This is an earlier post that I am responding to later. Sorry if this is confusing.
theopenlife wrote:For almost six months I have avoided these discussions on SI, but it is truly a great sorrow on my soul to see such worldly wisdom being spouted forth to the shame of Christ's redemption. I have written the following with grief and love, and no striving spirit, for the hope that Christ might be glorified. Please receive it as such.
theopenlife wrote:May I ask in all seriousness, does God have a free will? To what extent? Is God free to lie? Could He sin if He wanted to?"But He will never want to!" you exclaim.And why not? How are you so certain that God will never choose to deceive, lust, or in any other way to sin? You know that God will never choose to sin because you have an almost innate understanding that all choices of the will flow out from the nature of a being. God's choices reflect His nature, and His nature is holy.
theopenlife wrote:Paul adds elsewhere, "The god of this world (the devil) has [b]blinded the minds of the unbelievers[/b], to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God." [2 Cor 4:4]This is precisely why unregenerate men must first be given "new hearts."
theopenlife wrote:"A [b]new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you[/b]: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an [b]heart of flesh[/b]. And I will put my Spirit within you, and [b]cause you to walk in my statutes[/b], and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." [Ezekiel 36:26-27] Note that until God gives a new heart, the person has a stony, rebelious one. While he is yet a dead cold stone, God makes him a new living creation and places an obedient spirit within him. God does not need to make man will anything - He needs only to change man's nature, and the will of the man begins to act according to the new system of judgement.
theopenlife wrote:Note, it is salvation itself which is the gift, not merely the "offer" of salvation. It is being re-created which Paul is rejoicing in, and not the opportunity of re-creating ourselves through human volition.
theopenlife wrote:Again, it is not enough for bad trees to will to produce good fruit; they must become entirely different "good trees." [Matt 7] "Bad trees [b]cannot[/b] bear good fruit." Is there any better fruit than faith in Christ. Every man is naturally a bad tree, and cannot please God.
theopenlife wrote:In the beginning God made man upright, capable either of obeying the Lord or choosing to sin. God covenanted with Adam in the garden, promising him life if he would obey the commands of God, and eternal death if he would not. The Lord was free to make this arrangement, even as He made similar arrangements with the angels.
tjservant i would like to say that your statement was a wonderful statement and the best i have heard. Thank you for posting that. I am not taking away from what anyone said but that was beautiful.
When God spoke to Cain, after the fall of Adam, he certainly spoke to him as if he had a free will:And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him (Gen. 4:6-7)Cain murdered his brother. It wasn't Satan who made him do it. It wasn't his nature that made him do it. It was his father Adam who made him do it. And it certainly wasn't God who made him do it. It was Cain's own fault because it was Cain's own free choice.
Koheleth, we seem to be talking past one another at this point. I would rather us not appear to strive in this setting. I have said what I originally intended to say and will refrain from going on (as we could both carry this for ten more pages). If you or anyone would like to continue this in PMs, that might be more appropriate. Thank you.
