Writing a book on free will

[Arial]

The verse you quoted:

1Co 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Refers to the cross, and any other thing of God, which a natural man would not understand. This is true of the sinner. Because they have not received God's enlightenment they are in the dark about these things. But if you look to the book of John, who receives God's enlightenment but is the one willing to obey God's word.

John 14:15-16 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

John 14:22-24 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

Joh 3:19-21 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

To say what you said of 1 Cor 2:14, followed by the quotes from John is to promote works righteousness. Even though Paul says in Gal 3:10-14 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, and do them." But the law is not of faith, rather "The one who does them shall live by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us---for it is written,
"Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"---so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

So, even though Jesus is saying here that we are to keep the righteous commandments of the law (and that means everyone is obligated to),and we are, He is not saying that keeping them will change anything about us but our actions, not our heart, and we will never keep them perfectly and already have not. We do not love the truth, and we cannot make ourselves love the truth. In order to love the light, we have to be in the Light---through faith in that Light and the work the Light did. We do not have such faith in us--it is the very faith that only Christ has for God. It placed in us by God and it is. Eph 2 "By grace you are saved, through faith, and that is a gift of God, not of yourselves so no one can boast." It is in Christ that we possess the Spirit, and it is by the Spirit that we are kept in Christ, and by the Spirit that having been placed in the Vine we begin to bear the fruit of the Vine. Love for God and obedience to Him.

 

[Arial]

I believe there is a step man takes before God's enlightenment occurs. Obedience comes "before" the Father's love. Iam not saying you work your way to salvation, but rather on hearing of God's grace, we desire change and to go God's way.

Then God only loves us because we first love Him. The opposite of what Scripture says.

Eph 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even though we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ---by grace you have been saved (the "us" here are believers, those already saved.)

1 John 3:16 We love Him, because He first loved us.

So your belief that there is a step man takes before God's enlightenment occurs is a false belief. The Bible tells us the it is God who begins the good work in us and it is God who finishes that good work in us. It tells us that no one can see or inherit the kingdom of God until/unless He is born again from above. His first and natural birth is of the earth, Adam, a sinner. The new birth from above is in Christ, of heaven (spiritual). A new creation in Him.

 

[Mr GLee]

But Paul states of the man "sold under sin" (the unregenerated):

Rom 7:14-25 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Christ came to set us free from that law:

Rom 8:1-3 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

So there are a lot of "wills" in the unregenerate, they can delight in God's law. As such when repentance is offered to a sinner they can will to change.

The evil does not will to change:

Joh 3:19-20 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

The one who delights in God's law, comes to the light.

Joh 3:21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

Its a work of God to repent or turn. Can't repent to air as a opportunity

To repent is a labor of Gods love strengthening us powerless dying mankind.

God uses a bullock as one of unclean animal to represent the unredeemed .. turning twice repenting him first to hear him (the voice of the unseen) and secondly repenting moving directed by the reigns getting back on path .

The doctrine of repentance in the parable of two turnings below

Jeremiah 31:18-19King James Version. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth

He felt shame after forgiven as in I should of paid attention the first time he got out of the plowing line .

Our Holy Father always does the first works, plural , our first love giving us ears to hear his understanding or faith . . . hearing him turning us drawing us get on the light of his path

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Then God only loves us because we first love Him. The opposite of what Scripture says.

Eph 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even though we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ---by grace you have been saved (the "us" here are believers, those already saved.)

1 John 3:16 We love Him, because He first loved us.

So your belief that there is a step man takes before God's enlightenment occurs is a false belief. The Bible tells us the it is God who begins the good work in us and it is God who finishes that good work in us. It tells us that no one can see or inherit the kingdom of God until/unless He is born again from above. His first and natural birth is of the earth, Adam, a sinner. The new birth from above is in Christ, of heaven (spiritual). A new creation in Him.

When Jesus says to obey, a part of that is seeing God's offer of the cross. God still loves us first. The person in that passage had received God's word. As all receive the love of God, but whether that love is reciprocal determines whether we ultimately receive enlightenment.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Jeremiah 31:18-19King James Version. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth

The verse you quoted is similar to the one I often quote from the book of Job.

Job 36:8-14 And if they are bound in fetters, Held in the cords of affliction, Then He tells them their work and their transgressions—That they have acted defiantly. He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity. If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. But if they do not obey, They shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge. "But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; They do not cry for help when He binds them. They die in youth, And their life ends among the perverted persons.

 

[makesends]

When I say the will of man is intact, I am meaning the desire to do a thing. One may have a desire to God god's way upon hearing His word, but the ability to perform it is not in man. That is the power of the cross, it gives the ability to both go God's way and understand the things of God.

That is the power of the Spirit of God.

 

[eclipseEventSigns]

Hi all,

As a believer in free will, I am writing a book on the case for free will (compared to Calvinism). I am looking for people to read it and give feedback or suggestions. The draft (not final) book can be found at https://www.everybodymattersministry.com/downloads/predestination.pdf

If you have time have a read.

And you fell for their trap. People here only want to argue. I have tried to find likeminded people for positive critique, but all I get is argumentative and unkind people.