Is it all about "free will"?

Question

My Fan Club keeps saying "it's all about free will." OK! Bring it. Explain "free will" to the peeps.

To me "free will" means you are FREE to chose. If you are toasted for eternity for chosing "B" then it's not free will. It has a consequence, and a pretty bad one. I'm sure there must be something I'm not understanding here. Can you 'splain it?

Answer 1

And what is so good about free will anyway? I've asked about this before with no satisfactory answer: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AgSD90gf6F6YobUouyK7sansy6IX?qid=20060822102610AAHeIO7

Why is it a good thing that we can choose to falter and suffer? Why is it said that God loves us enough to give us enough rope to hang ourselves? I love my nephew too, so should I sit back and do nothing while he exercises free will and walks into traffic? Of course not.

Now, I would argue that choosing "B" is still free will. It's an illogical choice, but it's still free will. We see less extreme examples in real life. You can either avoid drug addiction, or you can suffer physically and mentally. Yet, plenty of people chose drug addiction--a very bad choice but freely made.

Free will runs into problem when you get into omniscience, but that's a whole different kettle of fish.

Answer 2

Is written that I was given free will with which to choose if I will go to hell or not. How can you possibly deem something free when you must fear consequences? That completely conflicts with the definition of free. If I were to hold a gun to your head and say “you have free will to not give me your wallet, but if you attempt to defy me I will kill you.” Does it really feel as if you have a choice in the matter? Of course not. Free means to give or receive something with out an expectation of return. The whole free will concept is self defeating. Call it Circumstantial Will, for that is what it truly is.

Despite this, I have still had the displeasure of debating with those Christians who accept hell as a rational and fair wrath of God. They defend Jehovah’s creation of hell with the opinion that those who are committed to hell go voluntary, as if it is a consequence rather then a punishment. That indeed, we as children of God, chose rather to be hell’s inmates then God’s disciples in heaven. It’s an interesting idea. However, you don’t have to hurt anyone to get into Hell. All it takes, according to Scripture, is knowing about Jesus and not accepting him as Savior. It doesn’t matter how virtuous you are, how much good you do, how happy an environment you create for others. Given this, the voluntary entry argument doesn’t make sense. The same argument could be used to justify the sending of Aryan opponents of Nazism to concentration camps: they voluntarily chose not to give homage to Hitler, so they chose to be interred. Why should we blame the Nazis for the inmates’ choice? Why should we blame God for the choice of the damned?

Answer 3

No, it is not all about 'free will'.
It is all about Jesus.

Free will allows me to do bad things, at a cost to me. God is not going to stop me from doing bad things, but He will take away the consequences for the bad things I do.

Rejecting Him and His Son Jesus, is a bad thing since Jesus has said that you may not enter the kingdom of heaven except through Him.
If we accept Him and His Son Jesus and live in obedience to Him we will be accepted into heaven.
If we rebel against Him and His Son Jesus, we will live in a place of fire.

Why free will? Good question. We are given free will so that we can choose to rebel and do bad, or to obey and do good things.
God does not want a heaven full of robots. He wants a heaven full of people that chose Him and His Son.

It is that simple!

Answer 4

Repeat Post on the same topic:

Look you can do whatever you want to.

People do it all the time and if it is illegal they get arrested (hopefully).

Adam and Eve used their free will to the point that we get sick and die. No one stopped them from making the wrong decision.
Free Will at is Finest and Worst Hour!!!

No one is stopping you from doing anything except what is in your head. We were born with a conscience. The Bible does comment on it and what is says is interesting.

Furthermore, you can train your conscience with Bible Study or Sear your conscience so that you will act like Ted Bundy, Hitler, The Son Of Sam or Jeffery Dalmer...........they did horrible things and yet they did them over and over and ......... "Nothing, I Got Nothin' Here!" Seared like a cheap steak on High!!

However, that does not stop the fact that you are accountable for your actions.

"However, the inspired utterance says definitely that in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons, by the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, marked in their conscience as with a branding iron" 1 Timothy 4:1-2

"For whenever people of the nations that do not have law do by nature the things of the law, these people, although not having law, are a law to themselves. They are the very ones who demonstrate the matter of the law to be written in their hearts, while their conscience is bearing witness with them and, between their own thoughts, they are being accused or even excused. 16 This will be in the day when God through Christ Jesus judges the secret things of mankind, according to the good news I declare." Romans 2:14-16

"Let us therefore do our utmost to enter into that rest, for fear anyone should fall in the same pattern of disobedience. For the word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints and [their] marrow, and [is] able to discern thoughts and intentions of [the] heart. 13 And there is not a creation that is not manifest to his sight, but all things are naked and openly exposed to the eyes of him with whom we have an accounting." Hebrews 4:11-13

Answer 5

That is the point of free-will - the freedome to choose. However, as you know, every choice has a consequence. How does a negative consequence have anything to do with my free-will?

