Does the Christian concept of salvation rid us of the consequences of free will?

Question

If we are "saved," then our actions have no reward or punishment, hence free will becomes meaningless. Do you agree? If not, why?

Answer 1

Totally agree. The whole on faith alone thing is so flawed as to be almost comical.

Answer 2

The concept of free will, is not exclusively christian. However this the greatest proof of love the Creator could give his creation. Taken of course, that you believe in God. I was born Roman Catholic, but no longer practice for all to see ... I'm more interested in how my inner being develops. I am still grappling with many issues about the meaning of life and all that ... If I said I had it figured out, I'd be as shallow as the false prophets roaming the earth, who are out there trying to flog their wares. I think our salvation, doesn't come from the sacrifice of one man for our sins ... this was a manipulation put in place by the early church leaders, to get your attention and money. Because they feared exactly this "free will" which we all inherited .... so the best way to fight this is to suppress it. We are still far from salvation, if look at the state if the world.
Reward and punishment is a fabrication, to bend you to the will of others.
Free will, is Freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of movement ... as God intended. But also being mindful of others freedom, being as precious as our own. Our actions thus have no consequence in a reward/punishment concept, but rather in a good/evil scheme of things. You are always free to decide what you will be. If you decide to do good things, the result will be Good. If you decide to bad things well, you can see what results, every time you watch the news.! Free will, has no value as long as it is not upheld or respected as belonging to ALL of God's creatures. The freedom the live on this planet in peace.

Answer 3

Actually I feel that the concept of being saved is what is flawed. Belief in Christ does not mean that our actions have no consequence. It just means that when we get to the kingdom of heaven we will be accepted. Is this enough? We will be judged by Christ when we get there. If we use free will to plant seeds of goodwill and faith then our rewards will be great. Jesus will honor our actions. I do not believe though that this means having the most money, or giving the most hours of volunteer work to your church... I think it is the littlest of things that Jesus will honor. Helping an elderly person cross the street, bringing a casserole to a grieving family, or just being with our own families and being good people. This is what free will is for... to prove that Satan can not win.

Answer 4

I disagree, because even after we are saved, we still have free will! This is what makes the acceptance of salvation possible. The Apostle Paul was quoted as saying that "...we are ALL APT to sin." Our actions have consequences our entire lives, because the Scripture also says, "What communion hath light with darkness and what concord hath Christ with Belial?" In other words, we cannot accept salvation, becoming the bride of Christ, then "divorce" him by taking on sin of some form and still remain spiritually married to Him! So, our rewards are based on the ACTIONS of a saved, sanctified, and just life. We are not to serve God "....with lipservice as menpleasers, " so therefore Actions speak louder than words in the eyes of God.

Answer 5

once you are TRULY saved, you have Jesus in your heart and the Holy Spirit to guide your actions. Being saved isn't a "get out of Hell free"card. Once you become saved, you are a new person in Christ, and you don't want to sin.You will be tempted,of course,but God will help you resist temptation.He won't give you more than u can handle, and He'll always make sure you have a way out. You're never "forced" to sin. God knows what's in your heart. He knows if u really accept His salvation or if u are just looking for an easy out, as u seem to be.

Answer 6

I would think that our actions having no reward or punishment would only reinforce the concept of free will, simply because the consequense hindered our free will.
Yes, free will means you get to make choices, but aren't our choices limited by the consequences? Whereas if there are no consequences, we truly feel free to make choices.

Oh yeah! and one thing i don't get is if Jesus died for our sins, and hence we have been forgiven for our future sins ('cause that's how I understand it) how come we still have to concern ourselves with sins if we have already been forgiven?

Answer 7

No. Unfortunately, life's consequences still apply to those, even those who have been saved. Just ask anyone in jail who has genuinely been saved. They will tell you that they deserve to be there. Our actions on earth both merit reward and punishment, obviously, and our actions on earth merit reward or loss of reward in heaven. Our personal choice is involved in being saved; hence it is not stripped away after.

