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To: Scrutator
first off you misunderstood what I said. Let's start with the basics:
One of the unique Gifts with which God endowed Adam and Eve was free will. He did not pre-program them to be always obedient, but sought their willing and chosen obedience - thus the test of the Tree of Knowledge. In choosing to disobey God, they failed the test, but in no way does that mean that God suddenly took their free will away from them.

HOWEVER, when sin entered the world through the actions of Adam and Eve, the entire world became tainted with evil. An easy way to see this taint demonstrated in the world around us is that prior to the fall there were *no* carnivores - see Gen. 1:29-30. In other words, since the fall *everything* in the world is tainted with sin and all one has to do is look at the number of species of carnivores which exist today to see a very clear demonstration of that fact.

Because of our fallen sinful human nature we *cannot* by our own efforts alone choose to follow God and do His Will. Only God can empower me to the extent that I can even make the choice to follow Him. Paul talks about this in Romans 7: 15-25

15For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

So then, if only God can empower us to choose to do His Will, how do we know that we still have a real choice? Well that's exactly what Jesus tells us Revelation 3:20

20“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."

Notice He doesn't say anything about *Him* opening the door - *we* have to do that. It has to be *our* choice, and as He tells us in Matthew 16:24, it's neither an easy choice, nor a comfortable one, but it is a choice:

24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

Note that Jesus said nothing about forcing anyone to follow Him; rather He phrases it as a choice.

Now we see that we have a choice, but that we cannot, in our own fallen nature ever *make* that choice by ourselves. Only God can empower us to make the choice. But at the same time God *forces* no one to follow Him, since then there would be no choice; and we would merely be preprogrammed robots, showing no more real love to God than a computer programmed to tell it's owner 'I love you'.

In no way does that mean God empowers us to choose sin! We are already fallen sinful beings, in that we have no choice. It is rather that God the Holy Spirit calls us and frees us to choose to turn away from our fallen sinful natural inclinations and accept Christ in our lives, and in our hearts. The choice, by God's Grace, is ours.
55 posted on 01/30/2004 10:21:42 AM PST by ahadams2 (Anglican Freeper Resource Page: http://eala.freeservers.com/anglican/)
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To: ahadams2
Thank you for ANOTHER excellent explanation of "free will".

Wow.. I'm saving all of these!!

God Bless! VH&W
70 posted on 01/30/2004 5:23:35 PM PST by Vets_Husband_and_Wife
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