Thread: Just the Facts: What the Bible says about your "free will".
Admin
Just the Facts: What the Bible says about your "free will".
Posted : 4 Aug, 2011 08:38 PM
1. Man is constituted a sinner by his relationship with Adam
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psa 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
Rom 5:18-19 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
2. He is therefore unable
A) To do anything good
Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Job 15:14-16 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?
Psa 130:3 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
Psa 143:2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
Pro 20:9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
Ecc 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Rom 3:9-12 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Jam 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
1Jo 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
B) To believe in God (or come to him)
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Joh 8:43-45 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
Joh 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
Joh 12:37-41 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
C) To understand the truth
Joh 14:17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
D) To seek God
Rom 3:10-11 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
3. He is dead in sins
Gen 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Joh 3:5-7 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Eph 2:1-3 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
4. He is blinded and corrupt in his heart
Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
Ecc 9:3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Mar 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Joh 3:19-21 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in [by] God.
Rom 8:7-8 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Eph 4:17-19 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
5. He is captive to sin and Satan
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Rom 6:20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
2Ti 2:25-26 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
1Jo 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
6. He performs actions freely according to his nature, but his nature is wholly evil
Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
Mat 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.
Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
Mar 7:21-23 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, "thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. "All these evil things come from within and defile a man."
Jam 1:13-14 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Just the Facts: What the Bible says about your "free will".
Posted : 4 Aug, 2011 09:07 PM
No here is man doing just what you said he can not, we all know you proclaim Calvin but you said what the bible says about free will not one of your scriptures say any such thing.
For your own edification we present the word of God and one man against the theory of theology.
Rom 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
4:9 � Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
4:10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
4:12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
4:17 � (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara�s womb:
4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people�s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Just the Facts: What the Bible says about your "free will".
Posted : 4 Aug, 2011 09:48 PM
Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, CHOOSE for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.�
Deut 30:19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore CHOOSE life, that both you and your descendants may live;
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, WHEN you seek me with ALL YOUR HEART.
"Our salvation is not predetermined. God knowing what we will ultimately choose is NOT the same as us making the choice to actually do it � serve Him or Self (Satan). God gives all of us the chance. He allows evil to exist as it is how He tests us, prepares us for service and yes even punish those that rebel or disobey His commandments. "
YES i agree that no one can come to him unlesss he calls them, and FEW are CHOSEN.
But its for ALL. EVERYONE.
Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
God�s plan was EVERYONE who believes to be saved. It is an ACT a CHOICE to belive.
And then AFTER we jump in the life boat(Jesus) nothing can harm us...UNTILL we JUMP OUT.
Hebrews 10:26,31 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
2 Peter 2:20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
Limited atonement is a lie. And Eternal security is a lie. There ARE Gods Chosen elect, that he FORKNEW, IN Jesus. They are becomming sinless, saints, and spotless. Jesus said STRIVE HARD to enter the narrow Gate. Why would he tell peopel who may have not ben the elect to STRIVE HARD...or to cut of there hand if it causes them to sin?
Im not a calvanist. Im not armenian.
I think BOTH have truth. and BOTH have error. I think that makes BOTH teachings of MAN. You CAN lose what was GIVEN to you, if YOU forsake it, by going BACK...
Jesus said REMEBER LOTS WIFE. She was saved from, Sodom, She dissobeyed. she Looked back. She was killed. Ananias and sophira, They were Born again filled with the spirit. They lied to the spirit of God. They were killed.
To look back takes YOUR WILL. YOU willfully SIN(life of...dilliberate, practicing again of, SIN) YOU with YOUR WILL, go back. We have a WILL. We are suposed to deny it, and be led by THE SPIRIT of GOD. Those led by THE SPIRIT are SONS.
I find it odd that many, say we have no free will yet...Still sin(im not talking stumble here). SIN is of SATANS nature. NATURE of the FLESH. I know of Calvanists, who STILL sin, yet say free will is a lie. ....:scratches head: How? if YOU can still get OUT of Walkign in the Spirit(wont give into desire of flesh in spirit) and in stead go and walk in flesh again...Then that was YOUR choice, and NOW you are obeying The devil. Those who sin are of THE DEVIL. says John(or Holy Spirit through John). When WE sin. WE make the CHOICE(free will) to do so. When We Go back to the WORLD(which we need to be seperate from) WE make the CHOCIE, we pick back up our life, our self, our will and make the concious decision to do the action. Granted WILL is still a gift ultimately from GOD, HE allows it. HE forknows what we will do, or not do, but HE doesnt stop us. YES the LORD can decieve us if he sees our hearts love not TRUTH. But that doesnt take OUR WILL away.
