood for all of our sins he sent the message of salvation behind it offering life to those who were bound to die for thier sins now they can be remitted
those who couldn’t formerly be saved can now those who weren’t the chosen ones of israel and had no part with God at that time can now be saved and included in Gods family by Christs bloodline and not ours of the flesh
“that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
Ephesians 2:12-13 KJV
We aren’t chosen from beforehand we used to be excluded by the old covenant made only with israel now we see included all the peoples who were deemed not chosen and not acceptable because they weren’t Abraham’s offspring …..now everyone is included and the requirement is only faith in Christ Jesus believing the true gospel that offers salvation to all creation now individuals can be saved by faith
John 3:35 KJV
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.”
John 12:32-33 KJV
“All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Matthew 11:27-29 KJV
“as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.”
John 17:2 KJV
“I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.”
Psalm 2:7-8 KJV
“And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”
Isaiah 49:6
“and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”
Colossians 1:20 KJV
“and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1 John 2:2 KJV
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
Mark 16:15-16 KJV
“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life;
and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
John 5:26-28
All creation both heaven and earth were given to Jesus all flesh all
Mankind and all things within were given to the son by the father by inheritence he the son inherited creation. and he’s told us all his eternal and binding judgements in the gospel for all creation . After he shed his blood for all of our sins he sent the message of salvation behind it offering life to those who were bound to die for thier sins now they can be remitted
those who couldn’t formerly be saved can now those who weren’t the chosen ones of israel and had no part with God at that time can now be saved and included in Gods family by Christs bloodline and not ours of the flesh
“that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
Ephesians 2:12-13 KJV
We aren’t chosen from beforehand we used to be excluded by the old covenant made only with israel now we see included all the peoples who were deemed not chosen and not acceptable because they weren’t Abraham’s offspring …..now everyone is included and the requirement is only faith in Christ Jesus believing the true gospel that offers salvation to all creation now individuals can be saved by faith
Romans 8 verse 7a, Galatians 5 verse 17, John 1 verse 5, John 14 verse 17 ~ The mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. The flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. Darkness does not comprehend the Light. The world cannot receive the Spirit of Truth, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.
@Rufus has been provided the solution to those questions many many times.
Of course he rejected the 1 Tim 2:14 and Rom 5:14 answers.
And will do so again of this I am sure. But here they are anyways.
[1Ti 2:14 NKJV]
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.
[Rom 5:14 NKJV]
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
Adam And Eve... What really happened?
1st Adam vs. The 2nd Adam. They're more alike than you might think
Adam, Eve & Satan. Do you really think you know this story?
Deep Teaching On Adam & Eve. This is the stuff you're not supposed to hear
Did Adam Blame Eve? It's not what you may have thought
Eve Is Dying Right In Front of Adam. If you were Adam, what would you do?
Satan, Why Did You Pick A Snake? Would Adam have been fooled by a snake?
Why A Tree Of Death? What caused the Tree of Death to be put in the garden of Eden?
Genesis 2 and 3... NOT Seeker Sensitive! That's why most churches don't teach this
Of course he rejected the 1 Tim 2:14 and Rom 5:14 answers.
And will do so again of this I am sure. But here they are anyways.
[1Ti 2:14 NKJV]
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.
[Rom 5:14 NKJV]
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
Adam And Eve... What really happened?
1st Adam vs. The 2nd Adam. They're more alike than you might think
Adam, Eve & Satan. Do you really think you know this story?
Deep Teaching On Adam & Eve. This is the stuff you're not supposed to hear
Did Adam Blame Eve? It's not what you may have thought
Eve Is Dying Right In Front of Adam. If you were Adam, what would you do?
Satan, Why Did You Pick A Snake? Would Adam have been fooled by a snake?
Why A Tree Of Death? What caused the Tree of Death to be put in the garden of Eden?
Genesis 2 and 3... NOT Seeker Sensitive! That's why most churches don't teach this
God is outside of our linear time so don't stumble over this.
But as far as we Adamic creatures are concerned......BEFORE.
This because He says that you must be BORN ***AGAIN*** AFTER you were firstly born in sin.
And once you are born again, you have likewise acquired your acquittal, which is then entered into the record.
All of this MUST happen BEFORE the GTW judgement.
But as far as we Adamic creatures are concerned......BEFORE.
This because He says that you must be BORN ***AGAIN*** AFTER you were firstly born in sin.
And once you are born again, you have likewise acquired your acquittal, which is then entered into the record.
All of this MUST happen BEFORE the GTW judgement.