Answer 6

I know that this is a hard concept to understand. God is sovereign and all-knowing. Given that, is it possible that God knows what you are going to choose to do tomorrow? I would say yes. Given that, we must conclude that God knew that you would choose or not choose to accept His salvation through Jesus. This is what predestination or pre-ordination is, simply stated. God knew before the earth was formed what you would choose to do.
Here is the analogy I was told by a pastor years ago.
We are all walking down the path of life. We stop to see a sign in front of a building, "All who want to may enter."
Inside the building is a sign that says, "Your arrival here was known before time began."
Intellectually, that is hard to grasp. We must accept that truth even though we cannot comprehend it.

Answer 7

I believe your question is about free will and that you have one to either choose to believe God and His word or choose not to believe?

First we need to establish some basic groundwork. Do you believe there is a God, one God who is creator of all there is? If the answer is yes then maybe this will help you.

You have to start with the origin of mankind according to scripture. The instant that God created man He gave him volition "free will". Free will does not mean that there are free rides, there are consequences for each and every decision made in life. The decision to believe that Jesus Christ is who He says He is carries eternal consequences as well. Since there is only one eternal God who is the Creator of everything He decided in His Omniscience, Omnipotence and Grace that man should have volition "free will" without this we are nothing more than robots. The motivation for some to believe in Christ is as varied as there are people. The issue I think your friends may trying to convey is that you have a choice to make with eternal consequences, you have free will to choose free grace and free salvation. It is a gift of God. The fate of your eternal soul rests alone in whether or not you believe Christ. Since God's absolute standard has been violated, by the very same free will God created it has sinned. The wages of Sin is death, since the penalty for sin has to be paid God's justice demands payment. God himself provided a payment on your behalf in the person of Jesus Christ. If you fail to simply believe and receive this gift then when you appear before the supreme court of Heaven you will be found guilty of sin and the punishment is death, both a physical and spiritual death in the lake of fire. Your assumption that free will is not free because there is a punishment for not making the correct choice is incorrect. I think you mentioned you chose "B" and burn. You're not being punished for the choice. You are being punished for sin you are guilty of as we ALL are. The only way to escape this penalty of death is simply faith alone in Christ alone. You see God is a loving God in that He had a law and because He is holy He cannot break the law and neither can we but when we did He had a plan to make the payment for the sin because God wants no one to perish but all to be saved. This does not mean that all will be saved but the potential exists.

An analogy I can use for you is let's say you committed murder for example and you had the trial and were found guilty of the crime and sentenced to death and just before they executed the sentence, a man shows up and says I will die in His place to satisfy the judgment of the court, so you could go free. Now at this point you have a decision (free will, volition - you can choose to accept it or reject it and go on to be executed.) It is your choice. to make do I want to go ahead and pay the penalty myself or do I want to let this other man pay it for me and go free? (remember you are being punished for murder not for the choice to accept this other person's payment in your place) Well that is believe it or not that is exactly what the case is before God concerning you (not murder per se) but you are guilty and under a death sentence from birth. God has provided a way for you to escape, all you have to do is believe Jesus Christ is who He says is and receive the free gift of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. I hope this helps clarify this for you.

Answer 8

It is about free will.
Most "peeps" are unaware they are on the "B" train already.
The consequence is coming, whether they choose to believe it or not. Jesus gives the choice to either stay on the train, or to allow Him to get you off it. Simple choice really.

God created us with free will.
Why? Love.
He could demand it, or just create us to be robots.
Instead, He wanted us to love Him, by our own choice.
Of our own free will.
Love, to be love, must be given.

Answer 9

I think a more important question to ask is, "Does god have free will?" If he does then why are we here? What would motivate an omnipotent being to do anything?


11:11

Answer 10

free will is not right. you dont go out in the world and do whatever you want. thats just a lie from the devil. when you accept the lord jesus in your heart you become more free and he breaks those chains of sinning and slavery. the next step is to serve him because hes been with you since you were in your mom's stomach. follow all his laws and be obedient to him and love him with everything you got. you can baptized but that wont save you thats just shows you are willing to serve jesus.