Freewill is a popular idea among Christians but the word is NOT in the New Testament. What is in the bible is Predestination!
Romans 8:29 - 30 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
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Ephesians 1:4 - 5 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
How do you figure you have freewill to make your own choices if your bible says you were predestined to this?
Seems to me like freewill is a delusion that we can only be what this God created us to be! Romans 9:21 - 23
2007-02-20 09:51:12 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I can't disagree with you, you're absolutely right. But there are obstinate people that will not accept predestination, and will always put man in front of God. One slight correction, though. Free will to make our own choices is not the implication of the verses that you quoted. The implication is that we cannot choose God, not that we cannot make day-to-day decisions. However, those day-to-day decisions have a sin nature attached to them, with everyone standing condemned before the Lord and deserving of hell. It takes a loving God to pull us out of our own misery, and he had the power to do this before the foundations of the world. I like Calvinism, it really puts things into perspective -- and I like seeing posts like yours that support predestination the way it's meant to the interpreted rather than twist words around in order to support a position that falls apart rather easily.
2007-02-20 16:17:44 · answer #1 · answered by ccrider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will; Is freedom of self determination and action independent of external causes. I'm not sure Free will is a delusion, I think it has more to do with self will and choosing to do what is right instead of following temptation.
Predestination maintains that God is the one who decides who will be saved (Rom. 9:16) and that it is not up to the desire of the person (John 1:13). God is the one who ordains the Christian into forgiveness, "...and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48). Also, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and who He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (Rom. 8:29-30). Further verses to examine are Eph. 1:4,11; Rom. 9.
2007-02-20 10:06:09 · answer #2 · answered by Jo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The verses you choose are applied to a smaller number or group of people and not to all men of good will. These men or people had a hope of being with the Lord in Heaven and sitting on thrones, and Judging is what they will do. See Revelation 5:8-10 and Revelation 20:4, and Revelation 22:5.
In other words you and I most likely are not of this group, we are more likely the group described in Revelation 7:9 and our hope for salvation will be earthly. See Mathew 5:5, and Psalms37:9-11,29, and if you really think about it that's not so bad?
If you study Mathew 6:9,10 then you will see the answer to this is in part at Daniel 2:44, and Revelation 21:3,4 some times it is better to honestly discuss things.
If you need further help ask? gemhandy@hotmail.com
2007-02-20 10:19:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Predestination has everything to do with our ultimate, final destination.
Free Will has everything to do with immediate choices.
If free will did not have limits, then I could will myself to fly. There are constraints on what we can choose to do, whether they are governed by physical laws, or spiritual laws.
People get hung up on predestination because they think that it limits their choices. Well, truth be told, we ARE limited in a variety of ways. Deal with it.
The good news is that we can exercise our free will within those confinments.
2007-02-20 10:03:00 · answer #4 · answered by Bobby Jim 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe that it doesn't need to be discussed in scripture about freewill. It is a given. God told us not to eat from the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. If he didn't want free will....he wouldn't have created it.
I know for a fact that true love wouldn't exist without free will. How could you marry someone that didn't love you without you forcing them? That would be disturbing. God also practices free will. Once we turned on him when we sinned, he could have destroyed all of Creation and not feel bad. But he loves us.
Imagine loving a useless rag thats filthy. And that hates your guts. This rag has turned all your friends against you, has stolen your money, has denied that you exist, and calls you bad names. Do you want to die for it? Thats what God did. He did that so every filthy rag of a person on earth could go to heaven.
No thats what I call free will.
2007-02-20 10:07:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You got it. OLAY!
It has to do with predestination.
I for one am happy I am one that was predestined.
John Calvin was one of the theologians that saw this and wrote about it.
It is part of Calvinism.
He said your free will was polluted when we fell in the garden.
The fall was complete. Total depravity.
You don't know you are lost and you don't care. Just go for the gusto, whatever pleases you, go for it.
It takes a calling from God to alert you that something is wrong.
I could go on but that would take a very long time. I gave you a brief overview.
You can look John Calvin up on the net.
2007-02-20 10:03:47 · answer #6 · answered by chris p 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A man owns a pet dog. He lays a school book on one side, and a bowl of dog food on the other. What does the dog choose? The bowl of dog food of course. The man knew but the dog still chose for himself.
We are like the dog, and God is the owner in this story. We can choose our own paths but God knows what we're going to choose. The logic and how God works is incomprehensible by our knowledge because we are not capable of knowing such divine things.
2007-02-20 09:59:38 · answer #7 · answered by CK 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Paul had learned that his scolding of them had hurt their feelings. He was saying that he was glad that it made them sorry - because their sorrow brought them to repentance. And if they had stopped doing what was wrong, and began doing what was right, then his scolding actually did them no harm. Verse 10 supports that thought. NLT: 2 Cor 7:9 Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. 2 Cor 7:10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.
2016-05-23 23:49:50 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We are predestined to be sons of God.
We are given the choice nonetheless.
They don't cancel each other out.
God made us to have a relationship with him. We are designed to worship him and be with him. We are 'predestined' in this manner. But God loves us enough to not make us a bunch of believing robots, so..
we still have the choice.
2007-02-20 09:56:01 · answer #9 · answered by Doug 5 · 4⤊ 2⤋
You are predestination to go to heaven! But will you choose to go? Its like getting into your car to go to work! you are predestine
to get in and go to work but will you go? maybe you decided to stay home that day.
2007-02-20 10:25:26 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