Do we have free will?

A dead man in treespass and in sins can't chose nothing but sin.It's the lords quikening power that saves a dead man,The dead man can't quiken himself.But when he is quikened God rather chose's him.

 

Peter says otherwise beginning in 1 Peter 1:13. He says that it is in the human mind that changes take place. It is the human mind that controls human behavior. It is the human mind where choices are made. then in verses 22 and 23 He tells us where we get the truth that causes the us to change our human mind. Suggest, as I have on other threads that you read 1 Peter 1:13-25. The concepts that I have been posting are at minimum 2000 years old. They are not of my own conception but are the words out of the Holy Scriptures!

 

Maybe I shouldn't quote Peter, he drives the Calvinsists away!

 

I'm sorry if Peter doesn't support Calvinism, after all, one major faction of the church hails Peter as the first Pope. But that is pretty easily refuted too!

It's best to stick to being un-hyphenated Christian, letting the scriptures speak for themselves.

Ignore Calvin, Ignore Arminius, they were mere men who read the scriptures and offer their opinions. So if you are sticking to an opinion, you'd better know who the "mother duck" is that you are following!

 

1 Peter 1:22
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth (through the Spirit)in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

The love indicated here by peter is the love of choice, the kind of love that can respond to a comand. "Fervently" means to stretch to the limits. Only those whose souls have been purivied (saved), have the capacity to love like this.

23.
having been born again, (not of corruptible seed) but incorruptible, (through the word of God) which lives and abides forever,

The spiritual life implanted by the Holy Spirit to produce the new birth is unfailing and permanent.

The Spirit uses the Word to produce life.

by HIS GRACE
mike

 

Not that you're entirely wrong, but your emphasis seems to be on stretching something to limits rather than fulfillment.

If true, then why all the warnings against "falling away"? There is a very clear and present danger that man can lose his faith in God. You see it all the time, people become decieved, discouraged, and disappointed and regardless of anything else, they do fall away.

 

Amen, Amen, Amen.

Bro. Dallas

 

Well that just about sums up what God says on the topic. He said I have placed before you life and death, choose life. Seems pretty clear that God wants us to choose! Therefore it is God's will that we freely choose which we will have, life or death. If we choose life, God quickens us in the spirit so that we can be like unto His Son, so that we can be receptive to His Holy Spirit. If we choose death, either by actively rejecting His son, or by passively not choosing His son, God allows us, under his grace, to keep on living until our natural life is concluded. But when we die, we have made our choice for eternity by the condition of our faith.

Being quickened by God does not equal submitting one's self to God. It is instead like the infatuation a young man has for a young women, sooner or later the "new" wears off and demands are made. It is only the self submitted life that that can deal with those demands. Just like in marriage, you may be "quickened" by your bride or groom, but sooner or later, the quickening wears off and unless you are committed to the marriage you will lose interest, and have a miserable relationship with your mate.

Once man decides to believe in God, especially in Jesus, God's Son, God give unto the believer the power to become a child of God. As a child of God we have the whole Kingdom of God to draw power from. Power to repent from sinning, Power to pray ceaselessly, power to praise God in the face of adversity, power to resist temptation, power to walk the talk while talking the walk.

Without doubt, God did all the works necessary for our salvation. He alone set all the parameters, and he gave man all the choices to make, but he does not make the choices for man.

I know of no man who thinks he can become saved with his own will. I know of many a man who believes he is saved by obeying God the Son who said, "Believe in Me and thou shall be saved." Those who don't believe of their own free will are probably not saved.

God does not give us repentance, God demands it of us. God gave atonement, God gives forgiveness, but God does not give repentance. The only time God gave any repentance is in the Flood episode, where God said that he repented of making man.

God does not save the unwilling, and God does not make us willing except by the promises contained in His Holy Word. We humans must believe before we can be saved.

 

Ill be getting back to you but i have to get dressed and head out to church