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To: HarleyD
Num 30: If she vow and bind herself by oath, to afflict her soul by fasting, or abstinence from other things, it shall depend on the will of her husband, whether she shall do it, or not do it.

Isaias 1:19 If you be willing, and will hearken to me, you shall eat the good things of the land. 20 But if you will not, and will provoke me to wrath: the sword shall devour you because the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

*There are other OT verses of course. Y'all couldn't throw everything out of the Bible :)

60 posted on 01/19/2006 2:37:26 AM PST by bornacatholic
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To: bornacatholic
Augustine had difficulties reconciling the following verses:

Augustine reasoned that if Ezekial 18 was correct on face value, that man could give themselves a new heart, that would make Ezekial 36 wrong. Why would God have to give us a new heart when we can do it? Therefore Augustine correctly reasoned that Ezekiel 18 must be interpreted in light of Ezekiel 36. God must give a person a new heart for man to be able to follow God's command. Pelagius said that Augustine was wrong essentially ignoring Ezekiel 36. Pelagius believed that God commands and it is up to man to carry out His will.

To complete Augustine's logic you have to conclude that when God states that He will give us a new heart and spirit and cause us to walk in His statues, He means just that. Since God is perfect, His "new heart and new spirit" gift to us will also be perfect.

You can post all sorts of "free will" verses just as I can post all sorts of "God's sovereignty" verses. However, you will never get past the Augustinian logic above. You will never be able to satisfactorily explain Ezekiel 36. All I'll ever here is "yeah but this verse over here says...".

OTOH, for Ezekiel 18 I would simply answer as Augustine would answer, that God commands what He wills and gives what He commands. He gives us a new heart and spirit as He states in Ezekiel 36 and then He commands us to use it as in Ezekiel 18. God promises that this new heart and spirit will allow us to walk in His statues man. It's all because of God's working. If God so empowers us, it will happen.

This is exactly the way He works with all your verses.

62 posted on 01/19/2006 5:56:21 AM PST by HarleyD (Joh 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on)
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