Free Will

Salt, my Friend,

Let me offer you a wee bit of more intelligent info on God and His gift of "Free Will" for man:

Question: "Do human beings truly have a free will?"
http://www.gotquestions.org/free-will.html

Answer:   If “free will” means that God gives humans the opportunity to make choices that genuinely affect their destiny, then yes, human beings do have a free will.  The world’s current sinful state is directly linked to choices made by Adam and Eve.  God created mankind in His own image, and that included the ability to choose.

However, free will does not mean that mankind can do anything he pleases.  Our choices are limited to what is in keeping with our nature.  For example, a man may choose to walk across a bridge or not to walk across it; what he may not choose is to fly over the bridge -- his nature prevents him from flying.  In a similar way, a man cannot choose to make himself righteous -- his (sin) nature prevents him from canceling his guilt (Romans 3:23).  So, free will is limited by nature.

This limitation does not mitigate our accountability.  The Bible is clear that we not only have the ability to choose, we also have the responsibility to choose wisely.  In the Old Testament, God chose a nation (Israel), but individuals within that nation still bore an obligation to choose obedience to God.  And individuals outside of Israel were able to choose to believe and follow God as well (e.g., Ruth and Rahab).

In the New Testament, sinners are commanded over and over to “repent” and “believe” (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Acts 3:19; 1 John 3:23).  Every call to repent is a call to choose.  The command to believe assumes that the hearer can choose to obey the command.

Jesus identified the problem of some unbelievers when He told them, “You refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:40).  Clearly, they could have come if they wanted to; their problem was they chose not to.   “A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7) -- and those who are outside of salvation are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20-21).

But how can man, limited by a sin nature, ever choose what is good?  It is only through the grace and power of God that free will truly becomes “free” in the sense of being able to choose salvation (John 15:16).

It is the Holy Spirit who works in and through a person’s will to regenerate that person (John 1:12-13) and give him/her a new nature “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).  

Salvation is God’s work.   At the same time, our motives, desires, and actions are voluntary, and we are rightly held responsible for them.

Recommended Resources: Chosen But Free, revised edition: A Balanced View of God's Sovereignty and Free Will by Norm Geisler

Salt, so far, YOU have chosen to deny God.  That is YOUR "free will" choice.  But, one day YOU will have to stand face-to-face with Jesus Christ and explain why your refused to believe. 

Unfortunately, at that time -- it will be TOO LATE.  Now is the time to make that decision -- before YOU breathe last breath on earth.

In the late 1990s, I was publishing and sending a snail-mail Christian newsletter, The Good News.  One issue included this:

TOMORROW MAY BE TOO LATE !

A cartoon was once published in three parts.  In the first scene there was a young man seated at a desk.  At his shoulder stood Jesus Christ, inviting him to be saved.  Politely he told the Lord that he was just launching his career and had no time for anything else.

The second scene showed a middle-aged man.  He was heavier and well dressed and his larger desk was covered with papers and reports.  Again Christ stood at his elbow.  But, again the man replied with the same answer ∼ no time, busy, tomorrow.

The last picture showed an old and graying man at his desk.  At his shoulder stood not the Savior, but the gaunt, bony specter of Death.  Death, speaking in hollow tones, declared, "I have come for you."  The businessman, with frightened eyes, replied, "Go away, Death, I did not send for you."  But Death refused to be sent away, and the man was ushered into eternity without God.

An excerpt from the tract "Tomorrow May Be Too Late" by George Sweeting.

My Friend, I sincerely pray that YOU do not wait until it is too late!

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

Just another copy and paste job by Billie.  Is the period even yours?

Well, Salt, my Friend,

It is obvious that you do not want an intelligent exchange of thoughts.  So, I will just leave you to play in the sandbox with the other young kiddies -- and I will go dialogue with the adults.

Bless your sandy little heart!

Bill

DIALOGUE WITH AN ATHEIST?

Tell me again how you want to emulate God.

