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To: D-fendr; suzyjaruki
You gotta admit it’s pretty semantical. You have free will which you will always use to choose sin, unless God changes your free will, without your involvment.

Not at all. This is the very nature of God. Augustine noticed this in the following two passages:

Augustine noticed a contextual problem between these two passages. In the first passage, God command the people to make for themselves new hearts and spirits. But, reasoned Augustine, how could they possibly do that? God then states that He will give them a new heart and spirit? The problem with Augustine's dilemma was if the people do not have the new heart and spirit from God, how could people ask it of God?

It was based upon this reasoning that Augustine rightfully deduced his prayer:

Augustine felt that God commands us to do certain things, but He must also grant to us the ability to carry out those things. I will add that Pelagius felt this was crazy reasoning, something the Church condemned Pelagius for.

This is the heart of Christianity. God commands all men to repent, but God must grant repentance.

God may, if it be His will, grant repentance to those around us. You can't get this with free will.

Augustine was pretty clever.

8,128 posted on 10/03/2007 4:50:08 PM PDT by HarleyD
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To: HarleyD
Augustine felt that God commands us to do certain things, but He must also grant to us the ability to carry out those things.

Amen!

"For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord...

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?" -- 1 Corinthians 4:4,7


8,143 posted on 10/03/2007 5:40:00 PM PDT by Dr. Eckleburg ("I don't think they want my respect; I think they want my submission." - Flemming Rose)
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