NO man can come to GOD unless he is CALLED. THEN it is up ot US to Believe(action of will) And OBEY(action of Will) And all other actions of WIll need to be handed over to the LORD(Master.)..Slaves do ONLY what the master says, and WE ahve becoem MORE than a slave we have become a SON. and SONS OBEY, unless one is a son of dissobedience. (sinner, person of the world, nominal Christian, lip service Christian, say lord lord, but dont obey) God doesnt FORCE us to obey, but if we DONT obey he chastises us, lets evil have at us, until lwe go back to him. Sometiems WE go back in a second. Sometiems we go back in 50 years, somtiems never. OUR choice to obey, adn constantly be humble, and seeking TRUTH about our hearts. Searchign our hearts makign sure they don't condemn us. Making sure the LIGHT in us is not a Darkness. Its on OUR part to do this. WE must make ourselves pure for HIM. we can only do that IN HIM its only possible THROUGH HIM, but it takes OUR action to do so.
Just the Facts: What the Bible says about your "free will".
Posted : 5 Aug, 2011 03:10 AM
Thanks JK for clearing this matter up about free will, it is our choice to choose or reject HIM, and he knows the road we will take, not thy will, but thine be done. I think the scripture stated above says it best, "Choose ye this day who you will serve"
Just the Facts: What the Bible says about your "free will".
Posted : 5 Aug, 2011 07:22 AM
Let us look to YHWH and His word about this matter.
FREE WILL:
1.Adam and Eve,these did not have free will,but an untested will;
Which at the very first test/ temptation these two had accomplished their own will,yet it was not their will they had actually accomplished,they accomplished the Will of the Enemy of GOD.
YHWHs' will:
Gen 2:15 And Jehovah God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden, to work it and to keep it.
Gen 2:16 And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Eating you may eat of every tree in the garden;
Gen 2:17 but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you may not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, dying you shall die.
GODs will was for the man to GUARD (keep) the garden,and everything within the garden that YHWH had created.
Why,because Satan had been cast to the earth at this time.
Also,man was not to eat of the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil.
Did the man accomplish either of these tasks,ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Gen 3:6 And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise. And she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Gen 3:7 And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed leaves of the fig tree, and made girdles for themselves.
At this time,mans entire being,including 'HIS WILL' has been corrupted and has become a slave to sin,and this life.
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Therefore there is only one way to being free from sin and the enslavement to sin.
That is to haveYeshua set you FREE, the one in whom ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN and EARTH HAS BEEN GIVEN.
Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Yeshua,has the AUTHORITY to set a person free from the bondage of sin,and the bondage to sin.
The reason HE HAS THIS AUTHORITY,He also has the power to back up His authority.
1) power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases
1a) leave or permission
2) physical and mental power
2a) the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises
3) the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege)
4) the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed)
4a) universally
4a1) authority over mankind
4b) specifically
4b1) the power of judicial decisions
4b2) of authority to manage domestic affairs
4c) metonymically
4c1) a thing subject to authority or rule
4c1a) jurisdiction
4c2) one who possesses authority
4c2a) a ruler, a human magistrate
4c2b) the leading and more powerful among created beings superior to man, spiritual potentates
4d) a sign of the husband�s authority over his wife
4d1) the veil with which propriety required a women to cover herself
4e) the sign of regal authority, a crown
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by Thayer�s/Strong�s Number: from G1832 (in the sense of ability)
Citing in TDNT: 2:562, 238
From biblos.com
power to act, authority
Original Word: ἐξουσία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: exousia
Phonetic Spelling: (ex-oo-see'-ah)
Short Definition: power, authority, weight
Definition: (a) power, authority, weight, especially: moral authority, influence, (b) in a quasi-personal sense, derived from later Judaism, of a spiritual power, and hence of an earthly power.
1849 eksous�a (from 1537 /ek, "out from," which intensifies 1510 /eim�, "to be, being as a right or privilege") � authority, conferred power; delegated empowerment ("authorization"), operating in a designated jurisdiction.
In the NT, 1849 /eksous�a ("delegated power") refers to the authority God gives to His saints � authorizing them to act to the extent they are guided by faith (His revealed word).
Unless a person has been set free by Yeshua,they will continue being a servant to sin.
After having been set free,a person has the semi-free will to be under the subjection of Yeshua,OR CONTINUE going the same path unto early death.
ONLY GOD has a COMPLETELY FREE WILL,to be doin as He wants without sin.
