Thursday, September 27, 2007

Free Will vs. God

Just how free is our will?

Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Within these passages we do indeed find an amount of freedom in our wickedness if we so choose to follow the paths of our flesh. God does not commit the atrocities around us, we do. He does not fight, lust and kill, we do. He does not cause us to sin, our hearts do...

Jas 1:13 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:
Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

It is due to the inherited flesh we have these evil desires. The human race is fallen because of Adam's sin and not of its own choice.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Mankind, left to its own devices, truly is to be pitied. We are NOT capable of knowing what is best or good for us and yet we are taught that God gave us free will so the issue of our salvation would rest with us and not Him. OUR choice for ultimate salvation and yet we can't make it past breakfast without an evil thought.

The question is, does God plan to leave us this way? Is our already imperfect will more powerful than the Almighty Creator? Or are these other verses true?

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

If it is God's will that all men be saved, then who is the mightier? Man's will or God's? If He so chooses to allow men to be wicked for a time for His purposes, who are we who have been saved by grace and not of works and who stumble repeatedly to not glory in the fact that His plan is to ultimately bring His children back in line during the time of Christ's return ...

Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

NOW is NOT the time of restitution, but, when Jesus returns to do so! Now is the call into the kingdom of the bride who will reign with Christ over the world and resurrection.

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

We must, in this age preach repentance and grace to all for the purpose of drawing out the bride and body of Christ who will have received life at his coming in order to bring about judgment and through judgment, reconciliation.

1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Now is the high calling of God. For Christians to be watchful for the coming of our Lord to defeat sin and death and heal a dying world. To resurrect all of Adam's fallen posterity and heal their infirmities, their unbelief, and their rebellion(free will) be it by fiery judgment or second death. The penalty for Adam's sin has been paid, otherwise, mankind would simply die out like animals. Now what needs to be destroyed is the flesh(rebellion) that causes sin and death.

Remember the resurrection happens in stages.
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

The totality of whom will be saved from death is denoted in the phrase "all in Adam"/"in Christ shall all be made alive", but in order....those who are his at his COMING, then the end; all those who are not his at his coming, which if we understand resurrection, is a returning to life of all who have died. The difference being that those who are Christ's will have passed from judgment into life and will be glorified and immortal while all else are resurrected into mortality for judgment until "the end" when their rebellion is destroyed and they receive the life already given to the saints.....


If all this be true, then we do have free will in one of two areas.

1. We can, like Christ, cease to have any will at all.... Luk 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

...and be wondrously given the honor and undeserved privilege of reigning at his side in this grand work of the kingdom, or....

2. Continue rebelling against our Father out of ignorance(as is the case with most of the world, especially before Christ lived) or with knowledge and store up wrath for ourselves.

Rom 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
Rom 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
Rom 2:8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Rom 2:9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

Further, if God has no control over our will, how then did He blind an whole nation of people that you and I could be saved?
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

The collective free will of all Israel who were waiting on their Messiah certainly had no bearing when God decided, for our sakes to ignore it. Either way, we are our Father's children, whether we remain with Him, or seek our own hearts. Let us not be the prodigal son who sought the flesh until he had to become broken and contrite and returned to his father, but, let us neither be the elder son who thought his foolish brother unworthy of saving.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

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