I don't know.  Maybe YOU can tell me how God would react to an atheist who denies Him and spits in His face.   Any thoughts on that?

So, back to the sandbox for you -- and take your fellow "I Don't Like God!" buddy, Dove, with you!

Bless your little hearts!

Bill

HOW'S IT WORKING FOR

YOU TWO SO FAR?

I'M AN ATHEIST!  I don't believe in god.  Don't you remember?

Now, how would your imaginary god react to one of his children whose goal in life was to match or surpass god by imitation?

Salt, my Friend,

When you are the guy standing in the middle of the Interstate with an 18-wheeler coming toward you at 60 mph -- no matter how much you declare, "I don't believe in trucks!  I don't see a truck!" -- my Friend, you are road kill!

And, when YOU are standing before Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment (which you WILL) -- no matter how sincerely you tell Him, "But, I don't believe You exist!   I don't believe in You!" -- you are still eternal road kill!

So, just keep your eyes closed and refuse to see the Light, for now!

Bless your blind little heart!

Bill

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Gee Bill, can't you come up with something new besides the truck on the interstate?  That's getting kind of stale.

I guess God just wants Johhny No Cred to minister to the easily converted. 

To a non-believer -- the Bible is always stale -- or, at least, something they do not want to hear.

Yet, to a believer -- the Good News of the Bible is never stale, never old.  It is always smack on -- for it is from God.

And, since the 18-wheeler so well illustrates the mental and soul condition of non-believers -- it, too, never will get old.  My Friend, the Truth does not get old; just more powerful.

Nothing describes the "I refuse to open my eyes" position of the atheist like that story.  So, my Friend, you most likely will be reading it again and again.

Bless your little blind heart!

Bill

______

He really thinks he's convincing people he's a Christian. Show just how stupid he really is.

Here's some more stale remarks of his.

“God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day”

“Calling everyone His Friend when he has none”

“Bless your little hearts!”

“Duh!”

“His stupid cartoons”

Gee Bill, can't you come up with something new besides the truck on the interstate?  That's getting kind of stale.

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LOL!  Know why he's still on that one? Because he thinks others are as stupid as he is. He's the one that would stand in the middle of the interstate and not see it coming-he'd be too busy looking for homeless men that are actually "angels"!

_______

And hugging them to see if they smell, then kissing them.

 I wasn't sure where to put this post, so I picked here. I live my life as a true christian would live, without the religious/god stuff of course. I never set out to do away with my belief, and my disbelief is due to nothing anyone said or did to me, and is nothing I can change. I don't know how else to put it. I wonder why some people just can't get that through their head.

Freewill is still a choice, to an Atheist it's as much a choice as to anyone else.

The atheist can choose to live a good, decent and moral life with high values

concerning their treatment of other people. If there's a God, that will not go

unnoticed. If there's a God he'll turn that heart. 

That is a nice sentiment, but very inaccurate.  If a person does not have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ -- all the good works in the world will be useless upon leaving this life.  Using our gift of "free will" a person MUST choose to follow Jesus Christ or to deny Jesus Christ.

If a person chooses to follow Jesus Christ -- that person WILL spend eternity in the presence of  God, which is heaven.

If a person chooses to deny Jesus Christ -- that person will spend eternity void of the presence of God, which is hell.

Simple as that:  He who has the Son has Life; he who does not have the Son does not have Life (1 John 5:12).

However, if a person does have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ -- that person's good works will earn rewards in heaven.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

What I said is an accurate truth, billiee Jesus Jr. I'm talking about the ways

of God and talking about a book you believe trumps the entire Trinity.

It would help you if you had the less bit of confidence in the person of the

Father rather than the bible you worship. As if you could actually second

guess.

What you can't and never will be able to do is take the Bible in your hand

and realize the overall hope, wishes and understanding convaded by God

to people who accept his meaning and not what you want it to mean.

Mainly because you can't understand what God is saying.

According to Bill, God ignores those that are unable to find him because of geography or illiteracy.