John 5:39-40

[Carbon]

I have had some Arminian brothers give many passages which they believe support free will. This is one.

John 5:39-40
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

I do not think this is a good couple of verses for proof for free will in salvation. Surely nothing I would use.

These verses I see as Jesus saying, these people boast of knowing the scriptures so much, but if that were the case they would receive him because they bear witness of Him. Therefore if they expect life from them, they must find it in them (the scriptures) through him. And their ignorance cannot be helped because it is willful ignorance.

Which, I believe, has nothing to do with free will.


Thoughts?

 

[Arial]

I have had some Arminian brothers give many passages which they believe support free will. This is one.

John 5:39-40
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

I do not think this is a good couple of verses for proof for free will in salvation. Surely nothing I would use.

These verses I see as Jesus saying, these people boast of knowing the scriptures so much, but if that were the case they would receive him because they bear witness of Him. Therefore if they expect life from them, they must find it in them (the scriptures) through him. And their ignorance cannot be helped because it is willful ignorance.

Which, I believe, has nothing to do with free will.


Thoughts?

I agree with you on the meaning of that passage.

 

[Eleanor]

I have had some Arminian brothers give many passages which they believe support free will. This is one.

John 5:39-40
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

I do not think this is a good couple of verses for proof for free will in salvation. Surely nothing I would use.

These verses I see as Jesus saying, these people boast of knowing the scriptures so much, but if that were the case they would receive him because they bear witness of Him. Therefore if they expect life from them, they must find it in them (the scriptures) through him. And their ignorance cannot be helped because it is willful ignorance.

Which, I believe, has nothing to do with free will.


Thoughts?

Free will is not a concern of the Bible, nor is it presented in the Bible.
That is a philosophical moral construct of man, based on the notion that to be held morally responsible, man must have free will.
That is nowhere presented in the Bible. Rather, what the Bible presents is that we are slaves to sin.
So for now, let's move on.

Philosophical free will is the power to make, without external force or constraint, all moral choices.

So we have to clarify what fallen human moral free will is.

It cannot be the power to make all moral choices, for we cannot choose to be sinless in thought, word and deed at all times.
Therefore, we must conclude it is a limited power or free will.
Free will in fallen man is the power to choose, without external force or constraint, what he prefers.

Jesus says they do not come because they do not prefer to come.
That is free will.

Which takes us to the operation of this free will in salvation.
Free will does not operate in a vacuum, it is governed by the disposition, what we prefer, like.
Unregenerate man does not choose the things of God because he does not prefer them, they are foolishness--free will in operation.

In the regenerate man God works within his disposition, giving him to prefer the things of God, which he then freely and willing chooses without external force or constraint--free will in operation.

God does not violate free will in salvation, he uses it to bring us to him.

There is free will in salvation--the limited free will of fallen man.

 

[justbyfaith]

I have had some Arminian brothers give many passages which they believe support free will. This is one.

John 5:39-40
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

I do not think this is a good couple of verses for proof for free will in salvation. Surely nothing I would use.

These verses I see as Jesus saying, these people boast of knowing the scriptures so much, but if that were the case they would receive him because they bear witness of Him. Therefore if they expect life from them, they must find it in them (the scriptures) through him. And their ignorance cannot be helped because it is willful ignorance.

Which, I believe, has nothing to do with free will.


Thoughts?

I don't know if this has been said; but,

Their free will is exhibited in that they refuse to come to Jesus in order that they might have life.

 

[Reformedguy]

I have had some Arminian brothers give many passages which they believe support free will. This is one.

John 5:39-40
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

I do not think this is a good couple of verses for proof for free will in salvation. Surely nothing I would use.

These verses I see as Jesus saying, these people boast of knowing the scriptures so much, but if that were the case they would receive him because they bear witness of Him. Therefore if they expect life from them, they must find it in them (the scriptures) through him. And their ignorance cannot be helped because it is willful ignorance.

Which, I believe, has nothing to do with free will.


Thoughts?

I would say they simply presuppose free will.

 

[Sereni-tea]

Free will I have often heard of, but I have never seen it. I have always met with will, and plenty of it, but it has either been led captive by sin or held in the blessed bonds of grace. Spurgeon