On the other hand, election, predestined, chosen are all over the scriptures. I would suggest you will not be able to understand the Gospel of John or Romans without understanding these doctrine. At least I never could.
Do you think Paul had a choice? It certainly wasn't his "free will" that pushed him over on the Damascus Road. Paul states that God choose him from his mother's womb:
Gal 1:15-16 But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,
Same is true about Jeremiah where God states:
“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jer 1:4-5
Doesn't sound like Jeremiah had a free choice in the matter. I could go on and on. But the greatest evidence is within each of us. And, give what you have written, it shows up in your testimony as well when you stated: No if you mean did I originate my salvation process totally apart from God.. If you didn't originate your salvation then God must have. Just like this testimony, I have NEVER heard a personal testimony yet that didn't say..."I was going this way BUT God..." It is this one simple phrase in our testimony that illustrates the proof that we are chosen by God. God opened our eyes and ears to see and hear the gospel call. Just like Paul on the Damascus Road.
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
So what you are saying is that if anyone goes to Hell it was God who chose that for them, and there was nothing they could do about it.
“No where in scripture is “free will” mentioned nor is the term used unless you point to one occurrence of a “free will offering” in Leviticus. There is man’s will and there is God’s will. There isn’t a “free will”. Man’s will is at strife with God’s will. If one thinks otherwise then, if they are truly a Christian and truly have a “free will”, it should be a simple matter of living a sinless life because one can choose to do good. Our sinfulness illustrates that our will are constantly battling God’s will.
On the other hand, election, predestined, chosen are all over the scriptures. I would suggest you will not be able to understand the Gospel of John or Romans without understanding these doctrine. At least I never could.
Do you think Paul had a choice? It certainly wasn’t his “free will” that pushed him over on the Damascus Road. Paul states that God choose him from his mother’s womb:
Gal 1:15-16 But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,
Same is true about Jeremiah where God states:
“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jer 1:4-5
Doesn’t sound like Jeremiah had a free choice in the matter. I could go on and on. But the greatest evidence is within each of us. And, give what you have written, it shows up in your testimony as well when you stated: No if you mean did I originate my salvation process totally apart from God.. If you didn’t originate your salvation then God must have. Just like this testimony, I have NEVER heard a personal testimony yet that didn’t say...”I was going this way BUT God...” It is this one simple phrase in our testimony that illustrates the proof that we are chosen by God. God opened our eyes and ears to see and hear the gospel call. Just like Paul on the Damascus Road.
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,:___HarleyD
___________
HarleyD,
* Thank you for a well written post.
* You put some thought and some time into writing that up.
* This debate has been going on for some
2000 years and is nowhere near being settled.
* We can both make our points.
* Perhaps our points will be a blessing to some human being somewhere. I hope so.
* Here is a point for you: Joshua told the
people “choose you this day whom you will serve.”
That’s Free Will
* John 3:16 presents all people with a Free Will choice:
{1} Choose to perish
or
{2} Choose Eternal Life
Again Free Will.
* “Behold I satand at the door and knock”___The Lord Jesus
This again is Free Will.
This presents you with a choice:
{1} Choose to open the door
or
{2} Choose to refuse to open the door.
Free Will.
* Not gonna ever be able to escape from Free Will.
Best To You HarleyD.
JAG