I read earlier that he does that to turn people away from god. I thought we had free will?
2007-05-23 08:04:18 · 24 answers · asked by Bipolar Bear 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Wow, those pair sound just as bad as each other. What makes you think it's not god doing the tricking?
2007-05-23 08:09:56 · update #1
free agency is the name of the human capacity to make choices for themselves and to choose between right and wrong. influence can always be present.
2007-05-23 08:08:35 · answer #1 · answered by phrog 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will simply means that when faced with a moral choice, you have to make a choice, and then are held responsible for that choice.
"Free will" does NOT mean that the devil, the world, your friends, circumstances, money, your parents, your boss, and even God himself can not try to influence your decision. If there were no circumstances or influences to pick between, then there would be no "free will" or any need to decide. Rather the idea of "free will" implies that there will be forces and influences trying to get you to side with them.
There is an old saying, "You can't stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep him from making a nest in your hair". We can not stop satan (or anything else) from trying to influence us. But we don't have to listen.
2007-05-23 15:15:33 · answer #2 · answered by dewcoons 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We do have free will. Have you never, said an unkind word, spread gossip that you knew would hurt someone? Lied? It's human nature as well. The closer you are with God, then the bigger of a threat you are to Satan, he plays to win, he's sneaky, and even if you don't think what you are doing is a big deal, really think about it? Did you make the choice, take the action that God would have wanted you to, or did you do something that you knew was wrong, and when you did, who do you think scored those points?
2007-05-23 15:12:00 · answer #3 · answered by JazzyLynn 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have free agency -- the power to choose
Free will is the power to change consequences
Satan has the power to offer you choices that contradict the offerings of God.
You get to choose God or Satan -- the consequences will follow.
where the "influence" comes into play is that Satan has some convincing arguments like:
I don't really exist
God Does not exist
You are not hurting anyone by doing...
just one more... and then you can stop
etc.
2007-05-23 15:13:52 · answer #4 · answered by Dionysus 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We do, free will is the right to choose. You are given options everyday and you have the right to choose. You are influenced by the media every day and you are given the right to choose. Same with your immortal life, you are given choices every day and the right to choose. Both Satan and God influence. But you were taught right from wrong. So for the most part I am guessing that you know the consequences of the wrong choice. But ULTIMATELY, you are free to choose. THAT is free will.
2007-05-23 15:11:56 · answer #5 · answered by The Y!ABut 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you do have free will, but satan is a lawless marauder and his entire agenda is to kill, steal and destroy. Just because you have free will is no deterent to him..., his tactics are to deceive you and lie to you and present the pretty side of sin. He will tell you how sophisticated it is to have a drink and a smoke but he will never show you the car wrapped around the tree from the drunken driver who just killed a family of four by driving intoxicated..., he never shows you the lung cancer from the 20 years of smoking. He never tells you that both substances are addictive and you lose your "choice" after messing with them.
YOUR free will is a challenge to him.
You have the free will to resist temptation and his influence, but your free will doesn't take his power away to tempt you.
Your free will isn't a power against the devil if you don't recognize his "messing with you" and your using that blessing for yourself.., it 's not some automatic shield.., it means you have to use it for yourself for it to work.
2007-05-23 15:20:56 · answer #6 · answered by gg28 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We do have a free will, but that doesn't stop being influenced. Look at the clothes you are wearing, you have a free will but I bet you were influenced by somebody to wear those clothes, either mtv, magazines or tv. What about what we listen to? don't you think that music influences people?
2007-05-23 15:09:31 · answer #7 · answered by yaabro 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can influence you by what I write. Did I just take away your free will? Or do you still have a choice to believe me or not?
Sorry, but this seems to be a silly question if you think about it.
2007-05-23 15:08:34 · answer #8 · answered by Randy G 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Example: You are a married woman. Your neighbor's husband has been flirting with you and trying to get you to have an affair with him.
Your neighbor is trying to influence your thoughts and actions. But, you still have the free will to choose what you will do.
2007-05-23 15:12:47 · answer #9 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
we have the freedom of choice because GOD wants us to choose HIM over sin. satan makes us his slave by using our free will to live in sin, because he makes it sound so attractive. u c, satan describes GOD'S ways as imprisoning and hard, when he promotes all these so called free activities. the truth is that all of satan's ways are traps that we become dependant upon, like cigs and booze and sex. but wait, sex is great right? well, just think about all the things we do to ourselves that really don't make alot of sense. and you will see that GOD"S ways are freedom from sin, and eventual destruction. for the wages of sin is death. but the gift of GOD is ETERNAL LIFE thru our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
2007-05-23 15:24:35 · answer #10 · answered by spotlite 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