LEARN to READ, already, will ya? What makes you think that the OC saints were not acted upon powerfully by the Holy Spirit? For your info, we've had this discussion several months ago wherein I quoted and/or cited numerous OT passages about the ways God manifested his "presence" and influence among the remnant of OC believers. But I suppose in your world OT saints weren't quite as dead, deaf, dark, blind or lost as NC saints? 
Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Adam left his Father to cleave unto his wife and be one flesh with her.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
The verse does not say that Adam's sin passed upon all men. The verse says that death passed upon all.
And who taught the boys to bring an offering? Does the passage say? Or why would you assume that both A&E were godly parents and both taught the principles of righteousness?[/quote]
I believe God established the family structure ... God reveals truth to the parents and the parents are to teach the children.
Genesis 4:3 states And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
The words in process of time indicate an established time period. BDB states “end, usually of time, especially in phrase מִקֵּץ at the end of a definite time”.
The offerings of Cain and Abel were brought at a specific time. I believe Adam and Eve taught their children concerning offerings ... you may or may not believe otherwise.
rolleyes … you asked me to read post-Fall account … I brought up Genesis 4 which is "post-Fall".
Genesis 1:26-27 tells us that Adam and Eve were created in the image and likeness of God. If Adam and Eve had not sinned, they would have never died. However, they did sin and death entered the creation. Romans 8:22 tells us the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. The creation groaning and travailing is a direct result of Adam and Eve's sin.
Genesis 5:3 tells us that descendants of Adam were begotten in the image and likeness of Adam ... not the image and likeness of God. Because each successive generation of Adam is begotten after the image and likeness of their parents, we die ... some at very young ages (infants) ... some at very old ages.
I believe God will be JUDICIAL when final accounts are taken into consideration.
In agreement, Rufus.
Adam left his Father to cleave unto his wife and be one flesh with her.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
The verse does not say that Adam's sin passed upon all men. The verse says that death passed upon all.
And who taught the boys to bring an offering? Does the passage say? Or why would you assume that both A&E were godly parents and both taught the principles of righteousness?[/quote]
I believe God established the family structure ... God reveals truth to the parents and the parents are to teach the children.
Genesis 4:3 states And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
The words in process of time indicate an established time period. BDB states “end, usually of time, especially in phrase מִקֵּץ at the end of a definite time”.
The offerings of Cain and Abel were brought at a specific time. I believe Adam and Eve taught their children concerning offerings ... you may or may not believe otherwise.
rolleyes … you asked me to read post-Fall account … I brought up Genesis 4 which is "post-Fall".
Genesis 1:26-27 tells us that Adam and Eve were created in the image and likeness of God. If Adam and Eve had not sinned, they would have never died. However, they did sin and death entered the creation. Romans 8:22 tells us the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. The creation groaning and travailing is a direct result of Adam and Eve's sin.
Genesis 5:3 tells us that descendants of Adam were begotten in the image and likeness of Adam ... not the image and likeness of God. Because each successive generation of Adam is begotten after the image and likeness of their parents, we die ... some at very young ages (infants) ... some at very old ages.
I believe God will be JUDICIAL when final accounts are taken into consideration.
In agreement, Rufus.
As usual your interpretation ignores the context of John 12. The phrase "all men" is used in the qualitative sense to mean all w/o distinction. The context of the passage itself bears this truth out, for at that time many Jews and Gentiles (Greeks) were seeking Christ, but not "all" in the distributive sense.
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@lrs68 needs to take verses like this into consideration when considering whether "flesh" include man's mind and reasoning abilities.
Romans 8 verse 7a, Galatians 5 verse 17, John 1 verse 5, John 14 verse 17 ~ The mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. The flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. Darkness does not comprehend the Light. The world cannot receive the Spirit of Truth, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.
Romans 8 verse 7a, Galatians 5 verse 17, John 1 verse 5, John 14 verse 17 ~ The mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. The flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. Darkness does not comprehend the Light. The world cannot receive the Spirit of Truth, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.
I believe God established the family structure ... God reveals truth to the parents and the parents are to teach the children.
Genesis 4:3 states And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
The words in process of time indicate an established time period. BDB states “end, usually of time, especially in phrase מִקֵּץ at the end of a definite time”.
The offerings of Cain and Abel were brought at a specific time. I believe Adam and Eve taught their children concerning offerings ... you may or may not believe otherwise.
rolleyes … you asked me to read post-Fall account … I brought up Genesis 4 which is "post-Fall".
Genesis 1:26-27 tells us that Adam and Eve were created in the image and likeness of God. If Adam and Eve had not sinned, they would have never died. However, they did sin and death entered the creation. Romans 8:22 tells us the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. The creation groaning and travailing is a direct result of Adam and Eve's sin.
