Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,to the praise of his glory.
To all those who believe in free will. Does God have a free will? Now if you say yes you are then also stating that God can go against his very own nature and do evil.
GUD, I tried to read your whole post but I didnt because it tells me you dont understand in the beginning of it so I abandoned reading the rest. Rather than disputing freewill why not really try asking the Spirit of God and seeking to understand it from a biblical view point?
God does have a freewill. The Angels are a example of beings without free wills they were made to glorify God. They have no choice.
All through the bible you read this word ......Gods will... God is not willing. How can you say that God does not have a will?
Their is a difference of a evil will and a fully Good will. Beside in your belief of predistination does not God choose those to be saved?
You can not have it both ways. But because we were created in the image of God who has a will we are given a will as well. You see this is the difference that makes salvation so precious to God.
He choose's us and we choosing Him in return a total agreement together.
This is the mystery Paul wrote about concerning Christ and His bride. When you find your bride you will choose here right? and in turn she will choose you, right?
You choosing eachother some kind of work for you? No it is not, work is grevious and difficult. It is not work to choose another in love and be chosen in love.
It is relationship..........This is what God desires from you a relationship of love. He desires for you to listen and communicate with Him.
God desires communion with His creation. This requires a free will to do so.
Unfortunately you keep posting verses and comments that have already been refuted. Most of what I've posted never even got a response here. People seem to be content with doing what LTM has done and saying "GUD you don't understand". That way they make me look foolish and don't have to defend their beliefs that aren't biblical.
LTM...He wasn't making the case that God didn't have a will. It seems you do not understand the difference in a will and a free will. God's will is bound by who He is. He will choose everything according to His own nature. This is true of man as well and is what is taught in scripture. In other words, man's will is free to act according to his nature. Since we know the nature of fallen man, then we know that fallen man will never choose God. That's simple enough, but we have plenty of verses showing that it's in fact God who chooses.
It is obvious we are set in our own convictions. I used to have the conviction believing as you do for a period of time in my walk with God but I have learned through the Spirit of God to see it in a different light.
I believe God chooses us as the initiator. We in our sin could never come up with a plan to get to God and initiate with Him. In all we are and in all we seek God in, He initiates and draws us out of Love.
Our responding is in Gods love. Realising our deep need for forgiveness and agreeing with God to recieve His gift of Love for us. Is not a gift to be recieved? Recieving is in no way work it is a reponse to love. Wanting to join our lives with the giver of love.
Their is nothing we can do to earn or merrit Gods love but humbly recieve it with gratitude and prasie.
When it says that no man could ever come to God. This is true of God in His fulness but when He became a man He then became accessable for men to come to Him. Think about it....
Moses had to hide his face from God and God passed by with great might but he was in the still small voice. The multitudes followed after Jesus and even those closest to Him would sit before His feet and learn.
God becoming a man initiated His love for us and we then have freedom to follow after Jesus or not. When you spend to much time in the Old testiment and not enough time learning Jesus confusion can set in.
Spend all your time learning who Jesus is and then you will be clear on these things brother. Jesus in the New testiment. Follow and meditate on His words, look at His actions and attitudes. See how people responded to Him.
This is the greatest advice I can give to anyone here.
Be blessed in learning Christ,
Michael .....Which means ( who is like God ?) no one, right?
One problem with your convictions....they aren't based on scripture. That is a problem. You think it's okay for everyone to be convicted by every sort of thing because it's all of God. God is not about confusion.
Jesus who said your sins are forgiven you go in peace. Jesus who wept for His friend who died. Jesus who allowed Mary to sit at His feet and acess Him personally and specifically.
Jesus who said to the woman at the well if you knew who you were speaking to you would have asked and I would have given you living water. Jesus who cared for and healed the blind and fed the hungry.
Jesus who led His deciples with understanding. Jesus who gave the example of how to follow Gods will. Jesus who sat and ate with sinners.
Jesus who said to the deciple who denied Him 3 times feed my sheep. ( Not beat my sheep) :) Jesus who said to the thief who in His last hours you will be with me in paradise. Jesus who said Father forgive them for they do not know what they do. and Father why do you forsake me?
Jesus who said to James care for your mother. Jesus who told Peter to throw the net on the other side of the boat. Jesus who sweat great dops of blood at the though of the cross. Jesus who took the place of the wicked.
Jesus who said to the doubter put your hands here.
Jesus who sits on the throne of God making intersession for us daily.
