Christians: Predestinatin or Free Will?

Question

Let's get some Christian disscussions going. Are you for Predestination or Free Will? What reasons do you have for holding these beliefs?

If you're for free will, how do explain verses such as Ephesians 1:3-6

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, acording to the kind of intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved

If you're for free will, how do explain verses such as Ephesians 1:3-6

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, acording to the kind of intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved

Whoops, didn't mean to post two

Hmmm... no predestinarians? Also, can you who say there's a mix of both explain how they can cooexist together? I've seen plenty of people who say there is a mix, but I don't understand how that is possible...

Answer 1

Both. Wholly both. Scripture preaches both.

Proverbs 16: 33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

(Note: EVERY decision --- this certainly doesn't imply that He sometimes intervenes)

Free will:

Josh. 24:15 Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve

There are lots more verses I could offer you, but I think it is clear from a study of scripture that it talks over and over about our choice and God's sovereignty. No, I cannot explain how these can coexist. I know that to our finite human minds, they would *appear* to cancel each other out. That is why so many fall to one side or the other. Mainly, people say *only* free will. But if we believe that, we might as well tear Romans out of our Bibles. We have to go with what scripture says, even when it is too big for our minds to comprehend.

Romans 9 is here:

http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=romans+9

God bless. :)

Answer 2

I believe in predestination.

God has chosen some out of the human race to be saved through the finished work of Christ, thus inheriting eternal life. Others of the same human race are not chosen to eternal life and therefore foreordained to everlasting punishment.

In other words, God sovereignty ordains the eternal destiny of every human being—the lost as well as the saved.

In the case of the elect there is a divine intervention called regeneration. This is a sovereign work of God the Holy Spirit.

In the case of those who are not elect, however, there is no internal work of God. It is not God who makes them evil. They already are evil. In their case the Word of God only hardens them in their sin.

“For the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls,…“Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated’. …Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens…..Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” Romans 9:11,12,18,21

Answer 3

Both... The play has already been written, including the plots and twists we introduce in the individual acts of our own free will. Destiny and fate does not make us mere robots, especially if we choose the path. It's just that God knew from the beggining what that would be. Time is a limit of our perspective, not His.

Answer 4

Predestination.The entire Bible is full of the doctrine of predestination,too numerous scriptures to point out and state.If you've truly been redeemed,then you will KNOW that predestination is a doctrine is thru out all the Bible.Many christians reject predestination because they reject the true scriptures or think,"God couldnt have truly meant that" kind of thinking,and so the doctrine of predestination is thrown under the train.

Answer 5

The will is free only to do what it is able and unless a person is born again of God, he can't will to do anything but that which is unacceptable before God but he willingly does it. Those who God has chosen in eternity, He makes alive so that they now are able to "choose" correctly.
The will always goes willingly with the mind and a person always chooses or wills what they think best at that moment. An example would be if I ask someone to give me all their money. They would "willingly" say no. But if I stuck a gun in their face and said give me your money or die, they would most likely "willingly" give me their money. So it is with the will of man. We can do no good thing while we are dead in sin---John 3:3
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.

But when we are born again we are given a new understanding and eyes to see so that now our wills are able to choose to serve God.
John 3:7
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

Answer 6

Predestination means we have no control over what happens to us we are just victums of faite. which would be cruel and pointless to even live.
But we can never be convicted of a crime, the Genes made me do it defense?

Free will says we are the captains of our own destiny and we call the shots. They only thing wrong with that is then we have to be accountable for our own actions.

Answer 7

I personally believe in both.
If you are standing at a fork in the road you can choose to take the right fork or the left fork.
That's freewill.
You are predestined to experience certain things if you take the left fork and certain other things if you take the right fork.

Answer 8

If God tells us both are true, they must be. Someone will say, "hey that doesnt make sanse,"but it might because Gods knowledge is infinately far beyond ours. So both are true, its just beyond us to explain.

Answer 9

a little bit of both, really... God may have control over certain occurrences in our lives, but how we respond to them is our choice...

Answer 10

free will , all the way!!!!!!!!!! If not, we are just robots. Besides, God said choose whom you will serve.