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To: HarleyD
If by "free choice" you mean we have the ability to accept or reject Christ then I would disagree.

That's not an example I would use. By "free choice" I mean, capable of making moral choices, and capable of obeying or disobeying God.

Just like He did with Jonah.

Even in scripture, this doesn't always happen, though. God didn't force Saul back into obedience.

I don't think salvation varies from person to person. Is this what you believe?

Being a Jew, my concept of soteriology is completely different. In Judaism, "salvation" refers to being saved from the trials and tribulations of this world (e.g. the freeing of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt). We don't really use "salvation" in terms of the afterlife. Basically, the righteous go to Heaven, and those lacking righteousness go to Gehinnom. One can be righteous either by not sinning, or by repenting and being forgiven. To use Christian vocabulary, both righteousness and eternal life with Him are acts of pure grace, because God is not under any obligation to forgive us our sins. But we have His promise that He will.

2,969 posted on 04/09/2004 4:11:40 PM PDT by malakhi (L'shana haba'ah b'Yerushalayim!)
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To: malakhi
"By "free choice" I mean, capable of making moral choices, and capable of obeying or disobeying God."

Sure, I would agree that under your definition of "free choice" we do have the capability of obeying or disobeying God.

"Even in scripture, this doesn't always happen, though. God didn't force Saul back into obedience."

God didn't force Saul into obedience because He had selected David to take Saul's place. David was annoited to be king long before Saul went to see the witch of Endor.

2,985 posted on 04/09/2004 5:42:19 PM PDT by HarleyD (For strong is he who carries out God's word. (Joel 2:11))
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