Do Christians disagree with each other on freewill?

Question

First, I hear people are born knowing right from wrong. That the soul has a conscious from the beginning. Secondly, I hear that we are born with inherent morality but we need the teachings of Jesus Christ to reveal them. Thirdly, I hear we do not have freewill until age of accountability, which is like 7 or 8 (not very scientific).

The assumption of freewill is based on a person's ability to trust or fall for people's "lies." For instance I hear Christians say, "Well it doesn't matter if you are raised by the KKK or Nazis... If you fall for their "lies," if you trust the people around you who happen to be wrong then you are 100% accountable for your sins."

I think feral babies make you question the whole thing entirely. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/feral_child... )

Answer 1

“For the thoughts of YOU people are not my thoughts, nor are my ways YOUR ways,” is the utterance of Jehovah. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than YOUR ways, and my thoughts than YOUR thoughts.... Isaiah 55:8,9

Answer 2

No, the subject of freewill has been a issue of debate from as far back as John Calvin and John Wesley.

Many groups within christianity have gone and formed their own denominations and factions based upon this very subject. (One big reason why we have so many different groups and denominations within christianity).

Many Baptist and Presbyterian groups would side with Calvin and say we do not have the freewill to decide for our own salvation. We are born "predestined" to go to heaven or hell. No choice on our part.

Many more Evangelical groups, (Methodist, Nazarene, most fundamental groups) would go with the side of Wesley and say that we do have the freewill to decided. The most quoted verses from the Bible, John 3.16 says it the clearest that "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that 'whosoever' will 'believe' will have eternal life." All we have to do is believe in what God has done for our salvation through Jesus and we will be saved.

Christianity is based on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind. Jesus was the promised messiah and king prophesied about throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament is the explaination and revelation of His coming and that He will come again.

We put our faith in Jesus Christ that He died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead to cover our sins forever and that we might also overcome sin and death. He will forgive us for our sins and bring us into new life in Christ. We leave our old life of sin behind and walk on in newness of life in Christ.

John 14.6 "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by me."

Romans 10.9-11 "9 If you use your mouth to say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. 10 We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we use our mouths to say that we believe, and so we are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed."

Hope that helps.

Jesus Loves You

Answer 3

The understanding of freewill is often misunderstood. Freedom is not the ability to do whatever you want to do. That would be licence. Freedom is the ability to do what you ought to do. Freedom does have its limits. No one has the right to choose evil. We often get this wrong and we have the physical ability to do wrong. I'm free to commit suicide and jump off a bridge or I'm free to shoot anyone that I disagree with. I am not morally free to do that. Remember what God said to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. 'You may eat the fruit of all the trees in the garden", freedom in very broad, but "you may not eat the fruit of the tree in the centre of the garden lest you die. Freedom has limits and they are set up by Gods wisdom. Step outside of these limits and you'll be very unhappy.

Answer 4

Christians seem to disagree with each other on an awful lot of things that's why their are so many different churches. personally I figure it doesn't really matter what they believe after all isn't their god supposed to decide after they die if they where right or wrong for all we know god might favor the kid who did as his parents told him joined the KKK and also believed whole heatedly in everything he was told about in the bible. and he might send to hell the kid who disobeyed his Nazi parents and harbored non christian Jews. personally I don't want to go to heaven if it means I must worship an all powerful god because I believe that an all powerful god should be above such human traits as to favor the yes man over the hard worker.

Answer 5

listen, the fundies tried brain washing me as a kid.I knew there was something really wrong with these people, tones of hate. Plus most of the ministers faces were red. My grandmother save me from them at age 5. It depends on the religion the fundies they believe about everyone going to hell even 2 yr olds ! The Catholic Church, it's like 8 to understand what is going on

Answer 6

Yes absolutely and this is the main doctrinal difference surrounding the issues of election. the two camps go by the names of the Thinkers who championed these arguments, John Calvin advancing the Calvinist view and Jacobus Arminius advancing Arminianism. At its most simple and definately oversimplified Arminianism says that yes we have free will and it is up to us to choose Christ. Calvinism says we are all completely depraved far too wicked and that no one will ever excercise their free will to choose Christ on his own so God must grant them the irresistable grace to belive. Look up Calvinism and Arminianism for a plethera of material on your question here

Answer 7

What in case you desperate to apply your freewill to pass on an severe starvation strike. could you be justified in complaining to God which you died as a effect? What in case you chosen to apply your freewill to stroll for the duration of railroad tracks while a prepare replaced into coming. could you be justified in whining to God that the prepare might desire to have swerved? And what in case you used your freewill to rob a financial company? optimistic, you could rob the financial company, yet you will go through the outcomes of this selection by being incarcerated in reformatory. you could opt for stable or undesirable, suitable or incorrect, easy or darkness. yet you could not opt for the outcomes of the ideas you're making. while you're making righteous selections, you will acquire the effect of going to heaven. while you're making unrighteous selections, you will acquire the effect of going to hell. God will in no way tension every person into heaven or hell. you return to a determination the place you will pass based on the form you have used your freewill in this existence. This incorporates finding out despite if or to not have faith in and settle for Christ. i'm sorry, yet i don't think of your argument is a stable reason to be an atheist.

Answer 8

We Bear Accountability For Ourselves

The Bible does say that we bear accountability for our own sins in the following two verses:

Ezekiel 18:20 "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him."

Matthew 12:37 "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

Hope this helps you.

Answer 9

Wrong.
God cannot create true love.
God cannot forced someone to love and be true love.
True love will only manifest in a being of freewill.
God a loving Father wants our love.
God wants nobody to perish.
God in His wisdom knew sons of freewill would have to be held accoubtable, hence the law.
God through love has paid the option of repentance.
True repentance is a change of mind or heart, not a license to sin.
God is judge.
God is righteous.
God is fair.
God is long suffering,
God knows the heart.
God knows the facts.
God knows the motive.
God is God.
TIME TO WAKE UP !!
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Answer 10

As with anything in life, the more pure the desire, the clearer the understanding will be. I hope this helps.