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'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.'

I just wanted to thank you for the thorough response as well as for the relevant passages from God's Word. This is an interesting topic and it serves to reveal that some of the most intelligent (and well-read) people in the world congregate right here on Free Republic.

To God alone be the Glory, for the great things He has DONE!

Amen to the 32nd power (exponentially speaking).

God can say and do what ever he wants because he owns the microphone ( i.e. Roland Reagan's " I paid for this microphone " .)

God created the whole universe, and man, and God can say and do what ever he wants.

God is THE superior sovereign being.

This stupid argument we hear from the other side:

" well ? God didn't create us as robots " ....

Well, that's just plain stupid.

That's the most stupid statement I ever heard of.

Guess what ?

Robots were not invented by man until the later part of the 20th century.. so what did those during the middle ages say ?

God created us to have fellowship with him, and ? God created us with inherent attributes that we got from God since we were created in God's image and likeness.

Do you laugh ?
I do believe God laughs and has a sense of humor.

Do we grieve ?
I do believe that God grieves.

Do we delight in seeing something beautiful ?
I do believe that God also delights in seeing beautiful things.

Those who are IN CHRIST ?
We are his adopted sons and daughters.
We were placed into God's family by choice and adoption... and no, we are not robots.

Yes, man had a " FREE WILL " at one time,

but ?

Man lost it in the garden of Eden.

Sorry Free willers, it was lost.
Man kind was plundered into a fallen state of sin, and man kind has been in that state ever since.

So now who are the " ROBOTS " obeying every command if that statement can be or could be coined that way ?

Yes, who are the " ROBOTS " obeying the " COURSE OF THIS WORLD as Paul so elegantly stated.

No, on the contrary, it took a supreme sovereign being, GOD, who delivered us out of that fallen state, the plundered state of bondage of sin that we were in.

Can't serve 2 masters, either you love the one, or hate the other.
Man kind has not had " FREE WILL " since the fall in the garden of Eden.