Answer 8

Absolutely not. If I hit you in your eye and you're saved, will you get a black eye? If you knowingly run a redlight, and get pulled over, but you're saved, will you get a ticket? Every action has a reaction, being saved causes you to have more of an awareness of the consequences that will stem from the choices you make. A relationship with Jesus Christ will cause you to not only make better choices for yourself, but it also causes you to take into consideration how the choices you make affect the people in your life and those around you. The Lord gave us free will because without it we would all be zombies, he wants us to make a decision to serve him willingly and wholeheartedly!

Answer 9

Disagree. You people are so afraid of loosing your ability to make choises after you are saved, and that's a big lie. You can still make your own choices, but know that the wrong ones will have consequences. All good choices comes with reward, and all bad choices come with punnishment. Just do your best to make the right choices by constantly talking to the Lord and you can't go wrong.

Answer 10

Many claim that the Bible says that salvation depends on a single, one-time "act of faith, not on the continuity of faith."

But even people who are firmly convinced that this is true may see a problem here. It is obvious that many people who have been told that they are "saved" do not live the way the Bible says they should. A common explanation is that perhaps they had not really "accepted" Christ.

So, what does "accepting" Jesus really mean? Is it a one-time act of faith, or is it a continuing way of life? Must our belief be strong enough to motivate us to action? Can we really accept the benefits of Jesus' sacrifice without the responsibility of following him?

Many people want the blessings but not the responsibility of following and obeying Jesus. In fact, the word "obey" often disturbs them. Yet Jesus said: "Come be my follower." (Luke 18:18-23) And the Bible states: "Those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus . . . will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction."—2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9; Matthew 10:38; 16:24.

A MAN once asked Jesus: "Lord, are those who are being saved few?" How did Jesus reply? Did he say: 'Just accept me as your Lord and Savior, and you will be saved'? No! Jesus said: "Exert yourselves vigorously to get in through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will seek to get in but will not be able."—Luke 13:23, 24.

Did Jesus fail to answer the man's question? No, the man did not ask how hard it would be to be saved; he asked if the number would be few. So Jesus merely indicated that fewer people than one might expect would exert themselves vigorously to receive this marvelous blessing.

'That's not what I was told,' some readers may protest. These may quote John 3:16, which says: "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." (King James Version) However, we reply: 'What, then, must we believe? That Jesus actually lived? Of course. That he is the Son of God? By all means! And since the Bible calls Jesus "Teacher" and "Lord," must we not also believe what he taught, obey him, and follow him?'—John 13:13; Matthew 16:16.

Ah, here the problem arises! Many people who have been told that they are "saved" seem to have little intention of either following or obeying Jesus. In fact, a Protestant clergyman wrote: "Of course, our faith in Christ should continue. But the claim that it absolutely must, or necessarily does, has no support at all in the Bible."

On the contrary, the Bible lists immoral practices that are common among some people who think that they are "saved."

The Bible says many things that raise serious questions about what has been taught about salvation.

Many people have been told that "believing on Jesus" is a single act and that our faith does not have to be strong enough to prompt obedience. But the Bible disagrees. Jesus did not say that people who begin the Christian course are saved. Instead, he said: "He that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved." (Matthew 10:22) The Bible likens our Christian course to a race, with salvation being the prize at its end. And it urges: "Run in such a way that you may attain it."—1 Corinthians 9:24.

Thus, "accepting Christ" involves far more than just accepting the blessings that Jesus' superlative sacrifice offers. Obedience is required.

Answer 11

free will has evrything to do with it. you have a choice to either reject or accept the truth. and God WILL indeed reward good deeds, but it is not the basis of salvation. it says in the book of James that faith, without works or deed is a dead faith., which shows that God does reward and care about the good works that you do. but in regard to salvation, your works do nothing to save you from damnation. and we also get punished for the wrong we do, in fact even more than people that dont believe because whom God loves He chastens. this doesnt mean that God doesnt love unbelievers. He loves the whole world, but like a parent, He chastens most His OWN children, which are believers. Christianity does not grant us pardon from the trials of this world, it even guarantees more trials, but that can all be overcome through Gods help