Genesis 5:3 tells us that descendants of Adam were begotten in the image and likeness of Adam ... not the image and likeness of God. Because each successive generation of Adam is begotten after the image and likeness of their parents, we die ... some at very young ages (infants) ... some at very old ages.
I believe God will be JUDICIAL when final accounts are taken into consideration.
In agreement, Rufus. [/QUOTE]
You are merely ASSUMING that BOTH A&E were godly parents. And, yes, I choose to not do the method of eisegesis when interpreting scripture because that is tantamount to adding to God's Word, which is strictly forbidden in You read your assumption into the passage. And you do this in spite of the fact that the post-Fall account provides strong evidence that only Eve was the godly one (i.e. saved by God according to Gen 3:15)!
For your info, there is not one single passage in all scripture that speaks positively about Adam. Adam has the very dubious distinction of being classified as a type of Christ by contrasts. Adam is the only type of Christ in the bible that is never compared favorably to the antitype, such as Moses, David, Joshua, etc. are. And this fact stands in sharp contrast to Eve, since she is the mother of all the living. She's like her heavenly Father since He, too, is God of only the living!
And "God will be judicial"!??? That's a non-answer that's a day late and dollar short for all the "innocent, sinless" children who prematurely suffer the penalty of death for sins they never committed. The only way God could justly decree the premature deaths of "little innocents" is if they are not as innocent as you assume. But for those of us who hold the Reformed Traditions of the Faith, we have a perfectly viable, reasonable and biblical answer to this problem. Since Adam was the Federal Head of the entire human race, representing all mankind his sin was imputed to all his progeny. And if you don't believe this, then I take it that you do not believe the perfect righteousness of the God-appointed Federal Head of his elect (the Last Adam) is not imputed to his people either, in which case no one is justified!
And how do overlook Rom 5:15 that says that "the many died by the sin of ONE man"?
Here's the bottom line: Understanding rightly the Genesis account is vitally important because it is the foundation for all that follows in scripture. If we get these foundational passages wrong, we will also misunderstand a great deal that follows.
Genesis 4:3 states And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
The words in process of time indicate an established time period. BDB states “end, usually of time, especially in phrase מִקֵּץ at the end of a definite time”.
The offerings of Cain and Abel were brought at a specific time. I believe Adam and Eve taught their children concerning offerings ... you may or may not believe otherwise.
rolleyes … you asked me to read post-Fall account … I brought up Genesis 4 which is "post-Fall".
Genesis 1:26-27 tells us that Adam and Eve were created in the image and likeness of God. If Adam and Eve had not sinned, they would have never died. However, they did sin and death entered the creation. Romans 8:22 tells us the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. The creation groaning and travailing is a direct result of Adam and Eve's sin.
Genesis 5:3 tells us that descendants of Adam were begotten in the image and likeness of Adam ... not the image and likeness of God. Because each successive generation of Adam is begotten after the image and likeness of their parents, we die ... some at very young ages (infants) ... some at very old ages.
I believe God will be JUDICIAL when final accounts are taken into consideration.
In agreement, Rufus. [/QUOTE]
You are merely ASSUMING that BOTH A&E were godly parents. And, yes, I choose to not do the method of eisegesis when interpreting scripture because that is tantamount to adding to God's Word, which is strictly forbidden in You read your assumption into the passage. And you do this in spite of the fact that the post-Fall account provides strong evidence that only Eve was the godly one (i.e. saved by God according to Gen 3:15)!
For your info, there is not one single passage in all scripture that speaks positively about Adam. Adam has the very dubious distinction of being classified as a type of Christ by contrasts. Adam is the only type of Christ in the bible that is never compared favorably to the antitype, such as Moses, David, Joshua, etc. are. And this fact stands in sharp contrast to Eve, since she is the mother of all the living. She's like her heavenly Father since He, too, is God of only the living!
And "God will be judicial"!??? That's a non-answer that's a day late and dollar short for all the "innocent, sinless" children who prematurely suffer the penalty of death for sins they never committed. The only way God could justly decree the premature deaths of "little innocents" is if they are not as innocent as you assume. But for those of us who hold the Reformed Traditions of the Faith, we have a perfectly viable, reasonable and biblical answer to this problem. Since Adam was the Federal Head of the entire human race, representing all mankind his sin was imputed to all his progeny. And if you don't believe this, then I take it that you do not believe the perfect righteousness of the God-appointed Federal Head of his elect (the Last Adam) is not imputed to his people either, in which case no one is justified!
And how do overlook Rom 5:15 that says that "the many died by the sin of ONE man"?
Here's the bottom line: Understanding rightly the Genesis account is vitally important because it is the foundation for all that follows in scripture. If we get these foundational passages wrong, we will also misunderstand a great deal that follows.
@reneweddaybyday click here for solution to all of your errors.